Modernism Week Spotlight: The Lautner Compound
One of the tours I was most looking forward to during this year’s edition of Modernism Week was the Lautner Compound, which is now a boutique hotel. Built by legendary architect John Lautner in 1947, it is comprised of four separately designed but interlocking units.
Architect John Lautner
John Lautner was a protegee of Frank Lloyd Wright and went on to achieve enormous success on his own. Lautner was an apprentice to Frank Lloyd Wright for six years. In 1939, he established his own practice in Los Angeles. After the success of his first project, he practiced for more than 55 years, designing forward-thinking residential spaces in and near Los Angeles. Some of his projects included Silvertop, the Chemosphere, the Sheats/Goldstein residence, the Levy residence and the Elrod residence in Palm Springs, CA. He also designed projects around the world.
Restoring a Masterpiece
When the current owners purchased the building, the entire fourplex had to undergo a serious renovation. These old black and white photos show what the fourplex originally looked like. The current owners have painstakingly recreated and restored the original while also adding beautiful desert landscaping.
Concrete, Redwood, Steel and Glass
As you can see from the photos, the building features four main building materials – concrete, redwood, steel and glass. Unfortunately, the site was quite deteriorated and most elements needed some sort of repair or replacement. At the time, the beautiful concrete had been covered in stucco. The owners removed the stucco from the interior walls and troweled fresh concrete.
The original redwood that was in place was so severely damaged from termites and dry rot that it all had to be replaced.
Much of the glass needed to be repaired or replaced.
Fortunately, the Kaiser steel beams were in very good condition and only needed to be repainted in the signature reddish-orange color.
In order to bring it to modern standards, the bathrooms and kitchens were removed and replaced with high end finishes. The owners chose to use beautifully sleek poured in place concrete slabs for the kitchen counters. Originally, the counters were covered with formica, typical for the 40’s and 50’s mid-century style. However, later in Lautner’s career, he also used poured in place concrete. It’s an example of thoughtful restoration and staying true to the original intent.
Interior Furnishings
As to the interior furnishings, the owners have created a truly chic desert retreat. The furnishings are not strictly mid-century (meaning from the 40’s and 50’s). Rather, it is inspired by mid-century but also a reflection of the owners’ love of architecture, interior design, art and travel.
Exterior Landscaping
In order to make the space a luxurious retreat, a wall was built around the space (to make it truly a compound) and beautiful desert landscape was added along with built in seating and fire pits.
A Lesson in Architectural Restoration
This was a fascinating, real-life example of mid-century modern architecture preservation. Obviously, when one purchases a gem such as this, an enormous amount of care, thought and love must be invested in the restoration process. Decisions need to be made about which elements to keep exactly as they were intended by the original architect and which elements can be replaced, upgraded, changed to reflect modern sensibilities. I found that the owners did a fantastic job of achieving this balance. The main structure has been restored to nearly a perfect match to the original Lautner creation. Meanwhile, the interiors reflect the current owners’ personalities in the decor and of course the kitchens and bathrooms are completely modern. If you love mid-century architecture and you want to actually stay in a John Lautner designed space, look no further and see below for details.
More Information
Address: 67710 San Antonio Street, Desert Hot Springs, CA 92240
To find out more information about staying at The Lautner Compound, head to https://www.thelautner.com/
My YouTube recap of Modernism Week 2023 is here, with more videos and images of the Lautner Compound Tour:
If you enjoyed this post, you might also enjoy:
Modernism Week Spotlight: Yoasis Home Tour
Modernism Week Spotlight: Indian Canyons Neighborhood Tour
Modernism Week Fall Preview 2020
Hidden Gem Series: El Rancho Vista Estates in Palm Springs, CA
Perched Above the Desert: The Cree House by Albert Frey
Modernism Week Fall Preview in Palm Springs, CA
Neutra’s Unprecedented Lovell Health House
Walker Guest House/ Palm Springs Modernism week
More on Palm Springs Architecture:
I’ve rounded up a selection of books to provide more information the unique and distinct mid-century architecture and design found in Palm Springs, CA and the surrounding Coachella Valley.
Architects, Interior Designers, Artists:
Are you looking to promote your beautiful creations? Please reach out to see how we can collaborate. You can read more about collaborating with me here. Or just email me here!
Please sign up for my newsletter to stay up to date on the latest art, architecture and cultural travel news. Find out where I will be next!
Note to reader: This post contains links that at no cost to you, by clicking, I may earn a small commission which helps pay for this content.
Leave a Reply