Hangover / Halliburton

Alexander designed and built the house on a hilltop in South Laguna for his friend, travel writer and adventurer, Richard Halliburton and his lover Paul Mooney.

Side note: Alexander believed that the Hangover was used as inspiration by his friend Ayn Rand in her book The Fountainhead to describe the houses designed by the main character, architect Howard Roark.

Halliburton went missing at sea in 1939. In 1942, the house was purchased by General Wallace Thompson Scott for $9,000. The property fell into bankruptcy after longtime owner Zolita Scott (Genral Scott's daughter) died in November 2010. The house was then purchased for $3.2 million by the current owners in 2011. The new owners are currently "renovating" the structure, which was in a state of disrepair. This is always dicey with high end real estate. Preservationists have raised concerns over changes the new owners are making to the historic structure. In 2012, the City halted construction until detailed plans were provided on the changed that were being made.  Work has resumed and the city is monitoring the changes that are being made, primarily to the interior (removal of walls, closets and bathrooms).  Interior changes aren't usually a huge cause of concern, but since the Hangover's concrete construction was such an engineering feat, the altering of the interior walls is more significant. More about this ordeal can be found here.