The Pickfair House by Wallace Neff | Demolished

The Pickfair House by Wallace Neff, built in the 1920’s | 1143 Summit Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210 | Demolished in 1990

The Pickfair House by architect Wallace Neff, built in the 1920s. Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks bought an old hunting lodge in 1919. With the help of Wallace Neff, they transformed into a Tudor palace. Mary Pickfair lived in the home until she passed away in 1979. It traded hands and one owner, Pia Zadora, ultimately demolished the home in 1990. It was rumored that home was haunted. Pia said “You can deal with termites, and you can deal with plumbing issues, but you can’t deal with the supernatural.”

If you would like to know more, call 310.622.0312 or email Brian Courville. Whether Mid Century ArchitecturalSpanishLuxury, or Classic Los Angeles design, MODERN LIVING LA is here to guide you home. Follow us on Instagram @modernlivingla

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Case Study House #3 by William Wurster and Theodore Bernardi | Demolished

Case Study House #3 by architects William Wurster and Theodore Bernardi. Designed 1945, Completed 1949 | Demolished 2013
3187 Chalon Rd, Los Angeles, CA 90049

Case Study House #3 was built by architects William Wurster and Theodore Bernardi. It was during Williams time as the dean of tenure of Architecture & Planning at M.I.T. that he was involved in the project of the 3rd of the first 13 houses in the Case Study House program.

William brought on board his long-time associate, Theodore Bernardi to help. The home was designed in an H-shape layout coupling with floor-to-ceiling windows, reinforcing the concept of indoor-outdoor living.

The Case Study Houses were experiments in American residential architecture sponsored by Arts & Architecture magazine, which commissioned major architects of the day. The project was designed to design and build inexpensive and efficient model homes for the United States residential housing boom caused by the end of World War II and the return of millions of soldiers. The home was designed 1945, completed in 1949 and sadly, demolished 2013.


If you would like to know more, call 310.622.0312 or email Brian Courville. Whether Mid Century ArchitecturalSpanishLuxury, or Classic Los Angeles design, MODERN LIVING LA is here to guide you home. Follow us on Instagram @modernlivingla

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The Josef Von Sternberg House by Richard Netura | Demolished

The Josef Von Sternberg House by Richard Netura built in the early 1930’s | 10000 Tampa Ave, Northridge, CA 91324 | Demolished in 1972

The Josef Von Sternberg House by Richard Netura built in the early 1930’s. Josef Von Sternberg, a famous film director, commissioned architect Richard Netura for the construction of his home. The home was built on a 13-acre lot located in the San Fernando Valley. After switching multiple owners, the home was demolished in 1972. Later the land became a housing development, the Buckingham Estates an exclusive community of roughly 42 homes.

If you would like to know more, call 310.622.0312 or email Brian Courville. Whether Mid Century ArchitecturalSpanishLuxury, or Classic Los Angeles design, MODERN LIVING LA is here to guide you home. Follow us on Instagram @modernlivingla

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The Brewery Art Colony: From Craft Beers to Arts and Crafts

The Brewery Art Colony: From Craft | kcet.org
Brewery Artist’s Colony Timeline | musiclofts.com

The Brewery Artist’s Colony Timeline
1897-1920 | Los Angeles Brewing Company (aka Eastside Beverage Co.)
1920-1926 | Zesto Beverage Co.  
1933-1953 | Los Angeles Brewing Company, (aka Eastside Brewing, & Mission Brewing Co)
1953-1979  | Pabst Brewing Company
1979-Present | Carlson Industries operates facility as “The Brewery Artist Colony” 

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The Brewery Art Colony: From Craft Beers to Arts and Crafts
By Hadley Meares, February 2, 2015

In one of LA’s oldest suburbs, Lincoln Heights, The Los Angeles Brewing Company (also known as the Eastside Brewery) broke ground on a five-story malt house in 1903.  At the same time, the Edison Electric company began building its massive new power plant, with eight boilers, high-tech Curtiss turbine engine, and its famous 150-foot-tall cement smoke stack.

by: Hadley Meares
by: Ray Smith/Flickr/Creative Commons

In 1948 Pabst purchased the complex and with extensive renovations and expansion, the new Pabst plant was formally dedicated in 1953. The 40-foot-high Pabst Blue Ribbon Sign became a landmark for drivers on the nearby Golden State Freeway.  In 1979 the Pabst Brewery and soon after the Edison Plant property were purchased by Arnold “Whitey” Carlson and his sons. In 1982 Los Angeles passed the Artist-in-Residence code, allowing artists could rent studios in industrial zoned buildings. The family turned the 16-acre Brewery site into an amazing new artist colony.

The Brewery Arts Complex (also known as the Brewery Art Colony) in Los Angeles is known to be the largest live-and-work artists’ colony in the world. The Brewery is home to work studios, living lofts, restaurants, and galleries. The studios are open to the public Art Walk twice a year featuring works of artistic media, industrial design, photography, sculpture, architecture and more.

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If you would like to know more, call 310.622.0312 or email Brian Courville. Whether Mid Century ArchitecturalSpanishLuxury, or Classic Los Angeles design, MODERN LIVING LA is here to guide you home. Follow us on Instagram @modernlivingla

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Falcon Lair by Wallace Neff | Demolished

Falcon Lair by architect Wallace Neff, built in 1925 | 1436 Bella Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210 | Demolished between 2003 – 2006

Falcon Lair by architect Wallace Neff was built in 1925.
Located high in the hills above Benedict Canyon in Beverly Hills. The home was built for actor Rudolph Valentino and he named the home after his unproduced film called The Hooded Falcon. After Rudolph’s sudden passing in 1926, the home switched owners a couple times before Doris Duke acquired the home.
It’s rumored while Doris lived there with her jazz musician companion, the Falcon Lair became a venue for jazz concerts.
Doris owned the home until she passed away.
The home was sold by the Duke estate in 1998 and
was demolished between 2003- 2006.


If you would like to know more, call 310.622.0312 or email Brian Courville. Whether Mid Century ArchitecturalSpanishLuxury, or Classic Los Angeles design, MODERN LIVING LA is here to guide you home. Follow us on Instagram @modernlivingla

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The Moore House by Lloyd Wright | Demolished

The Moore House by Lloyd Wright
504 Paseo del Mar Palos Verdes, CA 90274

by Stephen Russo

The remarkable Moore House, designed by architect Lloyd Wright was built in 1959. Ideally located in Palos Verdes Estates, a quaint beach town just outside of Los Angeles. The Moore House been referred to as a unique, irreplaceable, and an extraordinarily significant modernist residence. Palos Verdes, like many other cities, has no preservation ordinance in place. So, despite great efforts from the Los Angeles Conservancy, and hundreds of letters from locals, the home still demolished on April 25, 2021.

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by Stefano Paltera/For The Times

Moore House, before and after. Photo by Flora Chou/L.A. Conservancy

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If you would like to know more, call 310.622.0312 or email Brian Courville. Whether Mid Century ArchitecturalSpanishLuxury, or Classic Los Angeles design, MODERN LIVING LA is here to guide you home. Follow us on Instagram @modernlivingla

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Helms Bakery | Repurposed to: Helms Bakery District

Helms Bakery | Helms Bakery District
8800 Venice Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90034

“A lineup of Helmsen and their coaches”
“Children at one of the many school tours held by the Helms Bakery education program.”

For over four decades Los Angeles residents found daily joy from the Helms bakery trucks rolling down the streets. The smells of the fresh baked goods were simply intoxicating. Anyone that grew up in the Los Angeles area, has fond memories of regular field trips to the bakery to see how everything was made. It was truly a treasure for the community.

Family owned and operated its doors opened in 1931. Famous for supplying the local community fresh-baked bread delivered “Daily at Your Door.”

While no longer in the business of baked goods, the Helms Bakery building remains a cherished local landmark, recognized for its architectural significance. Today Helms Bakery District is the heart of modern furniture and design. Nestled in the heart of West L.A. Known for its award-winning restaurants and home furnishings stores.

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If you would like to know more, call 310.622.0312 or email Brian Courville. Whether Mid Century ArchitecturalSpanishLuxury, or Classic Los Angeles design, MODERN LIVING LA is here to guide you home. Follow us on Instagram @modernlivingla

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