Benson House named as city landmark




RETRO FIT—The Benson House in the Highlands embodies the 1970s destructivism style.

RETRO FIT—The Benson House in the Highlands embodies the 1970s destructivism style.


When famed architect Frank Gehry was hired to design Loyola Law School in Los Angeles in 1978, he met a law professor named Robert Benson. The following year, Gehry designed Benson’s home in Calabasas, and now, nearly three decades later, the home has been named a city historical landmark.

The Benson House is in the Calabasas Highlands area and consists of two separate buildings connected by a secondstory bridge. Both buildings straddle a hillside and lie below the grade of Clover Road.

The Benson House is the second historical landmark to be named in Calabasas. The first was the William C. Masson House, which was designated last month. The Masson House, built in the 1890s, is the only remaining homestead house in Calabasas. A ceremony at Masson House was held May 31.

The Benson House was built using Gehry’s vision of destructivism architecture, which supposes that buildings look more interesting when they defy visual logic and also appear to be still under construction. Gehry was known for his innovative use of common and inexpensive industrial materials, such as corrogated metal and chain link fencing.The Benson House, which was designed for less than $80 per square foot, is the only known home in the city using Gehry’s destructivism style. The budget for the $1,500-square-foot home was $120,000.

The west building, which houses the bedrooms and study, is a rectangular, three-story high structure. It is covered by a flat roof clad in brown, rectangular asphalt shingles.

The one-story-tall east building is sheathed in green zigzagged asphalt roofing and has a yellow skylight poking through the roof. The entrance goes over a gravel moat. This building contains the kitchen and the dining and living rooms.

Gehry has designed dozens of world famous structures, including the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, the Dancing House in Prague, the Guggenheim Museum in Spain and the Weisman Museum of Art in Minneapolis. He’s won multiple awards for his work.

The home retains much of its original integrity, which is important to the rules of historical landmarking. When leaks occurred in 2002, the skylight and roof of the east building were rebuilt according to exact original plans. In 2005, the shingles were replaced with ones that were identical. Other than those repairs, the house has remained unaltered.

City Attorney Michael Colantuono said the designation will “enhance the rights” of nearby residents. Once designated a historical landmark, any design changes, aside from exchanging like materials, will need to be approved through the Historic Preservation Committee after a public hearing.

“Neighbors will get more control over the aesthetics of the property than they would normally have,” Colantuono said.

The Benson family still owns the house and has been supportive of its historical designation, said Jeff Stearns of the city’s planning division. In January 2008, the city adopted a Calabasas Historic Preservation Ordinance. A six-month survey, which is nearing completion, will take a look at additional homes that could be eligible for preservation.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *