By Patrice Farameh

This hidden gem of a house mysteriously clings to a cliff 400 feet up in the infamous Hollywood Hills, magically protruding out from a luxurious jungle of tropical plants and imported palm trees precipitously hanging from the hillside. This contemporary 4,100-square-foot residence of real estate developer Jim Goldstein is a result of a bold experimentation of natural materials with ultra modern design. After implementing the most cutting-edge technological advances in the field of architecture and construction during its intensive renovation over the past three decades, this mountaintop dwelling has evolved into a space age refuge fit for James Bond.

“As a teenager,” Goldstein reminisces, “I was greatly influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright’s body of work, which is prevalent in Wisconsin where I grew up. Some of his buildings in my neighborhood offset my architectural appreciation, and it became the style that defined me. When I was searching for a house, I was looking for a place that gave me that Frank Lloyd Wright feeling.”

And Goldstein found it in a house designed by John Lautner, the student and disciple of Wright, and unquestionably one of the most important twentieth century architects in America. When Goldstein acquired the house in 1972, it was no where close to its present condition. Neglected by its former owners who originally built the home with extreme budget restrictions, the house would later pass through another set of proprietors who unfortunately added unsightly changes, such as wall-to-wall shag carpeting, painted concrete, and plaster on the ceilings and walls.

A true visionary at heart, Goldstein immediately noticed the untapped potential of the house, like a diamond cutter sees the flawless beauty in a rough stone. He was immediately drawn to the geometrical glass-and-concrete construction and breathtaking panoramic views. “It had all the elements of a great house even though it wasn’t at the time I bought it,” Goldstein says. “The floor plan was outstanding and the shape of the house was very special.”

Goldstein immediately commissioned Lautner to continue creating the house rather than renovate it to its original condition. From that day forward, he has personally overlooked the reshaping and polishing of this concrete jewel under the guidance of Lautner himself. “I made no attempt to restore the house, which is what is normally done for architecturally important projects. The house was not perfect when it was first built. Every day, I am continuing to strive for perfection for what is being constructed now using the most innovative technological advances that were not available when the house was first built in 1963.”

Goldstein, who shares many characteristics with his risk-taking mentor, has a rebellious nature who likes to “go against conventional standards in architecture and design, and look at what everyone else is doing to come up with something entirely different and unique”.

Using concrete throughout the house in place of carpeting, installing frameless windows, creating glass ceilings and walls that that can be opened electronically, and transforming rooms into open air decks by remote control are all, according to Goldstein, “examples of how new technology has enhanced the house to maximize on the inside-outside element prevalent throughout.” In this architecturally daring home, there is not a clearly defined divider between the lush man-made tropical forest of over 200 imported plants and the contemporary design of the interiors. Here Goldstein created what numerous international publications refer to as a “contrarian’s paradise”, where he is the king of his very own rain forest, and where no barriers exist between the inside and outside.

“The entire house is not a typical residence,” Goldstein adds. “Everything in the house goes against normal architectural conventions. There is nothing unnatural in the house. The wood, leather, and concrete is unpainted and untreated. Everything in the house is angular.” In keeping with the architect’s triangular design motif, there are no 90-degree angles in the house, even in the concrete and leather furnishings exclusively designed by Lautner. Even the lounging sofa in the master bedroom fits into the angular theme of the house. By the same strategy of revolting against traditional architectural order, the furniture is permanently built into the concrete floors, but the walls and ceilings can be moved, to create a movable house built around the fixed furnishings.

The spectacular angular roof sheltering the trapezoid-shaped living room incorporates hundreds of small skylights made from water glasses slanted toward the adjoining bare terrace with a minimalistic pool laid flush against the concrete deck. Notably, the tip of the trapezoidal concrete deck points toward the sparkling cityscape of Century City, the prime real estate which Goldstein is rumored to have made his fortune in developing.

Even after 30 years of renovations on a daily basis, this bold and sexy abode is still a work in progress. There is constant construction for new developments, such as a new tennis court, office, guest house, movie theater, nightclub, outdoor terrace with a kitchen and lap pool, as well as a library for his magazine collection and books, and a massive closet with a motorized rolling rack to hold his ever-increasing collection of couture clothing.

The Goldstein house is like a massive sculptural masterpiece that fuses the serene beauty of nature with a high-tech installation of complex geometries of triangular shapes using natural materials as the medium to carve a concrete palace on a hillside. And like all important works of art, this structure conveys a profound philosophy of minimalism and organic expression of open space. Before the renowned architect’s death in 1994, Lautner has openly acknowledged that “the house had achieved museum quality”. And from the interest sprouting from more than one institution, it is clear there is a greater vision and goal for Goldstein’s lifetime project, that his house achieves the highest accolade to become a museum.

"The purpose of Architecture is to improve human life. Create timeless, free, joyous spaces for all activities in life. The infinite variety of these spaces can be as varied as life itself and they must be as sensible as nature in deriving from a main idea and flowering into a beautiful entity."
John Lautner .