• No products in the basket.
cart chevron-down close-disc
:
  • Design
  • Issue 35

Spaceship House

The mothership of Googie architecture. Words by Tristan Rutherford. Photograph by James Carriere, Spaceship House, La Selva Beach, CA.

The Spaceship House, built in California by architect Mary Gordon, is a place that E.T. could call home: It’s a curvaceous white beacon topped by TV-shaped towers and encircled by an outdoor staircase that looks like a radar dish.¹

It could only have been built in the 1970s. Back then, the United States faced the twin specters of war and recession. These grim prospects forced some into spiritualism and yoga (Iyengar and Ashtanga both put down roots during that decade) while others sought solace in astronomy and acid. Architecture, music and film (see Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Invasion of the Body Snatchers) followed the Space Age trend.² NASA became so confident of finding extraterrestrial life

K35_Product_Cover_Thumb_1000x1000

This story is from Kinfolk Issue Thirty-Five

Buy Now

This story appears in a print issue of Kinfolk. You’re welcome to read this story for free or subscribe to enjoy unlimited access.

Subscribe

Kinfolk.com uses cookies to personalize and deliver appropriate content, analyze website traffic and display advertising. Visit our cookie policy to learn more. By clicking "Accept" you agree to our terms and may continue to use Kinfolk.com.