SCOVILLE
TURGEL
RESIDENCE

  

The Scoville-Turgel Residence is located in Mount Washington, one of the earliest suburban hillside neighborhoods in Los Angeles. On a street with many
mid-20th century modernist homes, the build site consists of three contiguous rectangular parcels that slope diagonally to the southeast with views toward the downtown Los Angeles skyline. There are no fences along many of the adjacent properties, creating a sense of shared landscape which the new home seeks to preserve.

SHIFTING RELATIONSHIPS

The uppermost parcel is oriented at a 45-degree angle to the street and is occupied by a 1940’s Usonian Wolford House designed by James DeLong. Developed in a continuous distorted “L” configuration, the geometric shape leads to a complex shifting relationship between the interior spaces and their surrounding context. Public spaces located on the lower level enjoy clear views of the skyline beyond. Parallel to the existing house but lower on the hillside, the new house connects to the older structure on the upper level, forming a bridge where the hillside falls away. The new building creates a unified living space that is shared with the existing Wolford House, but maintains its own identity even within the pervasive modernist context. This upper level provides both private spaces for the family and views of the city, creating a portal to the glass stair that serves as the residence’s geometric lynchpin and main entrance.