All images: Kellogg Doolittle Residence
On the edge of Joshua Tree National Park stands a 10-acre lot of land with one of the most fascinating examples of Organic Architecture ever built. It may look like some stately take on a Flintstones home or the futuristic remains of a mechanical mammoth from afar. But it’s a finetuned architectural orchestration handmade to blend with its arid environs. Behind its guarded exterior lies an intricate work of art decades in the making. Today, we brave the desert heat for a closer look at the famed Kellogg Doolittle House.
The Perfect Storm for an Icon of Organic Architecture
The Kellogg Doolittle House wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for the open minds (and bank accounts) of Bev and Jay Doolittle. An artist renowned for her intricate paintings of the wilds of the western United States, Bev Doolittle held an intimate reverence for the creative process. She knew that she didn’t want to live in a cookie-cutter home. But beyond that, she was content to give her chosen architect free rein.
That chosen architect was Kendrick Bangs Kellogg, a student of Frank Lloyd Wright’s with a particular interest in his Organic Architecture movement. We’ve discussed Organic Architecture on this blog before, notably when covering John Lautner’s Elrod House and Bob Hope’s Palm Springs home. Through Organic Architecture, Kellogg attempted to blur the lines between environment and shelter, incorporating naturally occurring elements that ignored the boundaries of manmade structure. The theme of Organic Architecture saturates the Kellogg Doolittle House, from the boulders unmoved by time that comprise portions of the structure to the pebbles of the shower floor.
A Natural Flow Against a Modern Grain
Kellogg’s visions stood in opposition with the compartmentalized midcentury modern architecture so characteristic of the Coachella Valley. Rather, his structures appeared organic and prehistoric, looming like the remains of a legendary creature. It wasn’t a welcoming vision for everyone. Kellogg only designed one other building in the Coachella Valley: Rancho Mirage’s Chart House restaurant. And that burned down in 2012. Fortunately, when the Doolittles saw Kellogg’s work, they were happy to commission him to create a raw, uncompromising representation of his creativity. Many would agree that the resulting Kellogg Doolittle House remains the architect’s crowning achievement.
But Kellogg wasn’t taking this task on alone. Assistance came in the capable form of John Vugrin. Just a teenager when Kellogg discovered him, Vugrin’s exacting detail when working with a variety of materials rendered him essential to Kellogg’s plans. Over the decades that they worked together, Vugrin developed a mastery for crafting stone, glass, marble, wood, and a myriad of metals including copper, steel, and bronze.
At the time of Kellogg accepting the Doolittles’ commission, Vugrin had just turned 21 years old and was living in San Diego. This meant a roughly three-hour drive to the proposed construction site at the border of Joshua Tree National Park. But Vugrin remained closely involved in bringing the Kellogg Doolittle House to life for the over two decades it required.
The Skeleton of the Kellogg Doolittle House
Kellogg began work on what would become the Kellogg Doolittle House in 1984, drafting Vugrin to the cause four years later. Though the Doolittles remained active with organized briefings throughout the decades-long process, they largely left Kellogg to his inspirations. The plan was ambitious from the outset. No lumber. No drywall. And when Kellogg began jackhammering the home’s foundation into the natural granite of the desert, there was no turning back.
Four decades later, the Kellogg Doolittle House still looms at the termination of a pathway of stone meticulously laid by hand, bisecting the desert terrain. At a glance, it appears to rise from the desert itself, like a sleeping golem made from sand, granite, and the bones of a prehistoric behemoth. There’s something distinctly skeletal yet guarded about the home. Most of this comes down to the 26 concrete columns that rise up from the craggy hillside, conjuring a colossal armadillo battening down the hatches against the harsh elements.
These piers are quite literally the backbone of the Kellogg Doolittle House. Together, they orchestrate in such a way as to create the structure’s roof. But they also compartmentalize the nearly 5,000 square feet of living space within. Through these “piers”, bedrooms, kitchens, and dens manifest. You won’t find any classic windows in the Kellogg Doolittle House. Rather, separations in the columns allow the natural lighting of the desert to filter into the home in a carefully orchestrated arrangement.
Inside the Kellogg Doolittle House
A circular portcullis-style entryway introduces the Kellogg Doolittle House starting with a kitchen, fashioned in a semicircle. Fixed countertops and cabinetry follow this curvature. The five levels of the home can be accessed via stairs carved directly into the desert rock. However, an elevator also offers service at the center of a luminous mushroom-like structure. One of the master bedrooms sits at the pinnacle of the structure, offering cinematic views of the night sky through the gaps in the roof plates. A matching circular bed, custom-made for the home, punctuates it. The master bathroom carves into the naturally-occurring hillside with a waterfall running down the rock edifice.
But the Kellogg Doolittle House hits new pinnacles of distinction in that every component was handmade by the team of Kellogg and Vugrin specifically to complement the structure. Intricate copper, marble, and glass work further characterize the abode while insinuating the natural world. No wonder the Doolittles themselves viewed the structure as a massive piece of functional art.
A Work in Progress
Work on the three-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bathroom main structure was more or less completed in 1993. But the Doolittles would reside in an onsite standard 1,500 square feet stucco house while Vugrin continued work on odds and ends. It wouldn’t be until the early 2000s that the Doolittles would officially take residence in the Kellogg Doolittle House. And even then, Vugrin would still need to complete significant work on the bathrooms, living room, and two of the bedrooms.
The Doolittles spent 11 years living in the home before they decided to sell it in search of a simpler life. It’s passed through a few owners since then but is currently the home of singer Scott Leonard. Leonard commits himself to the preservation of the home while collaborating with Vugrin on new features. One such addition is a westward-facing bar and lounge offering panoramic views of the desert sunsets. Imagine enjoying a drink with over 80,000 acres of Joshua Tree National Park unfolding before you. The duo are also planning to install a swimming pool amongst the boulders.
The Kellogg Doolittle House holds the added distinction of being one of the few properties we’ve examined in our Home Spotlight series to not yet achieve historical designation. However, this in no way diminishes its accomplishments as a vital example of Organic Architecture. Kellogg was a rare talent and that’s perhaps no more obvious than in this desert home.
