This Pacific coast lair inspired The Fountainhead

Hangover House was built for American travel writer and adventurer Richard Halliburton on a ridge above the Pacific Ocean in Laguna Beach, California. Designed by architect William Alexander Levy around 1937, the house was conceived for Halliburton, Levy and journalist Paul Mooney. Its concrete and steel structure is set between views of the ocean and Aliso Canyon, with steel-framed glazing spanning much of the main living space.

An original spiral staircase leads to the rooftop, where a steel-casement window acts as a windscreen. The house was featured in Architectural Record in 1938. Ayn Rand visited in 1937 and is believed to have drawn on it for the Heller House in her 1943 novel The Fountainhead.

When he took up residence, Halliburton had already swum the Panama Canal, flown around the world in a biplane and crossed the Alps on an elephant. In 1939, aged 39, he disappeared while attempting to sail a traditional Chinese wooden ship from Hong Kong to San Francisco.

At approximately 2,500 square feet, the house recently underwent structural restoration, including reinforcement of its concrete and steel. Work remains to be done in the kitchen, bathrooms and lower guest suite. Agents are currently asking $7.5 million.

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