Helstein House

The Helstein House was one of Goldberg’s last single-family residential designs. The basic construction is similar to that of Le Corbusier’s unbuilt 1914 design for the Domino House, a basic building prototype for mass production with free-standing pillars and rigid floors. Like the Maison Dominio, Goldberg pulled back the corners of the box, thus accenting the dramatic concrete frame. The exposed formwork of the concrete slabs and columns created a dramatic contrast to the glass walls, steel mullions and casement windows.

The ground floor housed storage, a carport, a large sheltered outdoor terrace, and a small foyer, which provided access to the living space above via a dramatic suspended staircase. When viewed from the outside, the staircase appeared to be floating between the two stories. There were three bedrooms on the second story as well as the kitchen and an open plan living and dining area, which is a two-story space rising from the second-story to the third. On the third floor there was a sleeping area bedroom, sitting area, and additional bathroom.