If you're an architecture buff or simply just into cool-ass houses, the Open Space Series website has dedicated itself to "preserving and portraying the essence of architecture through the medium of film." Founded in 2019 by Elias Tebache and Mick Aure, both passionate enthusiasts of architecture, the duo shared a deep love for the art of architecture and the feelings and subsequent lifestyle evoked by iconic properties. Originally from Chile and the Philippines and now residing in California, Elias and Mick were inspired by the timeless works of renowned photographer Julius Shulman, who captured many iconic architectural wonders across Southern California and beyond. The site hosts video tours and photos of a litany of properties from masters such as Schindler, Neutra, A. Quincy Jones, Eichler, Lautner, John Rex and others to name a few. Today we take a little dive into the Garduno-Heiser home built in 1961 in Silverlake.
Raúl Garduño grew up in Los Angeles and studied architecture at USC in the late 1950s and became a notable Mexican architect. Known as the Garduño-Heiser Home, it was designed by Raúl Garduño and his friend Peter Heiser while they were still students at USC. When Garduño and Heiser stumbled upon the lots in Silverlake, they were priced at a few hundred dollars a piece due to the fact that several previous attempted builds had slid down the steep hillside, leaving builders to think the lots were not viable for construction. Seeing an opportunity, Garduño and Heiser purchased the lots and decided to build a spec home and were eventually commissioned to design and build a home on the adjacent lot for a client. Garduño has a portfolio of work across Southern Califonia that spans a couple dozen homes, and while his designs remain timeless and influential, he never received the notoriety of other MCM contemporaries.
