Sheats–Goldstein Residence
This article needs additional citations for verification. (January 2020) |
Sheats–Goldstein Residence | |
---|---|
![]() | |
![]() | |
General information | |
Type | House |
Architectural style | Organic architecture |
Location | Angelo View Drive, Los Angeles, California |
Coordinates | 34°05′37″N 118°26′06″W / 34.0936°N 118.435°W |
Construction started | 1963 |
Technical details | |
Structural system | Poured-in-place concrete |
Floor area | 4,500 sq ft (420 m2) |
Design and construction | |
Architect(s) | John Lautner |












The Sheats–Goldstein Residence is a home designed and built between 1961 and 1963 by American architect John Lautner in the Beverly Crest neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, a short distance up the hill from the Beverly Hills city limit. The building 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.[1] The house is an example of American Organic Architecture that derives its form as an extension of the natural environment and of the individual for whom it was built. Typical of Lautner's work, the project was approached from an idea and a structure was derived that addressed the challenges of the site.
History
[edit]The home was originally built for Helen Carolyn (née Johnson) Taylor Sheats (1910-1999),[2][3] and Paul Henry Sheats (1907-1984) and their three children. Helen, an architectural designer and Neo-Fauvist painter,[4][5][6] and Paul, Dean of University Extension and Professor in the UCLA Graduate School of Education,[7][8][9] had previously commissioned Lautner for the 1948–1949 Sheats Apartments project located in Westwood adjacent to the University of California, Los Angeles.
In 1972, businessman James Goldstein purchased the residence from its third owners. The house needed substantial repair, the living room had no walls, and the heating system did not work properly.[10] Goldstein commissioned John Lautner to renovate the entire house with a series of upgrades and improvments during a period of more than two decades. Goldstein and Lautner worked together "perfecting" the house until Lautner's death in 1994.[11]
The Sheats–Goldstein Residence is one of John Lautner's most well-known and completely unspoiled works. Lautner designed the house, the interiors, windows, lighting, rugs (to tie the rooms together), furniture, and operable features. The house is extensively detailed, and the range of the architect's work is visible throughout the different stages of the re-mastering. All of the home's furnishings contain design elements so the aesthetic of the forms enhance the house and become a function of the whole.[citation needed]
The house was originally constructed with wood, steel, and poured-in-place concrete. The home has five bedrooms, four bathrooms and one half-bathroom (sink and toilet). Lautner took advantage of Southern California's temperate Mediterranean climate, and designed the living room to be completely open to the terrace, protected only by a forced-air curtain. Lautner's open-space design created a seamless transition between the home's interior and the exterior.
One of the home's most distinct features is the living room's coffered ceiling and its 750 drinking-glass skylights. The home is cooled with cross-ventilation, and the floors and pool are warmed with copper-pipe radiant heating. Exterior pathways lead to guest bedrooms and the master bedroom, and exterior features include a tennis court and night club.[citation needed] The master bedroom and the studio have windows into the pool, originally designed so Helen Sheats could watch her children as she worked in her studio.[citation needed]
The skyspace, titled Above Horizon, is an art installation designed by light artist James Turrell. Located on a steep slope below the residence, Above Horizon was built with the same construction materials as the home. James Goldstein originally conceived the art installation as a collaboration between John Lautner and James Turrell, but Lautner died before being able to work extensively on the project. Completed in 2004, the room features two folding carbon-fiber portals and a built-in concrete lounge for viewing thousands of hidden LEDs lighting the room every evening.[12]
In 2016, James Goldstein entrusted the home and its surrounding estate to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) as a promised gift to the institution. The endowment includes the home's extensive art collection, original architectural models, and a 1961 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud which resides on the property. The collection is the first of its kind for LACMA and the endowment preserves the home's legacy, Lautner's work as an urban achievement, and its significance in Los Angeles architectural history.[13]
In popular culture
[edit]The home has been featured in movies such as Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, The Big Lebowski, and Bandits, as well on television in Southland and in the adult videos,[14] Captured Beauty (1995),[14] Unleashed (1996)[14] and Possessions (1997),[14][15] by Andrew Blake, and "numerous" television advertisements.[16] The home is also prominently featured during the first season of Snowfall on FX.[17] In 2020 rapper Doja Cat filmed the music video for her song "Say So" from Hot Pink inside and on the patio of the home, and rapper Nelly shot the majority of his music video for his song "The Fix" featuring Jeremih at the location in 2015.[18][19] The opening shot of R&B singer Tracie Spencer's music video for the song "It's All About You (Not About Me) was filmed at the residence.[20] The residence appears throughout the music video for the song Grapevyne by the R&B group Brownstone.[citation needed] Snoop Dogg and Pharrell's music video for the single 'Let's get blown' was also shot at location in 2005. The home is featured in the 2002 music video for "Forgive" by country artist Rebecca Lynn Howard. Actor Carel Struycken photographed the home's living room in his collection of spherical panoramas.[21] In the Netflix 'Selling Sunset' reality show the home is featured in episodes 1 and 2 of Series 7 (2023), when Brett and Jason Oppenheim host a dinner for their real estate agents.The owner, James Goldstein, also makes an appearance.
Citations
[edit]- ^ "The top houses from the movies". Daily Telegraph.
- ^ Pimsleur, J.L. (May 22, 1999). "Helen Sheats". SFGATE. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
- ^ "ARTIST HELEN TAYLOR SHEATS, 89". Chicago Tribune. 8 May 1999. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
- ^ "Helen Carolyn (Johnson) Taylor Sheats - Biography". www.askart.com. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
- ^ "Biography". Helen Art .com. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
- ^ "Helen Taylor Sheats". Lost Art Salon. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
- ^ "Paul H. Sheats, 1908-1984". University of California: In Memoriam, 1988. California Digital Library. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
- ^ "Paul Henry Sheats Papers An inventory of his papers". Syracuse University. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
- ^ "Paul Henry Sheats - 1907-12-05...1984-08-12". adulteducationcontributors.pbworks.com. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
- ^ "This House Is a Work of Art, So the Owner Is Donating It to a Museum". NPR. Retrieved 2016-08-10.
- ^ Hawthorne, Christopher (2016-02-17). "LACMA gets gravity-defying John Lautner-designed home featured in 'The Big Lebowski'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2019-09-14.
- ^ "The Light House". Robb Report. May 2004.
- ^ "LACMA Announces Landmark Promised Gift of the James Goldstein House". Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). Retrieved 17 February 2016.
- ^ a b c d
- Fleming, Steven (2009). "Archi-Porn - Eroticism in Architectural Theory as it Relates to the Adult Film Genre". NOVA open access repository. University of Newcastle (Australia). hdl:1959.13/919452. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
Fifth Global Conference on The Erotic: Exploring Critical Issues. Inter-Disciplinary (Salzburg, Austria 6-8 November, 2009)
- "5th Global Conference: The Erotic - Exploring Critical Issues (November 2009: Salzburg, Austria)". call-for-papers. University of Pennsylvania. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
- "A Global Network for Dynamic Research and Publishing". Inter-Disciplinary.Net. Archived from the original on 1 October 2016. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
- "Inter-Disciplinary Press". Inter/Connexions. 16 February 2022. Archived from the original on March 19, 2025. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
- "Publications and Talks". Dr. Steven Fleming. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
- Fleming, Steven. "BEHOOVING MOVING". behoovingmoving.livejournal.com. Archived from the original on December 8, 2024. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
- Fleming, Steven. "Cycle Space". Cycle Space. Archived from the original on 6 October 2022. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
- Fleming, Steven (2009). "Archi-Porn - Eroticism in Architectural Theory as it Relates to the Adult Film Genre". NOVA open access repository. University of Newcastle (Australia). hdl:1959.13/919452. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
- ^
- Studio A. "Possessions". adult film database .com. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
- Blake, Andrew. "Possessions (2006) - Cast and Crew". AllMovie. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
- ^ "Movies Featuring Lautner Buildings". The John Lautner Foundation. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
- ^ "Snowfall – Season 1 (2017– ) FX Series Filming Locations". On Set Hollywood. Archived from the original on 15 March 2018. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
- ^ "Doja Cat: Say So (2020 Video) Filming & Production". IMDB.
- ^ "Must see architecture in Los Angeles". Common. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
- ^ "MAK Center's tennis tournament to serve up artful sport". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
- ^ "Sheats/Goldstein residence livingroom". www.sphericalpanoramas.com. Retrieved 2022-11-29.
General sources
[edit]- Hess, Alan (2003). The Architecture of John Lautner. New York: Rizzoli.
- Lautner, John (1987). John Lautner, Architect. London Zurich Munich: Artemis.
External links
[edit]- Official John Lautner website
- Architect Duncan Nicholson's web site
- James Goldstein's web site
- "Lautner, Schindler, Wright, and I" by Katya Tylevich; MARK No. 22