Robert Byrd, Architect

The Tate house on Cielo Drive was supposedly designed by architect Robert Byrd.  Byrd also designed the house that actor Phil Hartman was murdered in.  According to the book "Squeaky:  The Life and Times of Lynette Fromme," Phil Hartman was a friend of Squeaky Fromme during their school days.

There's a little extra coincidence concerning Byrd.  Another of his creations was The Tree House/Bird House (Byrd house?).  This house is at the site of Tom Mix's cabin and was owned by Frank Zappa.  Ed Sanders' book told of several Manson Family members living in the cabin for a few weeks in late 1968.  Currently, The Tree House is owned by Rick Rubin who has produced the group Nine Inch Nails.  That group lived at the former Tate house for a while and recorded "The Downward Spiral" in the living room where Sharon and Jay were murdered.

Although not connected to Robert Byrd, there is another interesting architectural twist.  Mark Lindsay (of Paul Revere and the Raiders) lived at the Cielo house with Terry Melcher for a while.  Mark later moved to another house that was to become infamous:  the Wonderland murder house (the John Holmes murders).

For a good tour of The Tree House, click here.

For additional Tree House information, click here.

For a photo of the Hartman house, click here.

To see Mark Lindsay in the Cielo front yard, click here.

To read about the Wonderland murders, click here.

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