Lovell House
Why it's listed
Perched on a hillside at 4616 Dundee Drive in Los Angeles, this three-level house was designed by Richard Neutra and built in 1927-29. Its walls and balcony rails are gunite, a thin concrete sprayed from hoses onto an expanded steel frame and painted white. Continuous steel-framed windows, based on a 3-foot-5-inch module, form alternating bands of concrete and dark glass that give the facades a hollowed-out, strongly horizontal look. The street entrance is on the top level with bedrooms and a den, the living room, library, dining room and kitchen are below, and a play room and partly roofed pool occupy the lowest level. The interior uses exposed painted steel columns, and Neutra designed the metal furniture and lighting. The house is valued as an early use of factory-made steel sections and prefabricated components in a home, and as a pristine example of the early International style in California. It is frequently visited by architects, historians and students. Few changes have been made since completion.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it a monument of early modern architecture in California and a pristine example of the early International style. It is an early adaptation of industrial materials and factory-made components to domestic architecture. It was also Richard Neutra's first internationally acclaimed design.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 71000147, listed October 14, 1971. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 4616 Dundee Dr., Los Angeles |
|---|---|
| County | Los Angeles County |
| Listed | October 14, 1971 |
| Reference number | 71000147 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 20th Century |
| Architect / builder | Richard Neutra (architect) |
| Architectural style | Early International style |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as in good condition, occupied as a private residence, and largely unaltered since completion; repairs were carried out through the architect's office. |
| Acreage | 2.5 |
| Coordinates | 34.11816, -118.28798 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 71000147.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6692217
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.