Purple Magazine
— F/W 2013 issue 20
A John Lautner House
photography and interview by OLIVIER ZAHM
Mark Haddawy — co-creator with Katy Rodriguez of the internationally recognized Resurrection, with stores in New York and Los Angeles selling historic clothing and accessories — totally restored John Lautner’s 1956 Harpel House in the Hollywood Hills, meticulously remaking the architect’s original design from the roof down to the details.
OLIVIER ZAHM — Where are you from and how did you grow up?
MARK HADDAWY — I grew up in Reno, Nevada. My mom was from Germany and my dad is from Iraq, so we traveled a lot and I got to see a lot of Europe and the Middle East.
OLIVIER ZAHM — How did you come up with the idea for your vintage store, Resurrection, in 1996?
MARK HADDAWY — My best friend, Katy Rodriguez, moved to New York and asked me if I wanted to open a vintage store, and we came up with Resurrection. We have been business partners for almost 20 years. We knew we wanted to be in downtown New York, and our broker mentioned there was an old mortuary on Seventh Street in the East Village. We thought, “Perfect.” This is also where the name Resurrection comes from.
OLIVIER ZAHM — How do you make selections?
MARK HADDAWY — We both love youth culture, which is really the driving force.
OLIVIER ZAHM — Would you say you’re obsessed with the past? Are you nostalgic?
MARK HADDAWY — Yes and yes!
OLIVIER ZAHM — What’s your favorite decade or period?
MARK HADDAWY — For cars I like the 1960s. For architecture I love the 1920s to the ’60s. And for fashion I like the ’60s to the ’90s.
OLIVIER ZAHM — How did you find your Lautner house?
MARK HADDAWY — I’ve followed the architecture market in Los Angeles for a while now. When the house came up for sale,
I bought it the first day. The restoration took three years.
OLIVIER ZAHM — What are your favorite aspects of the house?
MARK HADDAWY — The location of the house and the connection Lautner made with the surroundings.
OLIVIER ZAHM — What’s the history of the house?
MARK HADDAWY — The house was built for a friend of John Lautner’s named Bill Harpel. He was a radio announcer who spent nights helping with the construction of the house.
OLIVIER ZAHM — Who constructed it?
MARK HADDAWY— It was built by Lautner’s premier builder, John
De Laveaux, who’d previously been a boat builder.
OLIVIER ZAHM — What is specific to a Lautner house?
MARK HADDAWY — Its futurism. Living in it is inspiring.
OLIVIER ZAHM — Why have you chosen to hang drawings by Raymond Pettibon in the house?
MARK HADDAWY — Lautner is one of the quintessential architects of Los Angeles, and Raymond Pettibon is one of the quintessential Los Angeles artists of my generation, so there’s a natural match.
OLIVIER ZAHM — Can you tell us about the ’70s bubble house?
MARK HADDAWY — Matti Suuronen designed the Futuro house in 1968. I bought it in a design auction and had it moved to Los Angeles from Colorado. I’ve spent the last four years restoring it.
OLIVIER ZAHM — How did you redesign the garden on the hill surrounding the house?
MARK HADDAWY — The garden around the Lautner house is very minimal and simple. I left the hilltop natural, so it feels like the Futuro house might have landed on the hillside.
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