Planning, Conservation, and Support: The GCI’s work at the Eames House

Full Title: Planning, Conservation, and Support: The GCI’s work at the Eames House in Los

Angeles

Tuesday, April 8, 2025

6:00pm-7:00pm

McCulloch Pavilion, 265 S. Orange Ave

Praking available in the lots East of the Pavilion and South of Morrill Street

About the Lecture

Since 2012, the Getty Conservation Institute has been providing conservation assistance to the Eames Foundation in Los Angeles to help support their stewardship of the house of Charles and Ray Eames. This iconic work of modern architecture, from 1949, was designed by two of the most influential American designers of the 20 th century and is now open to the public, serving as a testament to their lives and their work. From its inception, it was an innovative statement about what modernist residential architecture could be, using new and experimental materials, colors and textures, carefully sited to respond to the surrounding landscape. At 75 years of age, it suffers from wear and tear, deterioration of materials, and threats from external environmental factors. Working with the Eames Foundation coincided with the GCIs launch of its Conserving Modern Architecture Initiative (CMAI), a comprehensive program to support the practice of conserving modern heritage. The CMAI team has done archival research, scientific investigations and environmental studies to understand issues and future problems that may occur at the Eames House and solutions can be found. In 2018 the GCI completed a Conservation Management Plan for the Eames House, a far-reaching tool that gives the Eames Foundation a roadmap to guide their future work, a journey they have recently started. This lecture will talk about what lessons have been learned in the process of working on the Eames House that can be useful to others managing and protecting works of modern architecture, and how the conservation management plan has paid off for the Eames Foundation.

About the Speaker

Chandler McCoy AIA manages the Conserving Modern Architecture Initiative at the Getty Conservation Institute in Los Angeles whose mission is to advance the practice of conserving modern heritage. This includes developing and delivering educational and training programs, managing field projects, and publishing technical books related to conserving modern heritage. He is one of the authors of the Eames House Conservation Management Plan. Prior to joining the GCI in 2015 he was Associate Director for Planning and Design at the Presidio Trust in San Francisco. He is a registered architect and received his BS in Architecture from the University of Virginia and Master of Architecture degree from Columbia University’s GSAPP in New York City. He holds a certificate in Architectural Conservation from ICCROM in Rome. He serves on the board of the Barnsdall Art Park Foundation in Los Angeles.

IMAGE CREDITS:

Both feature images: Photos by Julius Shulman, copyright J.Paul Getty Trust, Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles (2004.R. 10)

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