UC Santa Barbara

This article identifies the private home in Los Angeles of the German silent movie director F.W. Murnau (1888-1931). 

It argues that the movie director's fascination with castle-like buildings existed long before Murnau was involved with movie making. Murnau's preferred type of domestic architecture--which the gay movie director associated with privacy--influenced the settings of many of his later movies.  

The article also identifies the likely site of Murnau's fatal car accident north of Santa Barbara, CA, in 1931.