The VDL Research House, a historic site endowed to Cal Poly's College of Environmental Design, lacks maintenance funds.
A campaign to raise $30,000 by Oct. 1 was launched by the VDL advisory group and Dr. Raymond Neutra, the VDL's architect Richard Neutra's younger son, last fall. If the money is raised from the initial campaign, it will only be enough to cover temporary maintenance.
A second campaign is underway to raise a $2 million endowment to cover the long-term maintenance of the home.
The original 1979 endowment of $100,000 for the VDL's maintenance, no longer covers the cost of the residence's complex maintenance.
"The possibilities for using the house as an educational resource and event location seem truly endless to me, and I think it would be a terrible shame if it were not available to future generations of Cal Poly students," said Laura Vanaskie, a graduate architecture student.
The VDL, which was originally built in 1932 in Los Angeles County's Silverlake District and named for Neutra's benefactor, Dr. C.H. Van Der Leeuw, is used as a case study for educational purposes by the architecture department.
The VDL went through three waves of construction, which all need repair.
The necessary renovations for the home include first repairing a leaky roof, which is responsible for extensive water damage that has ruined interior parts of the home. Lighting and electrical circuits are also a problem.
"While there is power in the house, almost all of the low voltage switches are broken, so there is no way to light the house," said Sarah Lorenzen, an associate architecture professor who was named resident director of the VDL in October.
"In the meantime we have purchased dozens of plug-in Ikea lamps. It actually looks sort of romantic at night with this lighting."
Lorenzen said she and her husband, David Hartwell, who is residing in the house with her, have mainly worked on the garden house, basement area and temporarily alleviating water issues.
The benefit of living in the VDL outweigh the work though.
"While visiting the house allows one to appreciate the beauty of the space, it is only by living in it have I grown to understand the environment," said Lorenzen.
"The complexity of spaces created by the use of reflective surface, the way the house changes with the changes in light, the forethought that was put into making it an easy place to live and work."
The VDL is considered a predecessor of modern urban design and an experimental laboratory for Neutra's innovative ideas.
"It's not just a house ... It's a demonstration of how you could take a 60 x 70 foot lot and accommodate three different families," said Raymond Neutra. "There were times when our family was there and a sort of bachelor studio unit was occupied and another family was all accommodated."
The first construction stage was the original 60x70 foot lot on which Neutra wanted to explore finding human comfort in restricted areas. This is regarded as the VDL Research House I.
From 1939-44, Neutra added a garden house, garage area and an extension to an existing rooftop solarium. In 1963, a fire destroyed much of the VDL Research House. It was rebuilt by Neutra and his son, Dion.
Then-current design aspects were employed, creating the VDL Research House II.
Raymond Neutra explained the rare nature of the VDL, as it shows a dynamic progression of living space problems and solutions addressed from 1930-70.
"Having access to the house for all Cal Poly students allows them to experience modern architecture in a way that history classes and books would be unable to do," said Milad Sarkis, a graduate architecture student.
"It is the architectural personification of the Cal Poly mantra 'hands on learning,'" said Kate Van Horn, a third-year architecture student.
A weekend docent program was started in February as a way to raise revenue for the VDL house.
"The first day we had 230 people come through the house in a four-hour period. Since then we've averaged around 70 people," said Sarah Lorenzen. "At $10 per entry this has raised a good amount of money for the house, at this point around $5,500."
In addition to tours, students, faculty and staff are applying for grants and fund-raising efforts.
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