After he designed the Jetsons-esque Googie?s coffee shop, architect John Lautner (1911?1994) was panned for creating a laughable caricature of modern design. "Stick to residential," the critics implored, and for the most part, Lautner did: in a career that spanned a half-century, he designed nearly 200 homes, primarily in Los Angeles. As a residential architect, he excelled: his houses speak to the elemental nature of the living space, while also incorporating cutting-edge design. His innovative ideas fundamentally changed the way we think about housing, and his incorporation of technology and transportation in his designs (both residential and commercial) helped define Los Angeles? modern image. Despite his imprint on the city, Lautner was rarely lauded for his design genius, and himself became disillusioned with the politics of the architectural world. As a result, few know the architectural legacy of a man who learned from Frank Lloyd Wright and influenced Frank Gehry, and in some ways surpassed them. But now, after increasing popularity on the real estate market and the exhibition of his first major career retrospective, people are starting to see the truth and beauty in Lautner?s work.