Mies van der Rohe's work and his experimental concrete buildings of the 1920s, along with Le Corbusier's L'Esprit Nouveau Pavilion (1924–25) and his famous Villa Savoye (1928–29), influenced Alexander.

A huge bastionlike retaining wall outside the main building made the house appear safe from intrusion and Olympian in its detachment.

[citation needed] Another source states that Halliburton named it after a cliff that he was saved from falling over while climbing the Matterhorn.

[8][9] Halliburton and Mooney visited the construction site in May 1937; prior to starting the house, a road and retaining wall were built.

[15] As of April 2012, construction was underway to rehabilitate the building after much neglect had resulted in severe structural deterioration, although work was held up by preservationist disputes.