Ward-Berger House | Los Angeles Conservancy
Photo by Laura Orozco

Ward-Berger House

Master architect Richard Neutra designed this Modern home for the Ward family in 1939. The home's pivotal design bridges two periods of Neutra’s work: the boxy International Style of the late 1920s and '30s, and his more relaxed approach in the postwar years.

The L-shaped one-story house is designed for indoor-outdoor living. A fireplace in the living room is situated near the sliding glass doors to benefit both people gathered indoors and those on the backyard patio.

Neutra’s use of glass throughout the home allows occupants to feel closer to nature.

The house features a flat roof with a shallow parapet, silver-painted steel windows, and full-height sliding glass doors. Original built-in furniture remains intact throughout the interior, including a sofa, cabinets, shelves, and a dressing table with concealed mirrors. Among the numerous built-ins is a dedicated "radio cabinet" next to the built-in sofa in the living room.

The second owners, the Bergers, converted the original garage into a studio/family room and added a new two-car garage in the mid-1960s. The addition is compatible with the original design. The Ward-Berger House was designated as a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 2012.

Otomisan Japanese Restaurant. Photo by Sue Hwang.

Nishiyama Residence/Otomisan Japanese Restaurant

Developed over a period of thirty years beginning in 1890 through the 1920s, 2504-2508 East First Street consists of a residence and commercial building significant for their associations with the history of Japanese Americans in Boyle Heights.
Photo by Michael Locke

Tierman House

A perfect example of a small house that facilitates large lives, Gregory Ain's Tierman House is an austere, warm house with an open central core.