What first captures attention at the Jules Salkin Residence is its structural logic — seven pairs of triangular Douglas fir timbers rising through the plan like a central spine, supporting an inverted-truss roof that seems to tilt toward the sky. Conceived in 1948 on a 15,633sqft Echo Park lot, the home reveals John Lautner’s grounding in the Usonian ideals of Frank Lloyd Wright and his appetite for architectural risk, expressed through lifted planes, board-and-batten redwood siding and glass that reaches directly into the landscape.
Today, the 1,361sqft house has regained its original intent, thanks to a research-led restoration by architect Barbara Bestor in collaboration with the current owner. Additions were removed, square footage reduced and original conditions reinstated, from butt-glazed clerestories to stripped woodwork and the patinated Cherokee-red concrete floor. New elements sit quietly within that framework, including black phenolic resin countertops, handmade ceramic tile and integrated appliances that refine the three-bedroom, one-bathroom plan without diluting its mid-century character.
Sliding doors open the interior to its expansive site, underscoring Lautner’s belief in buildings that engage their terrain rather than occupy it. The home is listed for $2.395 million with Brian Linder, AIA, and Mark H Mendez of The Value of Architecture at Compass.
