14 DIGS.NET | 8.26.2022
P R O F I L E | D O N A L D M . G O L D S T E I N
SHOWPIECE ON stilts in Sherman
Oaks, 3707 Oakfield Drive is a
house of considerable archi-
tectural stock, a Platform House
originally designed by Austri-
an-American modernist Richard
Neutra, who was especially prolific in Los
Angeles. It was completed by Neutra's
mid-century contemporary William S.
Beckett, then renovated stem to stern by
yet another architect, the home's current
owner and designer Donald M. Goldstein.
All 17 of the Platform Houses were
constructed between during 1962 and
1966, according to the LA Conservancy,
and so named because they were built
on enormous platforms and cantilevered
out over a precipitous slope. From the
street, all have the bearing of a classic
Mid-Century Modern structure, most nota-
bly overhanging flat roofs. Buttressed by
structurally reinforced pillars that hoist the
sleek pad up, Mr. Goldstein's abode is in
pristine condition.
Goldstein's interest in the Platform Houses
goes way back. "I had seen the houses
being constructed when I was younger
and always thought I'd live in one some-
day," he says. Not only would Goldstein
make good on that promise, he also would
completely rethink the house he'd even-
tually come to own. Drawn to the home's
spectacular view, his vision for 3707
Oakfield Drive evolved. "I spent many
years traveling extensively for work on
the East Coast and in Europe," he says of
his intentionally implemented renovations.
"Over time, I brought back inspiration from
various projects and my travels. I stripped
the house to completely renovate portions
more than once. It's unique and stands
apart from all the rest." The house may
share a street with its fellow Platform
Houses, in other words, but it's not a chip
off the old block. It is the most luxuriously
renovated prize on Oakfield Drive—a
floating glass vessel in the air.
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