In 1973, Woody Allen was the official king of comedy, courtesy of the release of the futuristic science fiction comedy film, entitled Sleeper. The movie’s plot surrounds the reawakening of a Greenwich Village, New York health food store owner who was cryogenically frozen in 1973 and defrosted 200 years later. The movie was filmed in various locations around Denver, Colorado and an unaccredited star of the film was the modern designed "Sculptured House". That property is now part of a legal battle in town.
History of the "Sculptured House"
Because of the elliptical curves created by architect Charles Deaton, the house in Sleeper has earned plenty of nicknames including the Star Trek House, Clamshell House, the Jetson House, Sleeper House or Flying Saucer House, however, the proper name of the home is called the "Sculptured House." The property was designed and constructed in 1963 on top of Genesee Mountain, and Deaton had said "On Genesee Mountain I found a high point of land where I could stand and feel the great reaches of the Earth. I wanted the shape of it to sing an unencumbered song" in regards to his creation (Art in America).
Although construction for the house began in 1963 and the exterior was complete by the time Sleeper was filmed in the early 1970s, the interior of the home was vacant for decades. That changed in 1999 when local entrepreneur John Huggins purchased the spacious 7,000-square-foot home for the jumbo mortgage worthy amount of $1.3 million and he additionally invested millions more into renovations and refurbishing the interior to match up with the exterior design. The property was sold several years later to local businessman Michael Dunahay, and the legal issues surrounding the property are in relation to Dunahay selling the property to a new buyer.
Legal Issues Surrounding the Sleeper House
The home is not the only architectural find changing hands because of the turn of the economic tide, but in Colorado it is certainly the most famous property embroiled in a battle. Michael Dunahay (who purchased the home from Huggins in 2006 for a hearty $3.45) became delinquent on his mortgage, defaulted on his loan and entered the early stages of foreclosure in early 2010. The property was sold at a November real estate auction for $1.5 million to Colorado real estate investor, John Dilday.
Despite Dilday earning legal ownership of the property, Dunahay did not leave the home per the terms of the sale. It was that action from the former owner that required Dilday to go through the proper channels in order to legally evict the former owner. Dunahay has spent a total of five years living in the infamous home and according to the terms of the most recent negotiations with Dilday, he will be vacating the premises prior to the conclusion of the year.
The Home's Elevator Doubles as an "Orgasmatron"
It was the unusual design of the property that made the home the perfect location for the Woody Allen film, and the cylindrical elevator doubled as one of the most important props in the movie. The lift served duty for a hideaway spot for Allen's character, Miles Monroe. Monroe awakes to find himself in the future, and at one point he is on the lam and running from the police. Once in the "Sculpted House" Miles hides in what he thinks is a closet, but the device (the real elevator) turns out to be an "Orgasmatron," a piece of futuristic machinery dedicated to bringing the "passenger" inside to the height of ecstasy.
Although all owners of the home (both past and present) are fond of the elevator, they know the equipment merely functions as a way to move up and down through the building. Their pleasure is simply derived calling the property home.
