Restoring Work of a Pioneer : Rudolph Schindler, creator of the Rodriguez house in the Verdugo Woodlands, is considered the least appreciated of the trailblazers in modern architecture.

In the Verdugo Woodlands is a sylvan structure that rises from the earth like a giant stone-and-wood mushroom. It seems a proper haunt for wood nymphs, faerie queens and mischievous, pipe-blowing satyrs. Its frosty green facade harmonizes with plants, trees and arroyo rock nearby.

But the unusual residence--called “the Rodriguez House” after its first owner, pianist Jose Rodriguez--was not created by Pan, Titania or any other mythical sprite. It is the work of an Austrian expatriate architect considered by historians to be “the least understood and least appreciated of the American pioneers of modern architecture”--Rudolph Schindler.

Schindler came to the United States in 1914 and worked as Frank Lloyd Wright’s project supervisor before embarking on his own precedent-setting career.

A talented painter, Schindler studied many art movements--Cubism, Postimpressionism, futurism and Japanese printmaking--as inspiration for his unusual architectural designs.

He was fascinated by the interplay of forms and space. He liked to experiment with inexpensive, new materials to create variety in mood, texture and shape.

“I don’t think anyone can compare to him,” says noted architectural historian David Gebhard, who considers Schindler the most prominent figure of 20th-Century modern architecture. “But his work was very unusual, very complicated, and many people are extremely perplexed by it.”

Schindler completed the Rodriguez House in 1941. It is not one of his most famous works, perhaps because historians have focused attention on his earlier concrete-slab designs.

“But it is typical of Schindler architecture,” says UCLA professor of architecture Judith Sheine, co-editor of “R. M. Schindler: Composition and Construction” (Academy Editions, 1993).

“The interior spaces are complex. And the issues of climate, light and mood are extremely well controlled. Few other architects have managed to achieve that in their work. It’s what sets Schindler apart in Western architecture.”

A cool, dark entryway at the Rodriguez House leads upstairs to a bright, expansive living room, predominantly composed of wood and glass.

The room has an exhilarating “eagle aerie” quality to it. Large windows, protected by wide overhangs, look out onto closed gardens and forest. A tall, sloping ceiling, supported by exposed rafters, augments the room’s volume.

Light is plentiful throughout the house. Clerestory windows admit sunshine at obtuse angles. Every room has a balcony, deck or door leading outside. As the sun shifts in the sky throughout the day, shadows and light beams dance complicated pas de deux, evoking moods ranging from cheerful to meditative to romantic.

“At first, I felt like I was living in a fishbowl,” says Caron Allen Polachek, who, with her husband, Joel, bought the house in 1986. “But now I think the house is marvelous. I’ve gotten used to its openness. And I love the blending of indoors and outdoors.”

Caron Polachek, a landscape designer, took on a Herculean task of restoring botanical order to the property’s wild overgrown grounds. At the time the Polacheks moved in, a jungle of vegetation shrouded the house. Bottlebrush had broken through its supports. A 30-foot-tall avocado tree threatened to topple upon Schindler’s exquisitely designed roof.

Polachek and her husband began trimming trees, reinforcing river rock and planting camellias, melaleuca and Japanese maples in their front yard. They placed these small trees in the foreground to create an illusion of substantial depth and space.

“It’s a Japanese landscaping technique,” Polachek said. “I’m borrowing views from other yards.”

Polachek also redesigned the back-yard garden to form a series of concentric circles of foliage. She created a Zen rock garden beside the front entrance and planted jasmine vines and Boston ivy at the sides of the house, adding further to its organic spirit.

Restoration of the Rodriguez House has been an ongoing project for the Polacheks.

They have replaced damaged beams, upgraded electrical and plumbing systems, and employed Sheine to design the “Schindler-style” furniture pieces, such as a built-in sofa, cabinet, bookshelves, bed and movable canvas screen.

Sheine used photographs and drawings of furniture that Schindler designed for other homes to inspire her pieces. To match the high-quality plywood and upholstery used in 1941, she special-ordered marine-grade boards and created a eucalyptus-green fabric with a strong copper tint.

“We decided that having Judith design pieces was the right thing to do,” said Polachek, “because there are so few things that look right for the house. Modern furniture looks too new for it; old stuff looks too old.”

Polachek says sadly that her previously amassed antique furniture has had to be relegated to the garage.

“Throughout this restoration, our motto has been ‘in the spirit of Schindler,’ ” she said. “Working on the house has been a way to express our love for architecture, and our appreciation of Schindler’s work.

“And it’s a hobby we’ve enjoyed doing together.”