CASE STUDY

daTURA

LAUREL CANYON | LOS ANGELES, CA

Datura, a deleterious plant yet sacred and beautiful is described as an “ally” for divination in Carlos Castaneda’s book The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge. Original peoples across the American continent used Datura ceremonially, from the ancient Maya in and around the Yucatan to the pueblos of what is now the Southwestern United States. Today, the elegant bush grows wild with its white and purple bellflower on the sides of freeways, from between cracks in concrete, and in other unexpected places.

This residential project takes inspiration from the Datura that is native to these regions, with layers of meaning and natural expressiveness. The home is rooted in the canyon, reaches for sunlight, yet is guarded by shade. Building on the metaphor of natural resilience and flowering, this project takes into consideration how wind, light, and water are captured and reused for the building.

Historical Documentation

Undeveloped Hollywood Hills Circa 1900

Aerial Photo Laurel Canyon 1928

First developed around the 1910s, Laurel Canyon became part of the Los Angeles in 1923. Lookout Mountain at its apex had one of the high-quality panoramic perspectives of the Cahuenga Valley. It is a vital transit route between West Hollywood and the San Fernando Valley.

Prior to the arrival of the Spanish, the area was inhabited by the Tongva people. Spring fed water flowed year round. That water attracted Californio ranchers who established hillside sheep grazing in the 1700s. Anglo settlers later subdivided and sold land there, advertised as mountain excursion property. Between 1912 and 1918, a trackless electric-powered trolley (i.e. streetcar) ran up the canyon from Sunset Blvd to the bottom of Lookout Mountain Road in which a roadhouse served visitors. Travel by mule was the norm, however, road improvement soon replaced this with the automobile.

Laurel Canyon was home to notable figures including Harry Houdini and during the 1960s countercultural revolution, it was home to many among the Los Angeles music scene, such as Frank Zappa, Jim Morrison of the Doors, The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, and Joni Mitchell. That bohemian spirit endures today. (Richard Seireeni, 2015)

Inspiration

Art Work by Miguel Erick