Flickr Widget

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

John Lautner

John Lautner
John Lautner (1911-1994) was an American architect who practiced for more than 55 years, designing homes in and around Los Angeles, California.

Lautner was born in Marquette, Michigan. His first experience with building came when he helped his father and mother build a chalet-type retreat on a hillside overlooking a lake there.

He received a degree in English from Northern State Teachers College (now Northern Michigan University) and then became an apprentice to Frank Lloyd Wright for six years. In 1937 he supervised the construction of two Wright projects, and in 1939 he opened his own practice in Los Angeles.

His first project was a home for his own family, which earned him high praise from architectural critic Henry-Russell Hitchcock. Other well known projects include Silvertop, the Chemosphere, the Sheats/Goldstein residence and the Elrod residence. He also designed several commercial buildings.

Lautner's work has been the subject of numerous exhibitions in the United States and abroad. His buildings have been featured in countless publications, in a documentary film on his life and work, in James Bond and Diehard films, among others, and in commercials for television.

In 1970, he was made a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects for Excellence in Design. He also received the Gold Medal from the Los Angeles AIA chapter in 1993 for his lifetime achievement.

From johnlautner.org



Silvertop
you-are-there.com

Silvertop interior
flickr.com - Michael Locke

Chemosphere
nytimes.com

Chemosphere interior
nytimes.com

Sheats/Goldstein Residence
dailyicon.com

Sheats/Goldstein interior
designboom.com

Elrod House
nytimes.com

Elrod House interior
thenewsgallery.com

Schaffer House
you-are-here.com

Schaffer House interior
la.curbed.com

Maurer House
you-are-here.com

Segel House
you-are-here-com

Walstrom House
nytimes.com

Hotel Lautner - Desert Hot Springs, California
cntraveler.com

Update - 11/27/2012: Reader John Bachman mentioned that Lautner designed Bob Hope's home too. I hadn't found a photo of it when I was doing my research, but when I searched a little more, I found this:


Bob Hope home - Palm Springs, California
hauteliving.com

10 comments:

  1. I have always loved Lautner's work Dana. What a dream come true it would be to live in one of his homes. Just the opportunity to see them in the flesh would (almost) be good enough.
    You couldn't pick a favourite. Could you?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They're all so spectacular that I don't know how anyone could pick a favorite. It would be worth a trip to the US to stay in the Hotel Lautner in Desert Hot Springs, California.

      Delete
  2. Something out of a sci-if dream, that Elrod House! These were familiar o me but I wasn't aware of the who's and whatfors, thanks Dana!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Even all these years later, they really do look futuristic.

      Delete
  3. Thank you so much for this post, Dana! I love John Lautner, as well as the other architects who participated in the Case Study Program that ran from 1945- 66. These houses are all amazing examples of the new ideas of that particular time. Neutra and Koenig are other great favorites from this great Californian architecture experiment.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm so glad you enjoyed this post. It's great to have a new follower who comments frequently.

      Delete
  4. Makes me want to drive out to California just to see these and stay at the hotel!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'd love to stay there myself. The grounds are beautiful, and the rooms are full of great mid-century furniture.

      Delete
  5. He also designed Bob Hope's house. Thanks for the nice post.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I didn't run across a picture of the Hope home when I wrote the post, but I did a search and found it. Thanks for the information.

      Delete