Because California was founded by prospectors and not much has changed in the interim, we bring you Estate of Play, a monthly rundown (with pictures!) of seven of the most architecturally significant properties for sale in Los Angeles.
This month, we’re focusing on homes built by architecture’s heavy hitters.
We’re talking Lloyd Wright. Neutra. Gehry. L.A. has at some point lent a canvas to each of them, and some of the homes they built are looking for owners as we speak.
Evans House, Frank Lloyd Wright, Jr.
12036 Benmore Terrace / Brentwood
Price: $4,395,000.00
When you walk up the verdant limestone steps at Evans House in Brentwood, you’ll hear the rush of water coming from the backyard, where two-tiered Mayan-style pyramid waterfalls feed into a Koi pond. Like most homes designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, Jr., natural tones and natural light reign supreme thanks to the floor-to-ceiling doors and windows. The kitchen — updated with a Wolf range and a SubZero fridge — has a skylight. And soft white lights are built into the wood-framed soffit of the recessed ceiling. Surf the website. The images are stunning.
2020 Wattles Drive, Marmol Radziner
2020 Wattles Drive / Hollywood Hills
Price: $2,199,000
Open Listings Refund: $27,488
Marmol Radziner won the AFLA Award in 2011, when this home was built. Its efficient design and LEED Certification make it a winner, and it blends into the hilly surroundings while still offering views of the canyons. Inside the three bed/three bath home: a spa and a pool.
Ives Residence, Frank Gehry
8952 St. Ives Drive / Hollywood Hills
Price: $6,395,000
Open Listings Refund: $79,938
Frank Gehry remodeled this 1939 home in the swanky Bird Streets. Three bedrooms and multiple levels, including a pool and unobstructed views of the Sunset Strip. Best part? You can see alll the way from Downtown to the ocean in the master bedroom.
The LaFetra Beach House, Pierre Koenig
6525 Point Lechuza Drive / Malibu
Price: $12,999,000
Open Listings Refund: $129,950
Architect Pierre Koenig’s LaFetra Beach House took 11 years to make and was his last project. It’s on top of a cliff in Malibu overlooking Broad Beach, with stairs leading to a secluded cove. Lots of glass, as you’d expect given the Pacific views. You’d think the exposed steel frame and metallic rafters would make it better-suited to Downtown, but the glass-box look pairs with the rugged coastline handsomely. Fully solar-powered with heat-radiant floors, it’s easy, breezy modern chic.
Richard and Dion Neutra, 1971
18918 La Montana Place / Tarzana
Price: $4,900,000
Open Listings Refund: $61,250
Architect Richard Neutra is to L.A. what Frank Lloyd Wright, Jr. is to Chicago. His four-bedroom manse sits on four acres and overlooks the Valley. There are water features all around the perimeter, including swimming pools and reflection ponds. The free-flowing design drenches the place in sunlight. Perfect for those who fancy a little early ‘70s swank.
1333 Wentworth Avenue, Fernand Parmentier
1333 Wentworth Avenue / Pasadena
Price: $12,950,000
Open Listings Refund: $129,500
In 1910, back when land was cheap and birth control was taboo, a man could grow his brood tenfold. Hence seven bedroom estates like this one designed by Fernand Parmentier, a master of the Arts and Crafts movement. The woodwork inside is detailed in a way that harkens back to an era of greater craftsmanship, and the backyard pool has a straight-outta-Gatsby fountain feature that’ll play a nice centerpiece to your next lawn party.
The Schnabel House, Frank Gehry
526 North Carmelina Avenue / Brentwood
Price: $9,995,000
Open Listings Refund: $121,875
Of the myriad architectural features in the Schnabel House, the attached pool house is the most Gehry-esque. Its grey stone facade juts out and upward and even into the pool proper. Elsewhere: exposed, angular wooden rafters and French white drywall that are brightened by skylights and expansive windows. As high-end as it is, it would be a most excellent place to spend a childhood.
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