A sunny Saturday afternoon in the hills of Beverly Hills, Los Angeles.
Yesterday afternoon I was invited to take the Lautner home tour, viewing 4 homes built in Los Angeles by Lautner. This tour offered behind-the-scenes access inside four of Lautner’s most significant Los Angeles homes, including the Harpel House (1956), Jacobsen House (1947), Schwimmer House (1982), and Sheats/Goldstein House (1963).
All afternoon, I've been slowly sorting through the images of the homes, and decided to post the Sheats/Goldstein House that was built in 1961-1963. The entrance to the home is down a long lush, narrow driveway that sculpts into the dense hill. Motifs of triangles, water, space, light, concrete, & cutout-forms run rampant in the design of this home. The house was serene and cool, even on a hot LA summer afternoon. At times, I felt like I was in an eagle's nest, high among the trees, and the smog of the city below.
I dare to dream of the colors of dusk these views would allow. I overheard lots of conversation about the hats, "touching with your eyes," and an all mirrored bathroom with a retractable ceiling (oh man!). But another one of the questions of the afternoon people kept asking is, "Who is James Goldstein, (the man who owns this home)?"
When a home became a sculpture
became a triangle
that opened a door to the future.
cardboard model of the James Turrell installation on the property.
"The skyspace, also called "Above Horizon" is an art installation located on a steep slope below the residence. The skyspace was designed by light artist, James Turrell, in collaboration with architect, Duncan Nicholson. The project is built in the same construction materials as the home. Originally, James Goldstein conceived this art installation as a collaboration between John Lautner and James Turrell, but Lautner died before being able to work extensively on the project. Now finished, the room features two portals, made by a local aerospace engineer, which fold away using carbon fiber composite materials. The room also contains a built-in concrete lounge to enjoy the thousands of hidden LEDs that flood the room every evening for the sky and light show." (more here)
still want to know more about a skyspace?
watch this video here...
Who the Hell is James Goldstein?, an excerpt from Interview Magazine.
"I realize I’ve become somewhat of a legend, yes.
And that has brought stories with it. . . .
But I like that."
"I didn’t know much about Lautner when I stumbled upon this house, but I knew I wanted it. Someone else had it under contract, and when he tried to renegotiate the purchase, I stepped in and bought it. When I was ready to start working on the house, I brought Lautner in to see it. He was shocked to see what had happened to it. One of the previous owners had just destroyed the place—he painted the concrete ceilings green and yellow. So we worked together for almost 15 years before he died, and I think he was really thrilled with the opportunities I gave him. As far as I know, it was the first time he was given the opportunity to design furniture and really work on the entire house, inside and out, and bring it up to its full potential."
"High in the hills of 90210 sits Goldstein’s humble abode. Originally built by Lautner in 1963, the house juts out in concrete triangles and clear glass rhombuses over a panoramic view of the city. Goldstein bought the place in 1972 and has been renovating, updating, and expanding it since 1980. It features all the accoutrements of a lifelong bachelor pad: TV screens come out of ceilings, portholes in the pool look into his bedroom, a James Turrell sky space sits on the bottom of a hill, parts of the clear glass roof retract to reveal a private jungle planted around the manse, and photos of Goldstein posing with famous people line the walls of the interior. “There has been construction going on literally every day for the past 30 years,” Goldstein says. His latest megaproject is a new structure in his backyard that will eventually contain his office, a fully functional nightclub, an offshoot terrace, and guest rooms—all located beneath a tennis court."
please read the whole interview with James Goldstein here..
Want to know more about the John Lautner Foundation, go here.
Mak Center.....
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