Ever since he received a Greek tortoise for his sixth birthday, Eric Goode–the driving force behind some of NY’s most famous nightclubs, restaurants, and hotels; Area, B Bar & Grill and the Bowery Hotel included–has been obsessed with turtles. In 2005, after witnessing the decline and disappearance of many species native to his home state of California, he established the Turtle Conservancy on the grounds of his own house in Southern California, a property he had owned for 20 years. Serving as an assurance colony for over 25 species of turtles and tortoises, the Turtle Conservancy has become a safe haven for more than 600 turtles. To learn more about Goode’s enterprise, go to the Turtle Conservancy.
Photography by Miye McCullough for Remodelista.
Above: Goode’s Spanish Mission-style home was built in the 1920s.
Above: The porch outside the upstairs bedroom has a bamboo roof. Turtle shells are displayed on the bench while a whale’s vertebra serves as a sculptural side table.
Above: Vintage garden furniture for lounging under the old oak tree.
Above: Another building on the property is used as the quarantine and nursery for hatching baby turtles. The vintage cabinet is from a doctor’s office, with a Philip Taaffe painting of snakes above.
Above: An assortment of curiosities in one of the work areas.
Above: A display of turtle shells from different species sits on the fireplace mantel.
Above: Artifacts from the natural world and vintage furniture in the office of the Turtle Conservancy.
Above: A collection of painted rocks.
Above: The stucco hacienda retains its original charm.
Above: Vintage linens dry in the sun.
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N.B.: This post is an update; the original story ran on December 5, 2011.
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