The remarkable Central column above might be the Heart of John Lautner‘s Harvey Residence , or it might also be Actress Kelly Lynch and Mitch Glazer who are committed to mid-century preservation. In 2008 they opened their home to the public via the MAK Center and the Hammer Museum in conjunction with the Lautner retrospective ‘Between Earth and Heaven’.
Marked as a tear-down, the couple bought the home in 1998 and set to work restoring the 1950 residence. No two Lautner homes are alike, even if this concentric design reminds you of his iconic Chemosphere home. While Lautner had a strong preoccupation with geometric forms, such as the circle and triangle, his homes are ultimately rooted in the concept of integrating the home into its location, creating an organic flow between the indoor and outdoor spaces. If the words ‘Organic Architecture’ ring any bells, you might be thinking Frank Lloyd Wright whom Lautner apprenticed under at Taliesin .
The fact that all of this might be lost because the home sits on a remarkable piece of property with a 180 degree view, or more, is unthinkable. Imagine sitting in the grand central room while listening to chamber music as the lights of the city twinkle behind the performers… it’s pure magic. As luck would have it, several years ago one of my clients gave me her tickets for The Da Camera Society, who specialize in Chamber Music In Historic Sites. Therefore, I’ve been in this home twice, and Kelly and Mitch as usual are remarkable hosts. They wouldn’t know me if I walked in through their doors again, but that’s not the point. The point, is that they’ve restored this remarkable home and kept the doors open, even to the public.
