Dinner with the Doctor -R. Neutra:

Last night VMZINC had the distinct pleasure of hosting a small dinner for Dr. Raymond Neutra (son of the other R. Neutra), and his lovely wife, at 18 Seaboard in Raleigh, NC. 

The meal was the preemptive warm-up for Dr. Neutra’s speaking gig later on in the evening -an event put on by Triangle Modernist Houses.  (www.trianglemodernhouses.com)  It was also the celebration of Dr. & Mrs. Neutra’s wedding anniversary, which they were gracious enough to share with their dinner guests.  (Congratulations!)

Both Dr. Neutra, and Dion Neutra, AIA (Dr. Neutra’s brother) are intimately involved with their father’s legacy.  The Neutra VDL Studio and Residences maintains a fantastic site for a part of said legacy at:  http://www.neutra-vdl.org/site/appeal-01.asp?1052012155626  Another incredible site for all things Richard (and Dion) Neutra can be found here: http://www.neutra.org/ 

The dinner guests included Marvin Malecha, FAIA -Dean of the College of Design at NCSU and former president of the AIA, (Pictured to the left of Raymond Neutra in the above photo), Dean Malecha’s spouse, local architects, landscape architects and fans of Richard Neutra and architecture in general.  We came to meet the man and hear him speak.  We wound up listening to a lively conversation at times, and feeling like we were in on a sublime secret at other times.  The setting lent itself to both, and was very intimate.   

This intimate setting allowed us to listen clearly as Dr. Neutra recounted his experiences with his father, and, moreover, with his father’s work.  At one point in the conversation, Dr. Neutra’s humble and gentle spirit came to light as he recalled individuals telling him how his father’s work had impacted them in a positive way.  It was obvious at that moment that we were not only listening to someone who had received a love for the built environment, but someone who had also received an obvious care for his fellow mankind.  The impact was understated and like most understated moments carried much more weight than the shouted or overtly celebrated.  This moment alone was worth the price of admission and defined the link that we often miss between great architecture and daily life.  It also defined the good doctor. 

We are looking forward to meeting Dr. Neutra’s brother, Dion, in November -hopefully, like last night, it will be over dinner.  -VM

Source: www.zincsense.com

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