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FROM THE MARGINS | BY PATRICK AZADIAN
Los Angeles Times Valley Edition | Glendale News-Press | October 6 2006

Good taste remains a constant

About a month ago I was approached by the Glendale Historical Society to become a docent for one of the houses featured on their Centennial Home Tour. I was hesitant at first, but after giving it some thought, it seemed like a good opportunity to enhance my visual senses. I've also known the current owners of the house, Vahe and Aida Yeghiazarian, for quite some time, which put my nerves at ease.

The house is known as the Rice Residence and was designed by local architect Jerrold Lomax. The construction of the house was completed in 1993. According to the information the Glendale Historical Society provided, Lomax is now based in Carmel, Calif. The house was designed for Chuck and Phyllis Rice, who were close friends of Lomax.

Chuck Rice was an architectural photographer and worked closely with Lomax to complete the house over a two-year period.

The design of the house is based on the philosophy of Swiss architect Charles-Edouard Jeanneret-Gris, better known as Le Corbusier. Many know Le Corbusier for his "modern-looking" furniture. Just like the Rice Residence, his furniture has not dated in the slightest, and even today fit perfectly with the modern home. This is mainly due to Le Corbusier's conviction that the binomial shape/function value must be expressed in the three-dimensional manifestation of any daily used and useful object.

In his 1923 manifesto, "Towards a New Architecture" Le Corbusier said: "The house is a machine for living."

The Rice Residence has four levels and faces Verdugo Hills. It is quite austere from the street and reflects the original owners' desire for extreme privacy. As you pass through the original barrier steel and concrete, it is like going through the looking glass into a world of light and space.

The metal structural beams are completely exposed, inside and out. They serve as support as well as enhance the structural aesthetics. Historical society President Arlene Vidor informed me that the beams are still covered in their original paint, which was used to paint battleships.

There are only four other materials used in this unique building: concrete, glass, granite and the wood built-ins. The wood is from a single African hardwood tree.

Phyllis Rice's dream was to be exposed to natural light all the time, even on a rainy day. The Yeghiazarian's favorite time of the day is when dusk arrives and the city lights begin to twinkle as the sun sets; as that happens, the house is a truly magical place.

Inside, multiple elevations and the use of glass reveal clear lines of site out to the horizon from almost any level and any point in the house. This is an open plan to the extreme. The Rices requested a windowless façade, so Lomax was inspired to jog the walls and break up the massing of the house with shadows.

Thanks to the current owners, the structural design of the house remains unchanged.

The Yeghiazarian's contribution to the house has come in the form of the furniture and the works by various Armenian painters and artists on display.

I've learned that although the ethnic face of Glendale maybe changing, the presence of people with good taste seems to remain a constant.

Copyright 2006 Glendale News Press