Understanding the history of the ‘house of the future’ requires looking back 70 years. In San Mateo Highlands, Eichler X-100 was built as a promotional prototype for a new kind of domestic architecture: developer Joseph Eichler, who specialised in wood-framed family houses, saw it as an opportunity to explore whether steel could revolutionise residential construction.
Explore the Eichler X-100. now on the market
A grand opening brochure published in 1956 described it as a ‘new living form that served as a research laboratory for testing new design concepts, new materials, and new techniques of construction’. Designed as a test house by architects A. Quincy Jones and Frederick Emmons, the residence embodied many of the modernist principles that came to define the Californian ideal of postwar living: exposed steel, expansive glass, garden courts, skylights, built-in furniture, and seamless indoor-outdoor connections. Within a few months, it attracted more than 150,000 visitors and generated extensive press coverage.
What began as a research project is now looking for a fifth custodian who appreciates the opportunity to write its next chapter. Having been restored to its original condition, it spans 2310 square feet, comprising three bedrooms, two living areas and an open kitchen, with two bathrooms positioned at its centre. Two interior gardens invite nature into the home, while glass sliding doors along the entire rear façade create a sense of openness, with views of the Santa Cruz Mountains.
Initially sold for $47,000 in 1957, the house was later acquired by three other sets of owners. In 2016, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (the only Eichler house to receive the designation) and returned to its original glory the following year under the X-100 Renewal Project. Its current owner, Marty Arbunich, director of the Eichler Network, occasionally organises tours for educational purposes. Although it turned out to be the last steel house Eichler built, the X-100 remains remarkably relevant today as one of the most distinctive houses of the Californian modernist era.
For Sale: Eichler X-100, A. Quincy Jones and Frederick Emmons (1956), 1586 Lexington Avenue, San Mateo, CA 94402, via Boyenga Real Estate.