Kellogg Doolittle Residence

Kellogg Doolittle Residence is located on the land that was originally purchased by Carl Doolittle in 1978. In 1985, Beverly and Jay Doolittle agreed to buy the 10.5-acre plot of land from Carl Doolittle.[7] The couple first became aware of architect Kellogg through his work, published in April 1984, in the Friends of Keybar Newsletter when he got his California architectural license.[8]

The Doolittles wanted to build something “incredibly artful, organic, and ground-breaking.” Ken Kellogg offered to design their home on this “unconventional building site in the California Desert” via a letter, in 1986. Kellogg met the Doolittles and surveyed the location from March to April 1986. In 1993, the outside structure of the house was completed; however, the interior design took another 21 years to finish. The home was completed in 2014.[6]

The house consists of two buildings; the main house which is elevated on the rocks, and a smaller apartment at street level. These structures are separated by a long-paved path of 500 feet, that starts from street level up to the elevation of the home. The house is estimated to be 6,000 square feet. Though, due to the house’s highly irregular shape and construction, no one has been able to accurately measure the square footage.[7][9]

In 1991, Kellogg brought in John Vugrin to design and fabricate the complete interior, and the nine exterior doors, and handle the completion of the exterior.