For sale: John Lautner Residence - Silver Lake, CA

[DavidC]

john lautner’s 1940 hillside residence goes on sale for $1.6M in california


David

[Roderick Grant]

This is a wonderful house in a prime location (just a short distance from Lautner's Silvertop), though with a city view, rather than the preferred Silver Lake view. Of course, they don't mention that the house had not been Lautner's for decades; he lost it in the divorce from his first wife.

[peterm]

Yummm

I remember reading that when the house was built, one had to walk outside on the deck to access the bedroom wing. I wonder if that was later enclosed.

I love the way Lautner incorporates splashes of color; the turquoise wall is a delight.

[DavidC]

Realtor's page


David

[SDR]

We looked at this house quite a while back (perhaps the last time the house changed hands ?); even with today's improved search options (WC, Google) I don't find the thread. The outdoor passage to the bedroom(s) has been absorbed into expanded interior space. See https://crosbydoe.com/address/2007-mich ... nia-90039/

Do we know that the interior paint has been restored to the original ? What strikes me now---aided by a wealth of new photographs---is the number of Schindler references in the house. The impression (for me) is unmistakable, suggesting that Lautner had absorbed enough of Schindler's work to make a mark on his own first project in LA.

S

[SDR]

John Lautner:







Alan Hess caption:

Lautner era photos:




Alan Hess photo, enclosed bedroom balcony:


© n.d., Frank Escher, Princeton Architectural Press, New York
© 1999 by Alan Hess, Alan Weintraub, Rizzoli International Publications, Inc

[SDR]

Here are two important sources that Paul R linked on another thread today. Thanks, Paul . . .

article:
https://www.designboom.com/architecture ... 4-14-2020/

Crosby Doe listing:
https://crosbydoe.com/address/2007-mich ... nia-90039/

S

[Tom]

Two photographs up.
In the center foreground is the corner of the low dining area wall.
What do you suppose is the white 'L' shape in the angle of that wall.
i'm thinking some kind of frosted glass or plastic for an up light.
Sweet little house.
did he live there his entire life?

[SDR]

I don't know. But yes, it's a light. One of the items that remind me of Schindler; his were usually on the ceiling.


Alan Weintraub photo

[SDR]

But these are photos that were published decades ago. The new ones on Crosby Doe are a treat. There's a collage in the kitchen of the same flue tile (?) used on the fireplace breast---but variegated and rotated. One thinks of the courtyard brick-and-tile samples at Aalto's country house.

S

[peterm]

It’s such an efficient and cozy plan. The desk tucked behind the angled sofa, the dining table perched above the living area, the bookcases under the ribbon windows, the change in levels... so many delightful surprises.
Early Lautner is so fine. I wish there were more designs from his later years for people of limited means.

[Paul Ringstrom]

The dining table perched above the living area is reminiscent of the Sequoyah Project House (1956), 1650 E Clark St Fayetteville, AR 72701by E. Fay Jones. As I thumbed through the E. Fay Jones Guide Book I noticed that this configuration was a major feature in Fay’s architectural language in many of his houses.

[SDR]

Yes. This little house contains several such features, ones that are often associated with more expansive and luxurious properties. These include the dining overlook, daylight openings on opposite sides of a principal space, and a change of level within the space. Virtually all of Wright's houses have a main and a secondary entrance, the second one serving back-of-house functions; Lautner's first house includes this element as well.

It is inspiring to read Lautner's observations on this design, where the slope of roof and the stepped floor levels both reflect the topography as well as providing passive climate control---where breezes and the natural movement of warmed air are recognized and provided for, to the benefit of occupants.

Increasingly we see restorations of historic properties which result in a reduction of enclosed space, as accretions and enclosures of once-open portions of a structure are returned to their former configurations. If this house became mine I feel sure the renovation program would restore the bedroom balcony.

S

[SDR]

The plan drawing raises several questions:

Front door not indicated ?
Stairs rise in same direction, noted as opposite ?
Window in bedroom storage ?
Dimension from house to street seems to differ from that shown in section drawing ?

S

[SDR]

And, I began to wonder if the plan shape of the house---the c. 17º angled end walls of the house---reflected something of the site condition, such as the shape of the lot. And lo and behold, aerial photography suggests just that.