Tag Archives: Carling

John De la vaux: one in a million

On September 26 of last year, John de la Vaux died. Builder of some of John Lautner’s most memorable buildings, de la Vaux brought unique qualities and experience to the job, along with a brilliant mind. It is unlikely such a builder will ever be seen again. It is no exaggeration to say that John Lautner’s name would not be as well known if his collaboration with de la Vaux had not happened, happily for both.

John de la Vaux’s daughters have created this beautiful testimony to his life:

John Douglas de la Vaux

1912 – 2018

With heavy hearts we announce the passing of our Dad, John de la Vaux, on September 26, 2018, at the age of 106. His mind remained sharp until the very end, but his body was just worn out.

John was born in Daley City, California, July 4, 1912, the fifth child of Alfred and Aimee de la Vaux.  In 1916 the family moved to San Anselmo. He was enrolled in the First Grade in a one-room school in 1917, only to be removed when the Pandemic Spanish Flu broke out. John was again enrolled in school and again removed due to his father’s incarceration for being a German during WW I, an episode that his father never recovered from. John was enrolled and removed a third time when he was mis-diagnosed with polio. The family moved to San Diego in 1920, hoping for a better life in the wake of the War and John was finally enrolled in First Grade at eight years old. He was blessed with a photographic memory so was able to catch up quickly. During those years in san Diego, he fished for food for his family and frequented the boat-building yards, picking up skills he would use in the future. He even watched the building of Lindberg’s Spirit of St. Louis airplane! The family moved to Hollywood, California when John was about 16 years old and he was enrolled at Le Conte Jr. High School. He attended Hollywood High School and left school in the eleventh grade when he was 20 years old.

Carling Residence

Life was tough during the post-War years and schooling was interrupted several times when John took jobs to help support his family. The move to Hollywood located the family across the street from the girl who would be the love of his life. His future father-in-law took him into the building trade and gave him the building education of a life-time. They helped to build the brand-new Beverly Hills community!

John married Marguerite Bell in 1933, a marriage that lasted 64 years until her death in 1997. They were blessed with three children: Johnette, Marguerite, and Douglas.

Employment of any kind was hard to find in the 1930s when the Country was still in the throes of the financial crash of 1929. John worked in building construction, on highway projects up and down the California coast, commercial fishing and boat building. When WWII started, he was too old for the Draft. The building trades dried up. Boat-building and commercial fishing supported his family. He built speed-boats for the Actor and Actress John Hall and Frances Langford, and Actor Errol Flynn. When the U.S. Navy wanted to increase the speed of 45-50 mph P.T. Boats, John was involved in a top-secret modification, designing and building a wood hull that would withstand speeds of up to 120 mph. He was on-board the boat when it was tested with new super-charged engines in Long Beach Harbor. The test was successful, but the Navy was daunted by the ultra-speed and cancelled the contract. In 1942, Lockheed Overseas Corporation contracted John as a crew supervisor and sent him to Northern Ireland to build an airstrip for the Allies. He crossed the Atlantic, in a convoy, on the Queen Elizabeth which had been modified as a Troop Ship, at a time when German submarines had become a deadly threat.

Harvey Residence

In 1947, Marguerite had become friends with the wife of an up-and-coming modernistic Architect, John Lautner, a protégé of Frank Lloyd Wright. John Lautner was looking for a builder to construct a very modernistic house in the Hollywood Hills. The two Johns were introduced, and a liaison of 40 years was sealed.  Through those 40 years, John de la Vaux built seven John Lautner designs; the most famous (throughout the world) is the Chemosphere house which is still known as the most modern house ever built. 

Malin Residence – section

Another design, the Harpel house, built beside a small lake in Anchorage, Alaska, was featured in the October 6, 1967 issue of Life Magazine. As John states in the documentary, “Infinite Space,” his life wouldn’t have been complete had he not built those homes.  The homes he built:

Carling Residence

Harvey Residence

Malin Residence (Chemosphere)

Malin Residence

Harpel Residence no. 1 and no. 2

Harpel Alaska – Life Magazine photo
Harpel Hollywood

Began the Reiner Residence (Silvertop)

Silvertop, under construction

Most of the Tolstoy Residence

Tolstoy Residence. Photo by Morgan Group

Remodeled Stevens Residence

Stevens Residence. Photo by Michael La Fetra

John built many more homes designed by other Modern Architects, including a home for George C. Page, founder of Mission Pack. John was subsequently hired as a consultant on the construction of the George C. Page Museum La Brea Discoveries at Rancho La Brea, Hancock Park, in Los Angeles.

John and Marguerite retired to Carson City, Nevada, in 1987, to be nearer his son and daughters as Marguerite was taken away by dementia. He cared for her for 10 years until her death in 1997.  For the past 12 years, John was writing a book on how the Pyramids at Giza were constructed: how the stones were moved, lifted and put in place. He was also writing his life history. His Daughter, Marguerite, hopes to complete his Pyramid book.

Besides being a “builder extraordinaire”, our Dad had a love affair with food throughout his life. He was truly a gourmet cook! He was an avid reader of scientific and nature publications and his phenomenal memory allowed him to quote minute details about a myriad of subjects.  It is said that when a centenarian dies, an encyclopedia of knowledge dies with them.  He was our encyclopedia.

John was pre-deceased by his parents and 5 siblings; wife, Marguerite; grandson, Leonard Bright; daughter-in-law, Jeanine de la Vaux; granddaughter, Danielle de la Vaux; and granddaughter, Laura Dolan Bright-Ruecker. He is survived by his daughters, Johnette Deane and Marguerite Dolan (Joe), son, Douglas de la Vaux (Mary), 2 grandsons, 3 granddaughters, 8 great-grandchildren and 9 great-great-grandchildren.

Dad, we could ask you about anything and you would always know something about it.

Your cooking was beyond amazing; you could dream up a recipe and create a gourmet feast.

We miss you so — you gave so much to so many. Thank you for all you gave to us.

We’ll meet again in your Great Beyond.

Nominations Approved by State Board

The “Multiple Property Submission” of eight Lautner homes to the State Historic Resources Commission was approved in Sacramento this morning, January 29, 2016.  The eight properties are the John & Mary Lautner House, the Foster Carling House, the Schaffer House, the Harvey House, the Harpel (Hollywood) House, the Pearlman Mountain Cabin, the Elrod House, and the Walstrom House.

The commission noted that seven letters had been received in support of the nominations.

The primary authors of the application, Lauren Bricker and Luis Hoyos, both teachers of architecture at Cal Poly Pomona, were present, as was Christine Lazzaretto of Historic Resources Group, who prepared the final revisions, and Judith Lautner representing the John Lautner Foundation. Students in the Cal Poly classes did the initial research and preparation of the application. Commissioners complimented the Cal Poly professors on their efforts in introducing their students to this process.

Staff offered a clip from the movie "Diamonds are Forever" in its presentation of the project.
Staff offered a clip from the movie “Diamonds are Forever” in its presentation of the project.

The multiple property submission will now be forwarded to the State Historic Preservation Officer for nomination to the National Register. The final determination is made 45 days after receipt by the Keeper of the National Register in Washington, D.C. As there have been no objections to the listing and the properties meet the criteria of the National Register they are expected to be listed.

The success of this application opens the door for additional applications by Lautner building owners and others. Much of the base work has been done. The Foundation is happy to assist with research and other aspects of the process. Please contact the Foundation through this form if you would like more information: 

National Register Nominations to go to State

The Foundation is pleased to announce the submission of eight Lautner buildings,  a “Multiple Property Submission”,  to the National Register of Historic Places.  The application is to be heard on the State Historic Resources Commission agenda on January 29, 2016, in Sacramento.  Members of the public are welcome to attend. The meeting will start at 9 am at

Sacramento City Hall Council Chamber
915 I Street
Sacramento, Ca 95814

nominations
Carling Residence

The application was prepared by  two Cal Poly professors: Lauren Weiss Bricker and Luis Hoyos, with assistance from their students, and with revisions by Christine Lazzaretto of Historic Resources Group.  It was a joint project of the Cal Poly professors and The John Lautner Foundation, which provided information and funding where needed.

Schaffer Residence
Schaffer Residence

Harpel Residence
Harpel Residence

The eight buildings are:

  • Lautner House
  • Foster Carling House
  • Schaffer House
  • Harvey House
  • Harpel House
  • Pearlman Mountain Cabin
  • Elrod House
  • Walstrom House

Harvey Residence
Harvey Residence

 

 

The application is the culmination of several years’ work, primarily by Bricker and Hoyos, and contains historical and architectural detail of each building, along with photographs.  If the state commission approves the nomination it will be forwarded to the Keeper of the National Register, who will approve or deny the application.

It is rare for a nomination to be denied after the state office has approved it. If the application is approved, the listing will pave the way for further nominations of Lautner buildings. The Foundation intends to pursue additional nominations either on its own or in collaboration with others and encourages all owners of Lautner buildings to look into the potential for listing their Lautner property. We are happy to assist.

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John and Mary Lautner Residence

 

 

 

 

 

 

The application is expected to be on the “consent” agenda, which means that it will not be discussed separately. However, any consent item can be pulled from the agenda and discussed.  Bricker and Hoyos expect to be at the meeting, along with representatives from Historic Resources Group, and members of the Board of Directors of the Foundation.

nominations-6
Walstrom Residence

While not required, support in the form of letters is encouraged.  There is no required format for such letters. We have provided a sample letter (in Microsoft Word format) to get you started.

Letters should be sent to

State Historical Resources Commission
P.O. Box 942896
Sacramento, CA 94296-0001

Or you can send comments by email to calshpo@parks.ca.gov

nominations-7
Elrod Residence

 

The Foundation’s primary purpose is the preservation of Lautner buildings along with the education of the public on the value and importance of Lautner’s architecture. Listing of these eight homes will provide a level of protection for the buildings as well as increased visibility of this architecture.  We are therefore very excited about this application and mark it as a significant point in the Foundation’s history.

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Pearlman Mountain Cabin

Carling Residence for Sale

Rendering of original design
Rendering of original design

One of John Lautner’s best-known residences is for sale. The Foster Carling residence, built in 1947 (and remodeled by Lautner in 1991) using the same suspended roof scheme as two other Lautner designs (Poling and Jacobsen), also features a wall that opens outward with the flip of a switch, taking the built-in seating from inside the living area to the outside deck.

For more information on the house and the sale terms, go to the Modern Living LA website. The site contains several excellent photographs.

 

Looking to buy (or lease) a Lautner?

Curbed LA announced the other day that five Lautner homes are currently on the market:

Schaffer residence (Glendale): small jewel that was featured in A Single Man. Currently listed at $1.395 M.

Carling residence (Hollywood Hills): one of three Lautner designs that feature a three-point steel truss support, eliminating the need for interior posts. Listed for $2.995M

Bergren residence (Hollywood Hills): one of the earliest, the house was rebuilt after a fire and has experienced other changes since. Listed for $1.495M

Baxter residence (West Hollywood): actually a remodel that has been since remodeled. Some Lautner touches remain. Listed for $2.995M

Polin residence (Hollywood Hills): another of the three featuring a three-point steel truss support. For lease at $10K/mo.

Visit Curbed L.A. for more information and comments.

The Garwood residence in Malibu is also for sale, listing at $15.9M. See the listing.

 

A look at Lautner buildings in film

The 2003 documentary Los Angeles Plays Itself, by Thom Andersen, is rarely seen in theaters, apparently because of the lack of rights to various film clips in the film. But you can see the segment where Lautner buildings in film are used and misused, mainly by the bad guys and famously by Mel Gibson (for the record: no way the Garcia residence could be pulled down by a pickup truck). The segment speaks in general about the use of modern architecture in Los Angeles in film.

Thanks to Tom Hall of the Sarasota Film Festival for this link: