Located in a private and secluded residential area at the top of a hill, the Elrod House has been home to many notable occupants through the years. The 1968 hilltop residence is being completely renovated, and this is the first of what we hope will be more future projects with general contractor DBGC.
The scope of our work: this is our first time working on this historic house – it’s been recently purchased and currently undergoing a major remodel. As part of this renovation a newly designed opening will allow greater natural light through the ceiling allowing for the installation of the Giroux supplied skylight. The hole was created and we measured and determined the glass needed to create the skylight as 1” inch thick bronze, laminated, tempered glass, that weighed over 1100 pounds. We turned to Glasswerks to provide the materials per these specifications. It was a bit of a tight fit to position the crane between the landscape at the bottom of the hill and the house, but once positioned correctly, the crane and power cups maneuvered the heavy piece of glass into its rooftop position.
This residence was originally designed by American architect John Lautner and built in 1968. It is located in Palm Springs, California, and the construction of the house was ordered by Arthur Elrod, the interior designer. This is just one of Lautner’s many houses in Southridge and Palm Springs as a whole, the Elrod House is one of his most famous. An interesting design aspect about this is when the house was built, the soil was excavated but the rocks were kept in place. These rocks are part of the interior of the house and run straight through the walls and windows. However, the best-known feature is the large circular concrete canopy above the main living area with a circular glass design. The living room incorporates large rocks and opens onto an outdoor swimming pool and a terrace that offers a view of Palm Springs and the San Jacinto Peak.
Many thanks to the Giroux employees who worked on this project: Carlos Gomez, project manager, Sam Gonzales, estimator, field team: field superintendent: Christian Ruiz and foreman: Brandon Sanchez; Glaziers: Noe Leon; Drew Esquer; Daniel Thomas; Mike Mansker; Ryan Lopez; drivers Joel Barron and Sergio Morales managed the safe transportation of the glass to the location.