Chic Digs for Dogs

Love can inspire a man to do many things. Compose songs. Write poetry. Climb mountains. Build doghouses.

James Bowen, a dog-loving Venice architect, was so inspired by the distinct and vibrant personalities of Elsie, his Harlequin Great Dane, and Wazee, his shepherd-like mutt, that he built them a Doggie Duplex.

“The concept is to provide a duplex for two doggies, filling a specialized market for dog housing,” Bowen says of his miniature glass skyscraper and adjacent stick-like structure, each with separate openings.

Based on designs by architects Mies Van der Rohe and Alvar Aalto, the duplex is bound to satisfy even the most chic Los Angeles dog. For Elsie, an urban and sun-loving dog who, Bowen says, “likes to show off and be on display,” he built a glass skyscraper, based on Van der Rohe’s modernist Farnsworth House. But for Wazee, who was born in Colorado and whose favorite pastime is chasing sticks, the 38-year-old architect opted for Aalto’s more natural styling.

“These are two architects who are masters,” he says. “I paired the dogs with the masters. The doghouses and the architects are a wordplay.”

Bowen’s instincts were dead on. When he introduced his pets to their new home, each instinctively went to the right entrance.

Pleasing four-legged friends in a city that boasts gyms and psychiatrists that cater to canines is no easy trick, but L.A. dog lovers may bark, even beg, for this unusual piece. Bowen’s doghouse, which is part of an exhibit opening this weekend at the Oakland Museum, will be auctioned off in a charity event after the display. Half of the proceeds will benefit the museum, and half will be donated to the Oakland chapter of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

As for Bowen’s motivation in creating the Doggie Duplex, he says, “Doggone it. Everyone should know more about architecture.”

--STEPHANIE HAN

The Doggie Duplex will be displayed alongside 23 other architectural creations at the Oakland Museum’s exhibit “Dog Haus: Architecture Unleashed,” which runs from Aug. 28 to Oct. 17.