Organic and Futuristic
JOHN LAUTNER
Few architects have captured the imagination like John Lautner. His houses look like they belong in science fiction, yet they are deeply human—structures that merge art, engineering, and emotion. From the cliffs of Los Angeles to the deserts of Palm Springs, Lautner built not just for shelter, but for wonder.
John Lautner – Bubbling Wells Subdivision for Lucien Hubbard, Desert Hot Springs, CA (Circa 1947) Photos courtesy of The Getty Archives
In 1947, when Oscar winning director Lucien Hubbard commissioned Marquette Michigan native, John Lautner to design a geometric compound in the Mojave Desert, they envisioned sunken living rooms enclosed by large expanses of sheet glass, concrete, redwood, and steel. These tiny vacation homes each with their own private cactus garden would overlook a golden, mountainous Sierra Nevada backdrop in Desert Hot Springs, CA – near the striking Mecca of west coast modern, Palm Springs. Originally called “Lautner Living Units for the Bubbling Wells Subdivision,” the master plan for the compound was conceived as Hubbard’s desert getaway—a hip enclave of abundant buildings, shops, and pools for hosting his constantly evolving entourage of glamorous mid-century movie stars.
John Lautner (1911–1994) was a visionary American architect known for his bold, futuristic designs that seamlessly blended organic architecture with modern technology. A protégé of Frank Lloyd Wright, Lautner developed a distinctive style characterized by dramatic concrete forms, sweeping curves, and a deep connection to the surrounding landscape. His iconic works—such as the Chemosphere House, the Elrod House, and the Sheats-Goldstein Residence in Los Angeles—embody a sense of innovation and cinematic grandeur that has made them enduring symbols of mid-century modern architecture.
There are three notable properties designed by John Lautner in the Coachella Valley region of Southern California, Palm Springs and Desert Hot Springs.
The Bob Hope Residence, Palm Springs, 1979- It showcases the extremes of Lautner’s ambition: integrating luxury, landscape, structure, and environment into one large scheme.
The Arthur Elrod House, Palm Springs, 1968 - This house is a prime example of Lautner’s “free architecture” approach: the form responds to site, environment, client, and experience of space
Hotel Lautner (formerly the “Desert Hot Springs Motel”), Desert Hot Springs, 1947- This provides a rare opportunity to stay overnight in a Lautner-designed building (unlike the private homes above). It also shows an earlier phase of his work: the modest scale, the desert adaptation, the indoor/outdoor interplay and signature roof forms — less famous than his later large residential commissions, but significant nonetheless.
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