The Laurel Canyon Fitzpatrick-Leland House is the new acquisition of the MAKCenter for Art and Architecture, Los Angeles.
It has been donated to the center by Russ Leland, who lived there for 15 years. Since most parts of Schindler’s original design had been lost by the time that Leland purchased the house in 1990, the investor has been working for ten years with architect Jeff Fink and with fabricators to restore the building to its former glory. Through the gift of the Fitzpatrick House to the MAKCenter, Leland has insured its legacy.
“This breathtaking example of Schindler’s work could have easily been lost were it not for Russ Leland’s vision and dedication,” says MAK Center Director Kimberli Meyer.
The Fitzpatrick-Leland House is now being employed for the newly launched fellowship project Urban Future Initiative (UFI), a special two-month residency program for researchers from around the world.
The house is the third of Schindler’s residences, after the Schindler House (1921-22) and the Mackey Apartments (1936). Following in the footsteps of Rudolph M. Schindler and his wife Pauline, who made the house a cultural center for artists and intellectuals in the ’20s and ’30s, the MAK Center (originated by a Cooperation Agreement between MAK Vienna and the non-profit Friends of the Schindler House – FOSH), took over programming and financial responsibility for the landmark Schindler House in 1994.