This one also sold back in December, but since I’ve never seen a whole house built on wheels before, I had to share it.
Seriously, what is going on here? Why is the whole home propped up on wheels on a circular track?
I mean, it’s a groovy design and all…
…but what’s the point?
I can think of two reasons off the top of my head. First is aethetics, so you can change the view each room has at whim. The other reason, a more logical one, is to change which side of the house the sun comes in on. If you have a large window in your living room, you might want to be able to move it in and out of the sun based on how warm you want the room to be.
LOVE THIS HOUSE!! Yup, it probably rotates for comfort and for aesthetics.
I remembered this place from discussions of passive solar design in architecture school, but couldn’t remember an exact reason for the design, other than the two logical ones Dawn already mentioned. I did a bit of research and found this:
“The revolving home was built in 1963 by Los Angeles businessman, Floyd D’Angelo of ‘Aluminum Skylight and Specialty Corporation’. D’Angelo partnered up with aerospace engineer friend, Henry Conrey, to design a rotating home to showcase D’Angelo’s product. Not only did D’Angelo want to showcase his product, but he also was a designer and knew a thing or two about the harsh desert climate with intense sun. Having the home rotate 130 degrees, a quarter rotation, addressed the concerns of the climate while allowing for the most scenic desert views from the home…”
http://modernhomesla.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-dangelo-house-futuristic-desert.html
So, Dawn, you’re absolutely right, although any of us would have been hard pressed to guess the builder was an aluminum magnate, so to speak.
One other nifty factoid…
“…to top things off, there is lore of the Beatles partying in the house while on tour in Los Angeles in 1965, while visiting Snow Creek local, Eric burden from the rock group, The Animals.”
The captions at the link discuss the desire of a recent owner to restore and conserve the house. Understandable, given how unique it is. But if it were me… well, I’d definitely need an update on the decor, both color and style. Kinda cool that you wouldn’t have to take the kids to the park to ride on a merry-go-round, though! ;)
It turns like the space needle! I wonder if it has similar disorienting properties, where you have to pay conscious attention to where the door might be relative to the fixed locations, or you wind up not where you expected!
@Michelle: I hadn’t thought of that! This place is pretty small, but I can see it being a big problem with something like the Space Needle – I didn’t even know that rotated. Watch out – that first step is a doozy! And the second you mentioned the disorientation I immediately thought of the stair hall at Hogwarts in the Harry Potter books and movies. Aye-aye-aye!!
This was my husbands Uncle Floyd. He also had a safari that my husband would visit as a child. If anyone knows more about Floyd I would love the information.
I think I live in the safari house. Looking for history