Between the years 1950 and 1974, nearly 11,000 homes were built throughout the sunny landscapes of Southern California and the San Francisco Bay Area by American real estate developer Joseph Eichler. However, unlike the typical suburban tract houses that began mushrooming throughout American suburbs in the post-war era, Eichler's homes took on a distinctly alternative aesthetic, as the developer advocated bringing the hallmarks of modern architecture to the masses. Eichler Homes hired well-respected Californian architects like A. Quincy Jones and Raphael Soriano to design its houses: horizontally oriented ranches that featured shallow A-frames and thin, vertical wood siding. Many featured the classic Eichler atrium, which brought "the outside in" by surrounding protected outdoor rooms with glass walls. Low-cost materials like laminates kept Eichler's houses affordable for middle-class families, his main clientele. Eichler Homes, Foster Residence More than a pioneer of middle-class modernism, Eichler was a sort of social visionary. In the nine planned communities he built, Eichler established a non-discrimination policy, making his homes available to any family regardless of race or religion—a progressive principle in the conservative 1950s. Joseph Eichler's numerous mid-century homes often go and off the market. While some have been updated with ...
Between the years 1950 and 1974, nearly 11,000 homes were built throughout the sunny landscapes of Southern California and the San Francisco Bay Area by American real estate developer Joseph Eichler. However, unlike the typical suburban tract houses that began mushrooming throughout American suburbs in the post-war era, Eichler's homes took on a distinctly alternative aesthetic, as the developer advocated bringing the hallmarks of modern architecture to the masses. Eichler Homes hired well-respected Californian architects like A. Quincy Jones and Raphael Soriano to design its houses: horizontally oriented ranches that featured shallow A-frames and thin, vertical wood siding. Many featured the classic Eichler atrium, which brought "the outside in" by surrounding protected outdoor rooms with glass walls. Low-cost materials like laminates kept Eichler's houses affordable for middle-class families, his main clientele. Eichler Homes, Foster Residence More than a pioneer of middle-class modernism, Eichler was a sort of social visionary. In the nine planned communities he built, Eichler established a non-discrimination policy, making his homes available to any family regardless of race or religion—a progressive principle in the conservative 1950s. Joseph Eichler's numerous mid-century homes often go and off the market. While some have been updated with ...