A Tour of Lautner’s Sheats Goldstein Residence
And now for another incredibly stunning house in which my photos don’t do it the justice it deserves! Enter the famed Sheats Goldstein Residence, home to eccentric billionaire and world’s #1 basketball fan, James Goldstein. Get your drool bucket ready.
Built in 1963 by starchitect and Frank Lloyd Wright apprentice, John Lautner, the Sheats Goldstein Residence is perched high above Benedict Canyon in Beverly Hills. Upon entering over cement slabs dotting a gorgeous koi and turtle pond, you instantly know you’re about to walk into something magical. Brace yourself ’cause you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.
Incorporating outdoor landscapes with indoor elements is Lautner’s speciality. In fact, some of the plants from outside are beginning to grow in and up the living room walls. The living room’s ceiling is probably the most striking feature of the house. Constructed out of cement, it’s a corrugated pattern featuring drinking glass skylights designed by light master/artist James Turrell. Mere steps outside the living room and you’re practically in the swimming pool.
Party house meets Jamed Bond lair, the residence features all kinds of inventive skylights, windows and built-ins that are a modernist’s dream come true. One of my favorite architectural features are the windows looking into the swimming pool from the master bedroom. It’s hard to believe this place was built for a UCLA professor and his family. However, it’s very easy to picture Mr. Goldstein living in this whimsical paradise. Maybe that’s because his portraits hang on the walls and his famous courtside outfits are proudly on display at the turn of every corner. Sequins and leather galore!
The house features floor to ceiling windows with views looking out over Beverly Hills, and from downtown to the ocean. Lautner takes the inside/outside architecture to an extreme — even the master bath walls are windows. The sink is practically invisible!
And if you’ve ever seen The Big Lebowski, you might recognize the living room as part of Jackie Treehorn’s porn palace. The house has also been featured in Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle and Bandits, as well as tons of music videos and magazine photo shoots.
Most recently, Goldstein and his house were in the news because he donated it, as well as its contents and surrounding property to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. There goes my dream of living here!
The surrounding property is quite extensive, featuring an infinity tennis court (which has played host to many celeb tournaments), a James Turrell designed art installation, Above Horizon, featuring light shows at dawn and dusk, and a full functioning night club. You know, just an everyday run-of-the-mill house.
Club James is a later addition to the property, spearheaded by Duncan Nicholson, a former Lautner employee. The invite-only club features retractable glass walls, floor to ceiling TV’s, a DJ booth, an outdoor bar/kitchen and a private VIP back room. What happens at Club James stays at Club James.
I was able to score a tour of the property via the Los Angeles chapter of the American Institute of Architects, but you have to act quick because these rare tours sell out immediately. And this is surely one you don’t want to miss!
