Rodney Walker, Designer-Builder | The O’Neill Duplex No. 1, 1953

Rodney Walker, Designer-Builder
The O’Neill Duplex No. 1, 1953
Silver Lake, California

Designated Historic-Cultural Monument No. 868, this remarkable duplex was completed in 1953 for Virginia O’Neill by Rodney Walker, a designer-builder who studied under R.M. Schindler and famously resisted formal AIA licensure in favor of hands-on craft. Walker saw himself first as a builder, taking an active physical role in the making of his architecture, a philosophy deeply embedded in this work.

Sited above the Silver Lake Reservoir, the single-level, side-by-side duplex is oriented to capture sweeping views of the water, the Hollywood Sign, and Griffith Observatory from nearly every room. Each unit offers a flexible two-bedroom, two-bath plan, with floor-to-ceiling glass dissolving the boundary between interior and private outdoor spaces.

Photographed by Julius Shulman in 1954, Duplex No. 1 and its companion Duplex No. 2 were originally conceived as a pair across adjacent graded lots, a rare surviving fragment of Silver Lake’s midcentury architectural legacy. The property is currently enrolled in the Mills Act, offering significant annual property tax savings.

Throughout the video, you’ll see select pieces by BEND @bendgoods, a Los Angeles–based furniture design studio known for redefining wire furniture through iconic works such as the Lucy Chair, now part of LACMA’s permanent collection. Their wire chairs and side tables appear quietly within the space, complementing Walker’s architecture without competing with it.
A special thank you to the current owner and to BEND @bendgoods for providing access and sharing their work.

This video is a collaboration between Brian Linder, AIA, and Mark H. Mendez of Compass @thevalueofarchitecture @MarkHMendez

Shot and edited by Orlando Hernandez @pb.mediafilm

#architecture #midcenturymodern