“No, I wasn’t trying to be streamlined or futuristic,” architect Charles Deaton said, explaining the evolution of his Sculptured House in Genesee. “I was going to do a piece of sculpture for its own sake. It became long and low and flat because of the internal planning, and also to be part of the mesa. I like to think that it grew here, like a very friendly, cooperative mushroom.”
“On Genesee Mountain, I found a high point of land where I could stand and feel the great reaches of the Earth. I wanted the shape of it to sing an unencumbered song!” – architect Charles Deaton
THE HISTORY OF THIS UNUSUAL HOME
Designed by Denver architect Charles Utter Deaton (b. January 1, 1921 – d. December 18, 1996), this clamshell-shaped house, built in 1963 has become one of the most talked about homes in the Western United States. The builder, Delzell Inc., had to get a special “experimental building permit” because of the home’s unusual design. Unfortunately for everyone involved, the money ran out on the project, before the interior was even started.
The house went vacant and unfinished for almost three decades. It was during that time that Woody Allen used the house as an exterior location for his film “Sleeper”. (Read the plot for the movie “Sleeper’” at the end of this article.)
