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49 spout with the wave of a hand, and drains outside the window. Working around the existing architecture was often more difficult than building something from scratch, he adds — renovations for the master bedroom alone took four years to complete. Goldstein cuts an eccentric figure. The 70-something has shoulder-length white hair and a penchant for wearing black-leather pants and a snakeskin hat; he has his own men's fashion collection; and is perhaps most well known for being a devoted basketball fan, attending more than 100 NBA games each year — he watches basketball games every night from his Lautner- designed den on a 135-inch screen TV. Having always been a modern- architecture buff, Goldstein spent two years searching for the perfect house before discovering this one. It's the only house he has lived in since. While Santiago Calatrava and Zaha Hadid are another two of his favorite architects, Goldstein will forever be remembered as the patron who put John Lautner on the map. Over two decades, Goldstein involved the architect in every aspect of the house's remastering, including designing all the furniture, rugs, and lighting. No other Lautner project includes such extensive involvement by the architect, Goldstein assures. Early on, the house's four acres were covered in a tropical jungle, which now requires four gardeners to maintain. The house's astonishing James Turrell Skyspace installation came about after Goldstein admired other Turrell works he saw in museums and private homes. Through Ace Gallery in L.A., Goldstein arranged for Lautner and Turrell to collaborate; and when the architect died mid-way through the process, Goldstein stepped in. Called Above Horizon, the installation is built from the same materials as the house, and is located on a steep slope below the residence. It features two portals made by an aerospace engineer and thousands of hidden LEDs that flood the area every evening for a light show. With so many requests to use the house, Goldstein had an alternative party space, Club James, built across the driveway. Designed by Lautner protégé Duncan Nicholson, it includes offices, meeting rooms, and a private nightclub. Dressing rooms for film and photo shoots were added to the entranceway of the house, and Goldstein had an infinity tennis court built atop the roof, which he uses regularly. "The house is a constant joy," he says. In 2016, Goldstein pledged his landmark house, its contents, and the four-acre estate surrounding it to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. In addition to the Lautner- designed house and furniture, the gift includes the Turrell Skyspace and works by artists Ed Ruscha, DeWain Valentine, Bernar Venet, and Kenny Scharf. While changes to the house itself are finished, Goldstein is working on a slew of future projects elsewhere on the property, including a large terrace, secondary swimming pool, guest house, and screening room. "Who knows what else I'll come up with," says Goldstein, whose estimated $40 million bequest features a $17 million endowment for maintenance and programming for visitors and scholars. Tours of the house will be available by appointment on a limited basis for as long as Goldstein lives there. He still gives tours himself on occasion. "I believe it's my responsibility to show the amazing architecture of John Lautner to anyone who is interested in seeing it," he says. James Goldstein, owner of the Sheats-Goldstein Residence, has bequeathed the house to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.