Biography
 John
Lautner was one of this century's important contemporary
AmJerican architects. His work was concerned with the relationship
of the human being to space and of space to nature. "Shelter," he
said, "is the most basic human need."
Lautner practiced architecture for
more than 55 years, designing unusual and unique residences in and near Los Angeles,
including Silvertop, the Chemosphere, the Sheats/Goldstein residence, the Levy
residence, and the Elrod residence (Palm Springs, CA), as well as many others
around the world. He was also responsible for the innovative design of some restaurants
(Henry's, Googies, Tiny Naylor's).
The beginnings:
Lautner was born in 1911,
one of two children. He was raised in Marquette, Michigan,
graduating from high school and college
there. The northern woods and the deep blue of Lake Superior
remained in his soul throughout his life, and he was
to return time and time again to bask in what he considered
a
heaven
on earth.
His first building experience came when he helped his
father build a chalet-style retreat, designed by his mother,
that looked out
over the lake from a hillside high above it.
Rear entrance to Midgaard in upper Michigan
 View of Lake Superior from
Midgaard balcony
After graduating with a degree in English from the University
of Northern Michigan, Lautner became an apprentice to Frank
Lloyd Wright for six years, joining the first group of Taliesin
Fellows. In 1937 he supervised the construction of two of Wright's
projects, and two years later established his own practice
in Los Angeles. His first solo project was a house for his
own family, which architectural critic Henry-Russell Hitchcock
called "the best house by an architect under 30 in the United
States." Later Hitchcock remarked that "Lautner's work could
stand comparison with that of his master." A comparison, incidentally,
that Lautner himself would have been reluctant to make, given
his lifelong devotion to Mr. Wright.
View of Middle Island Point, upper Michigan
Lautner's work has been the subject of numerous exhibitions
in the United States and abroad. His buildings have been featured
in countless publications, in a documentary film on his life
and work, in the James Bond and Diehard films, among others,
and in commercials for television. In 1970, he was made a Fellow
of the American Institute of Architects for Excellence in Design.
He also received the Gold Medal from the Los Angeles AIA chapter
in 1993 for his lifetime achievement.
At the time of his death on October 24, 1994, the 83-year-old
Lautner was still working on several large projects.
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