The Sheats Goldstein Residence by John Lautner is one of the best known examples of his work. Invisible from the street, the house is slow to reveal itself to the visitor. Stepping through a low portal and following a dog-leg corridor, one arrives in a magical watery courtyard. To your left, water sheets down a low wall, a continuous waterfall which penetrates the window of the living room beyond, extending inside the house.
The house designed and built between 1961 and 1963. The design seeks to seamlessly integrate itself with the lush surroundings, blurring the boundaries between interior and exterior. Built into the sandstone ledge of the hillside, the home is both cavernous and exposed, opening to accept unsurpassed views over the city and the encircling natural environment.
The house was conceived from the inside out and built into the sandstone ledge of the hillside; a cave-like dwelling that opens to embrace nature and view. The house is an example of American Organic Architecture that derives its form as an extension of the natural environment and of the individual to whom it was built.
The home was originally built for Helen and Paul Sheats and their three children. Helen, an artist, and Paul a doctor. Typical of Lautner’s work, the project was approached from an idea and a unique structure was derived that solved the challenges of the site. Carp and turtles flash through the water below you, and a seriesof generously sized stepping stones lead you to the front door. The original construction of the house is poured-in-place concrete, steel, and wood. The home was built with 5 bedrooms, 4.5 baths, and a living room that was originally completely open to the terrace, protected by only a curtain of forced air. The living room features open space that carries the interior into the outdoors blurring the line between the interior and exterior.
Exterior covered pathways lead to the guest bedrooms and the master bedroom. Lautner opened these spaces because of the temperate climate that Southern California offers most of the year. Pool windows in the master bedroom were also an original feature that allowed Helen Sheats to watch her children as she worked in her studio below the pool.[photos: yellowtrace.com.au, spfaust.com, la.curbed.com ]
