When is a ranch-style house not just a ranch house? When it is a Byrd house. Join author Chris Lukather as he explores the fairytale ranch houses designed by Robert Byrd (1904-1978) and his son, Gary (1939-2008), as featured in his new book, Homes by Byrd: The Art & Architecture of Robert Byrd and His Son, Gary (The Writing Disorder, 2022).

Byrd’s houses dot the suburban landscape from Beverly Hills through the San Fernando Valley. Eschewing Modernism for a more eclectic and romantic vision of living, the designer/builder featured details, such as exposed wood beams, turned posts, rock and flagstone finishes, and whimsical brickwork, on the exterior and interior. Byrd homes were built in the California Ranch style and featured natural materials that lent the homes a comfortable, symbiotic, and timeless ambience. Other distinctive characteristics include round chimneys, curved walkways, indoor/outdoor grills, Dutch doors, custom woodwork, stained-glass windows, and sometimes his own furniture designs.

This being Los Angeles, numerous celebrities have lived in Byrd Homes, including Ron Howard, Stan Winston, Tom Mix, Sharon Tate and Roman Polanski, Frank Zappa, and Robert Taylor.

Lukather is a specialist in fairytale-style tract homes. His previous books—both published by The Writing Disorder—include A Birdhouse in Paradise: William Mellenthin and the San Fernando Valley Ranch Homes (2017) and The Cinderella Homes of Jean Vandruff (2019).

Lukather on Byrd—Sunday, January 22, 2023; 1-2:30 PM PST; $5; go to www.sahscc.org and pay via PayPal or mail in order form with check.

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