Don Mangus' "It Only Hurts When I Smirk.": John Lautner

Showing posts with label John Lautner. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 14, 2018

Robert Cika: Cortlandt Manor

Robert Cika

Shades of John Lautner! Designed by architect Robert Cika, Jackie Gleason's two UFO-inspired party houses were constructed by a Norwegian shipbuilder, who shipped the completed pieces to Cortlandt Manor for final assembly.

Gleason personally oversaw the project, which cost $650,000 -- roughly equivalent to $5.6 million today --and took five years to complete (in 1959). It was a marvel, and one that he shared with his many celebrity guests, including Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra, and Joe DiMaggio.

The "Mothership" was the main house. Designed to host large parties, it has two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and two bars -- the centerpiece being a 14-person, curving bar, which had a baby grand piano, and a microphone that would emerge from the marble floor to the delight of Gleason’s guests.

Friday, May 25, 2018

Organic Architecture: John Lautner, 1949 Schaffer Residence

John Lautner

The 1949 Schaffer Residence in the Verdugo Hills is probably best known now as the house from Tom Ford's great-looking movie, A Single Man. It's one of architect John Lautner's most understated designs, maybe, but it's also one of his most elegant.

One of Lautner's early pieces, the house harkens back to a lot of Lautner's influences from when he was with Frank Lloyd Wright.

The little shape of the kitchen was in much the shape of his tent that he had to design for himself when he was living at Taliesin West (FLLW's home and training grounds). For some critics it's one of the most resolved of his work, there's a lot of intricacy, but it all fits together in a sculptural manner that makes it not only a wonderful environment to live in, but what translates as a work of art as well.

Sunday, September 10, 2017

John Lautner: Elrod House

John Lautner, Elrod House

There's no shortage of Mid-Century Modern architecture in Palm Springs, California -- the city is the venue for a whole week of events devoted to the style every year -- but this house, built for interior designer Arthur Elrod, is undoubtedly one of the most recognizable and famed examples of "the other Modernism" -- Organic Architecture.

It was built into a hillside in 1969, and the interior incorporates boulders from the site, exemplary of John Lautner’s ability to fuse nature and architecture. Over the living room is the home's signature concrete dome, which is set atop walls of retractable curved windows. An indoor-outdoor pool flows into the space.

The famous home's beginnings can be traced to a simple request that noted interior designer Arthur Elrod made to architect John Lautner. Elrod left planning the home entirely to the famed architect, asking only that the architect "give me what you think I should have on this lot." With scarcely a directive to go by, Lautner went to work designing a concrete work of art.

The four-bedroom, 8,901-square-foot home sits on a .64 acre lot, and includes a detached guesthouse. These are the kinds of things that are noted when a standard home is put on the market, but since the Elrod House is less a home and more a lair, several unusual amenities must be noted.

The home itself is built into a Palm Springs hillside, using the naturally occurring boulders as walls, stairwells, and partitions. Its circular living room is essentially a massive open-air patio, with views looking out into the Coachella Valley, and a swimming pool that cannot truly be defined as indoor or outdoor. The wood-paneled master bedroom includes a fireplace, large bathroom with its tub sunk right into the floor, and even a stone platform designed to hold a television. Its kitchen has been modernized, there's a gym on site -- the list goes on and on.