The Elrod House is a residence in

Palm Springs, California Palm Springs (Cahuilla language, Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Rivers ...

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

John Lautner John Edward Lautner (July 16, 1911 – October 24, 1994) was an American architect. Following an apprenticeship in the mid-1930s with the Taliesin Fellowship led by Frank Lloyd Wright, Lautner opened his own practice in 1938, where he worked for ...

and constructed in 1968. It is located on the edge of a hill at 2175 Southridge Drive in

. The construction of the house was ordered by

Arthur Elrod Arthur Dea Elrod, Jr. (August 8, 1924 – February 18, 1974) was an American interior designer, perhaps best known for the Elrod House his home in Palm Springs, California, which he designed in collaboration with architect John Lautner in 1968. ...

, the

interior design Interior design is the art and science of enhancing the interior of a building to achieve a healthier and more aesthetically pleasing environment for the people using the space. With a keen eye for detail and a Creativity, creative flair, an ...

er. One of Lautner's many houses in Southridge and Palm Springs as a whole, the Elrod House is one of his most famous structures and an example of his so-called ''free architecture'', where

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and construction, constructi ...

and

nature Nature is an inherent character or constitution, particularly of the Ecosphere (planetary), ecosphere or the universe as a whole. In this general sense nature refers to the Scientific law, laws, elements and phenomenon, phenomena of the physic ...

are combined. When the house was built, the soil was excavated but the rocks were kept in place. These rocks are part of the interior of the house and run straight through the walls and windows. Its best-known feature is the large circular concrete

canopy Canopy may refer to: Plants * Canopy (biology), aboveground portion of plant community or crop (including forests) * Canopy (grape), aboveground portion of grapes Religion and ceremonies * Baldachin or canopy of state, typically placed over an a ...

above the main living area with a circular glass design. The living room incorporates large rocks and opens onto an outdoor

swimming pool A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, paddling pool, or simply pool, is a structure designed to hold water to enable Human swimming, swimming and associated activities. Pools can be built into the ground (in-ground pools) or built abo ...

and a terrace that offers a view of Palm Springs and the

San Jacinto Peak San Jacinto Peak ( ; often designated Mount San Jacinto) is a peak in the San Jacinto Mountains, in Riverside County, California. Lying within Mount San Jacinto State Park it is the highest both in the range and the county, and serves as the s ...

Culture and significance

The Elrod House's most notable appearance was as Willard Whyte's mansion in the 1971

James Bond The ''James Bond'' franchise focuses on James Bond (literary character), the titular character, a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels ...

film '' Diamonds Are Forever''. The living room, swimming pool, and an interior room were displayed in the film. The house has also been the site of photo shoots for adult publisher ''

Playboy ''Playboy'' (stylized in all caps) is an American men's Lifestyle journalism, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, available both online and in print. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, funded in part by a $ ...

'', and was featured in a 2010 tabloid from

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

graphic design student Benjamin Critton. The Elrod House was also showcased in the 2013 architecture documentary ''Infinite Space: The Architecture of Lautner''.

Recent events

Real-estate investor Michael J. Kilroy bought the Elrod House from billionaire

Ron Burkle Ronald Wayne Burkle (born November 12, 1952) is an American businessman. He is the co-founder and managing partner of The Yucaipa Companies, LLC, a private investment firm that specializes in U.S. companies in the distribution, logistics, foo ...

in 2003 for $5.5 million. During his ownership, Burkle updated the mechanics and restored the interior furnishings. In April 2014, ''

The Desert Sun ''The Desert Sun'' is a local daily newspaper serving Palm Springs and the surrounding Coachella Valley in Southern California. History First issued on August 5, 1927, as a weekly six-page newspaper, ''The Desert Sun'' grew with the desert co ...

'' reported that accusations in court documents alleged that Kilroy—who also owns two other Southridge properties—had stopped paying mortgages, most HOA dues, and property taxes. The ''Desert Sun'' article said that the Southridge Property Owners Association of Palm Springs filed a lawsuit against Kilroy in May 2012 for over $148,730 in assessments. Kilroy had reportedly signed promissory notes that did not pay the full dues. UK lender Lloyds Bank plc also filed a suit against Kilroy in Riverside County Superior Court in mid-2012, alleging Kilroy owed near $1.8 million for missed mortgage payments, as well as legal and other fees. The ''Desert Sun'' also reported that high winds in January 2012 had "lifted roof shingles from homes and buffeted sections of the Elrod House." At the time of publication in 2014, the article stated that portions of the roof were covered by "tarp canopies." The article said that a trial in the Lloyds Bank lawsuit was set for April 2015. In May 2016, the house was turned over to a bank and its asking price was reduced to $8 million from the previous asking price of $10.5 million (which reflected a 2009 reduction from the earlier reported price of $13.89 million).

References

{{Coord, 33, 47, 37, N, 116, 30, 39, W, display=title Houses in Riverside County, California Modernist architecture in California