Oboler Gatehouse and Retreat
N 34° 05.985 W 118° 50.610
11S E 329945 N 3774750
Partially realized "Eagle Feather" complex designed for radio personality, movie and early television director/producer Arch Oboler and his wife Eleanor.
Waymark Code: WM1234
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 12/21/2006
Views: 378
Oboler’s credits include the “Light’s Out” radio and TV series; “Bwana Devil”, the World’ first feature-length 3-D movie that ignited the 50s 3-D craze; and the 1951 movie “Five” which was shot at and near the house and spawned an entire genre of science-fiction movies centering around a small group of post-nuclear-war survivors .
Situated on a rugged and remote site high in the Santa Monica Mountains, the Oboler complex is Wright’s only example of desert rubblestone construction in Southern California. An avid Rockhound, Oboler gathered rocks from a variety of locations, even driving his van to the Arizona desert near Taliesin West leading to a most colorful result . Regrettably, the main house was never built, but the other segments of the complex that were completed consist of a ridgetop stone and wood gatehouse and a small studio-retreat for Eleanor perched on a nearby hill.
The Obolers lived in the gatehouse and other buildings for many years. After he died in 1987, Eleanor remained briefly on the property, then sold it to a new owner, who eventually plans to restore the buildings . The buildings are in sad shape and are still being prepared for restoration. The interior of the Retreat has been stripped to check the structure after a fire. A caretaker lives in the Gatehouse.
Comparing the challenges in his life to FLlW’s, Oboler recounted, “A good friend of mine, Frank Lloyd Wright, had all the trouble in his life architecturally that the world of 3-D has. But he always stuck to the precept that you had to start not with the concept of doing something madly, offbeat--but doing some thing that was right for the purpose for which you were doing it; a house, a museum. We talked about 3-D, because I was just starting with it shortly before he died.”
Year Completed: 1940-1955
Commissioned By: Arch and Eleanor Oboler
Nearest City or Town: Malibu, CA
Public/Private: Private
Tours Available?: no
Website: Not listed
|
Visit Instructions:
There are no specific visit requirements, however telling about your visit is strongly encouraged. Additional photos of the building or house to add to the gallery are also nice, but not required. Pictures with a GPS or you in them is highly discouraged.