"From the outside it looks like a spaceship which you cannot enter," Angelika Taschen says from Berlin, where she now lives. Chemosphere, as a multidisciplinary journal, offers maximum dissemination of investigations related to all aspects of the identification, quantification, behavior, fate, toxicology, treatment, and remediation of chemicals in the bio-, hydro . What about criticism that it is more of an oddity than architectural pioneering, an ego trip for the designer that cost six times as much as other 2,200-square-foot houses built in the area at the same time? Chemosphere was characteristically Los Angeles of that time because "it didn't have to look like a house," says Hess. Some of the titles, along with dozens of art magazines, are scattered around the house and its unobtrusive furniture. His fiance Mary (MaryBud) Faustina Roberts Lautner (1913 . But they have a personality to them, ya? Drake's house in Toronto Most expensive rapper houses Rick Ross house in Atlanta Lautner included two entrances to the Chemosphere. It should disappear." The massive 11,200-square-foot home comes with six bedrooms, seven bathrooms, and two half baths, and is enveloped by disappearing walls of glass, so you can enjoy the stunning views from each and every room. "It's like a wide-screen movie," he says. Escher's restoration ran the flagstone pattern inside and out, across the bridge that connects the front door to the funicular. Today, it still has a reputation as a party house under Taschen's ownership. Chemosphere is bisected by a central, exposed brick wall with a fireplace, abutted by subdued seating, in the middle. "The place is much better than when I was in there -- and it's in keeping with Lautner's vision. More than one onlooker who was surprised by the sight of Malins unconventional home has asked why no one told them that space creatures now had a California command station with a killer view of the San Fernando Valley. (Lautner originally wanted to call the house Chapiteau. How much is the chemosphere worth? The Taschen, new owners of the Chemosphere in 1977, commissioned the house recovering after years of neglect, the architect Frank Escher who introduced details and finishes designed by Lautner at the time but at the time it was built were impossible performed either by budget or simply a lack of technology. It could take on its own brand-new shape. ; It was also used in the 1984 film Body Double, directed by Brian De Palma. "It's like having a vintage car -- a '55 Mercedes. "I bought it right away -- as fast as possible," says Taschen. "It looked like a rundown motel. They are not shy; you almost have nose prints on the window. Landmark Houses: John Lautner's Chemosphere. Some parts of this article have been translated using Googles translation engine. "And yet whenever that house is used in the movies, it's always a decadent bachelor pad," Hess says. Malin enlisted innovative architect John Lautner to design a one story octagonal house supported by several beams that rested on a large slab of concrete. The interior is divided into several designated spaces. The new house was intended to hold an art collection and library and to provide rooms enough for the four children the Taschens have between them. To get cable or Internet, they have to come 10 times. "Draw it up," he told his assistant Guy Zebert. 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The northern side facing the views contains the public spaces such as theliving room, kitchen and dining area, while the side facing the hills contains four bedrooms and bathrooms.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'midcenturyhome_com-medrectangle-4','ezslot_2',119,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-midcenturyhome_com-medrectangle-4-0'); At the center of the house, theres a spectacular fireplace, surrounded by an exposed brick wall and a skylight above, to let the daylight flow in freely. ", Even out-of-state critics and scholars who could appreciate the sharply angular California Modernism of midcentury didn't know what to make of Lautner's merging of the modern with natural forms. The second Cullen house was in Vancouver, BC In Stephenie Meyer's trilogy, the Cullen coven lives in the most coveted house in town. Foreclosed These properties are owned by a bank or a lender who took ownership through foreclosure proceedings. It's like a movie where you add a scene of someone with a mobile phone in 1958, or a style of shirt or car that wouldn't have existed until years later. The Malin residence remains one of the state of Californias most eccentric buildings. ", Benedikt likens the house to an eagle's nest. For the pillar concrete base is used, the holding arms are steel platform, like the compression ring which is joined laminated wooden beams making up the rest of the structure. The Rocket Homes Real Estate LLC main office is located at Rocket Homes Real Estate, 701 Griswold St, Suite 21, Detroit, MI 48226. Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users. Like a tree, the building sprouts from the hill. He canceled plans for a guesthouse designed by Rem Koolhaas at Chemosphere's base because he feared it would visually compete with the main house. ", Hess finds the house fascinating partly because it was built for a couple and their four children. You feel disconnected from the planet and completely free and happy.". He said the house was named the Chemosphere for promotional purposes by the Chem-seal Corp. of America, which contributed material used in the roof coating and other parts of the house. It cost $ 140,000, of which Malin paid only 80,000, the rest was contributed by the gas company Southern California Gas and Chem Seal Corporation which inspired the name of the house Chemosphere and both experimented with different types of resins, glues and coatings during construction. To get cable or Internet, they have to come 10 times. Built on a steep hillside in Hollywood, California, one side overlooking the San Fernando Valley, other mountain, detail highlighting its new owners, the family Taschen. After the car is parked a private furnicular, or an inclined railway, ascends up the slope and lands at a narrow bridge which spans from the ground to the entrance near the kitchen. During restoration the architects added details that were unavailable 40 years before, as the technology simply did not exist. Zestimate Home Value: $2,300,000. It's warm and human, not a cold place. It had been rented out for 10 to 12 years; it was like the ultimate party house. When Benedikt Taschen, a globe-trotting publisher of stylish art books, and his then-wife first laid eyes on Chemosphere in 1997, the iconic Los Angeles house had seen better days. All images are each office/photographer mentioned. Phillips added a 550-square-foot, one-bedroom guest house at the foot of the slope. Chemosphere is an international journal designed for the publication of original communications as well as review articles on chemicals in the environment. The bottom perimeter fence surrounding the house is also a component of the structure. The gas company tile was replaced by random-cut slate, which could not be cut thin enough in 1960, despite Lautner's desire for such a finish. During the 1950s and '60s, the starker, cooler Modernism of the Bauhaus and of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe reigned in intellectual circles, especially in Europe and on the East Coast. This article is adapted from a piece that originally was published in The Times' Home section on April 14, 2005. But wherever we move to next is going to be a comedown after this.. They also tried to match what they thought Lautner would have chosen if he'd had access to contemporary workmanship and a larger budget: The original drawings, for instance, described a floor of random broken slate, but the day's technology would not allow the stone to be cut thinly enough to keep from destabilizing the house. The house, nicknamed the "Chemosphere" hovers 30 feet over the city of Los Angeles resembling a UFO aircraft. ArchDaily 2008-2023. Lautner, despite his reputation as having a strong personality, worked hard to suit his clients and their inner lives. (The couple were finalizing a divorce at the time of this article's publication.) ", In fact, during much of that decade, the place had been on the market. The house is the product of a fortuitous union of architect, client, time and place. Despite being more compact than many new single-family houses, it has most of the essential elements. For such an intricately designed home, the downside of high maintenance caused the original owner Leonard Malin to sell the house in 1972 which subsequently was left to run down. His only major plan is to replace the bird-cage-like funicular with a more open one. The land was leafy and overgrown, with extravagant views of the San Fernando Valley. Youd think youd get used to the view, but I never have, Phillips said. "Organic Modernism was just as modern in its use of materials," Hess says, "but it had a different sense of space, which was flowing. Malin convinced a handful of companies to help finance his construction project in exchange for a little product placement. Although Lautner for his designs had little to do with this trend, always tried to integrate the buildings with the environment, creating an organic flow between the interior and exterior, humanizing built spaces and respecting the environment. "Everybody loved Spanish, and then shabby chic came in." "We wanted to make it as invisible and elegant as possible," says Escher. [1] The house is reached by a funicular. The house has been written about in publications from Architectural Digest to Newsweek and in German, French and Russian magazines. Rather, he said, it was an effort to deal with an architectural problem, the 45-degree slope of the lot, which was a gift to the owner because it appeared to be worthless. The house is on the North side of the Hollywood Hills and has wrap-around windows to take advantage of sweeping views over the San Fernando Valley: The Chemosphere is located at 7776 Torreyson Drive off of Mulholland Drive. The north side of the house contains the public spaces, such as the living room, kitchen,and dining room, and the south side facing the hillslices into4 bedrooms and a bathroom. The house stands above a steep slope, mounted on a single concrete column, which appears to be all that keeps it from soaring away. written about post modern and facades and gimmicks and styles that there is no understanding of real architecture at all., He is not interested in the judgment of a real estate market that he sees as dominated by speculative real estate bankers. All rights reserved. Other architects and designers built upon Fuller's ideas to create a variety of dome-shaped dwellings. Perfect for entertaining. Lautner didn't see the house as a flying saucer but as a sensible solution. [15], Location of Chemosphere in the Los Angeles metropolitan area, Landmark Houses: John Lautner's Chemosphere, "From California Design to Junk Art | Unframed", "Leonard Jay Malin Obituary (1931 - 2021) Los Angeles Times", Party at the Chemosphere: The Flying Saucer House Soars Again, "John Lautner, 'Technologist' Architect, Dies at 83", "Youth Convicted of Slaying and Robbing Doctor", "Bonding Humanity and Landscape in a Perfect Circle", "Troy McClure's hilltop bachelor pad, The Simpsons", "Going Back to the Future for 'Tomorrowland,' From Disney", John Lautner Foundation page on Chemosphere with photographs and sketches, Chemosphere on Google Earth Community page, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chemosphere&oldid=1142375271, This page was last edited on 2 March 2023, at 01:46. Photos via mcmdaily.comJulius Shulman / Getty Archives, Your email address will not be published. This method also left the natural surroundings untouched and unspoiled. He canceled plans for a guesthouse designed by Rem Koolhaas at Chemosphere's base because he feared it would visually compete with the main house. Also, visit our Weird Attractions, The Chemosphere: A Futuristic Gravity Defying House, Drink Whiskey in Detention at the Kennedy School, The Salvador Dali Museum: Florida Gets Even More Surreal, The Charms of Solvang: Why This Small Danish Town is So Attractive, Emerald Cove and Arizona Hot Springs: Arizonas Hidden Bodies of Water. "It's like having a vintage car -- a '55 Mercedes. ", The fate seemed unjust for a structure the Encyclopedia Britannica had judged "the most modern home built in the world," and which had appeared in Brian De Palma's "Body Double." The house has picked up other legends through the years. Check out "123 Refinance" calculator to find your refi rates in seconds, Landmark House: John Lautner's Chemosphere - Los Angeles-Platinum Triangle-Beverly Hills Real Estate-90210-Bel Air-Holmby Hills-Sunset Strip-Hollywood Hills-Luxury Estates-Mansions-Celebrity Homes-Homes For Sale-Listings-Realtor-Real Estate http://www.ChristopheChoo.com, Posted on: Beverly Hills Real Estate-Beverly Hills Homes For Sale. These materials were chosen due to the earthquake zone it's located in, and the house has actually withstood hurricanes and floods, proving its structure successful. Lautner was born in Marquette MI from academic parents at what is now called Northern Michigan University. By . But the Taschens saw dirty, disco-era, wall-to-wall carpet on much of its 2,200 square feet, an old aluminum door, smudged windows and seven layers of paint on what was originally a gently austere, exposed brick wall. "It's the responsibility of the owner to preserve it for future generations," Taschen says, "because a house like this doesn't belong to one or two people: It belongs to mankind.". "You have the reality of Southern California life, and the image of Southern California life, summed up in one house.". )[5] In the end Malin paid US$80,000 in cash. The Chemosphere restoration won an award from the Los Angeles Conservancy as well as the approval of its original tenant. It was also included in a list of all time top 10 houses in Los Angeles. That is not true, said the first owner, Leonard Malin, now a Yucca Valley real estate broker. Built for the client Malin Lautner, a young aircraft engineer, the design of the residence was in fact an engineering challenge due to its location on a forty-five degree slope in an earthquake-prone region. "Why not build it now, and pay for it for the rest of my life?" But the 1960 house is very much a work of its time and place. "But if you go inside, it feels very cozy very Zen and calming. The building, which the Encyclopdia Britannica once called "the most modern home built in the world",[1] is admired both for the ingenuity of its solution to the problem of the site and for its unique octagonal design. "It's like a wide-screen movie," he says. (The house is reached by a funicular.). Taschen remembers going to a Beverly Hills open house where "a fashionable Hollywood film star" was selling his Neutra home. It could probably win the same title if it were built today, 24 years later. The structure of the Chemosphereis made of steel, timber and the roof is supported by curved frames of laminated wood. If you make tiny changes that don't fit the integrity of the house, you destroy it. Second a 3 bedroom 2 bath charming craftsman home. The Chemosphere has been featured in numerous TV shows and films. Paid US $ 80,000 in cash titles, along with dozens of art magazines, are scattered around the is. 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