Up in the Air: L.A.’s John Lautner-Designed Garcia House Is Listed for $16M
Realtor.com
An iconic, midcentury modern house with a parabolic roof is on the market for the first time in decades.
The Garcia House on Mulholland Drive in Los Angeles soars 60 feet into the air and seemingly floats among the trees.
This residence may be familiar to some, as it was featured on the big screen in 1989’s “Lethal Weapon 2”.
“It was designed by world-renowned architect John Lautner,” says Weston Littlefield, who is co-listing the property with Aaron Kirman and Dalton Gomez, all with AKGRE.
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Lautner-designed homes rarely hit the market, because their owners aren’t often interested in parting with them, Littlefield notes.
The famed architect completed this 2,596-square-foot house in 1962, for musical composer and arranger, Russell Garcia, and his wife, Gina.
Because of the home’s arched shape and colorful, stained-glass windows, it is also known as the Rainbow House.
‘One of his most famous designs’
“The Garcia House is considered one of his most famous designs,” Littlefield says. “The shape of the house is not your typical shape of a house that you’d expect. It is unique and was way ahead of its time.”
The house fell into disrepair until Broadway producer, Bill Damaschke, and entertainment business manager, John McIlwee, bought the house in 2002 for $1,200,000 and renovated it extensively.
The result is a gorgeous three-bedroom, three-bathroom home that still towers above the ground on v-shaped caissons, has a lava-rock entryway, original terrazzo flooring, and a 55-foot wall of windows.
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Making a splash
Architecture firm Marmol Radziner oversaw the renovation, which focused on preserving both architectural details and function. A pool, which the original owners planned but never completed, was added to the property.
“My favorite thing at the house is when you’re down by the pool around sunset and you look back up at the house,” Littlefield says. “It’s such a piece of art. The light changes when it hits the house, and it changes colors.”
He says the home’s two sellers lived in it for the past 20-plus years.
“They’ve experienced the time of their lives; and they said that this house has changed their lives by the people they’ve met and connected with, just because of the creative aspect of the house,” Littlefield explains. “So they feel like it’s time to pass the torch to someone else who appreciates the house and sees the value.”
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Livable art
Littlefield says many billionaires have already shown interest in the home—understandably, given the price tag.
“A lot of them would use it as a place to entertain clients and friends,” he says. “Some have mentioned it being a little bachelor pad for them. We’ve had people mention it being a potential office. Then others have mentioned that they will just collect it and hold it and just kind of use it here and there.”
And for someone with the means, it would certainly be a remarkable piece of art to add to a collection.
“When you’re buying this house, you’re buying it because you appreciate the architecture and appreciate John Lautner,” Littlefield says. “It’s definitely like you’re buying an art piece that … you can live in and entertain in and actually utilize, instead of it just hanging on your wall.”
Bringing down the house
Fans of the design may recall watching as the house was famously dragged down a hillside and “destroyed” in “Lethal Weapon 2.”
Fear not, that was just a replica. Obviously, the real home is fine; but the cinematic dwelling was used as a location for some shots.
Lautner designed more than 200 projects—mostly homes—many of them in California. He died in 1994, at the age of 83.
His personal residence sold in 2020.
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