August seems to be the month for architectural mayhem in LA as a Beverly Hills home designed by John Lautner is being demolished after the owner could not find a buyer or get the City of Beverly Hills to make a decision on having the house moved. LA’s Culture Monster blog explains some of the wrinkles:

The city of Beverly Hills lacks the power to halt the demolition of historic structures like Shusett House, said Linda Dishman, executive director of the Los Angeles Conservancy. She said the city has no discretionary review on such matters, which would have triggered an environmental review. Such a review would have given officials more time to explore alternatives to demolition. “We hope that this is a wake-up call, that there are significant architectural resources here that are worth preserving,” Dishman said.

Last-minute effort fails to save Beverly Hills house designed by John Lautner (Culture Monster/LA Times)