HOLLYWOOD HILLS MEDITERRANEAN REVIVAL CLASSIC

Hollywood Hills Mediterranean Revival Classic

Hollywood Hills Mediterranean Revival Classic

1553 N. GENESEE AVENUE, LOS ANGELES | $2,649,000 | 3 BD | 3 BA

At the base of the Hollywood hills just East of Fairfax lies the Sunset Square neighborhood. It is clear that the owners of this idyllic Spanish home chose to preserve and restore this home with dignity. One of our favorite features is the original elegant wedding cake detailing in the living and dining rooms. The owners have seamlessly Mediterranean revival classic blended both vintage and new with their choice of modern furniture and light fixtures. A stroll around the backyard’s lush landscaping conjures an appreciation for the simplicity of nature. And, we appreciate the victory gardens and fruit trees.


If you would like to know more about this amazing home, contact Brian Courville at 310-622-0312. Or, for additional Mid-Century Modern | Architectural homesSpanish homes, Historic Los Angeles homes or Classic Los Angeles homes for sale reach us by email at: Brian Courville. If you are considering selling, contact us for a free no-obligation home valuation.

BRENTWOOD KOENIG HOUSE #2 MID-CENTURY MASTERPIECE

Brentwood Koenig House #2 Mid-Century Masterpiece

Brentwood Koenig House #2 Mid-Century Masterpiece

12221 DOROTHY STREET, BRENTWOOD | $4,995,000 | 3 BD | 3 BA

An exceptional modernist house built in the 80’s? Why, yes, Koenig House #2 by modernist architect Pierre Koenig is quite the specimen. This home represents one of over forty steel and glass residences built by the architect during his career. Another graduate from the prolific U.S.C. school of architecture, Koenig went on to work with the likes of Raphael Soriano, Edward Fickett, Frank Lloyd Wright. His designs for a low-cost production house were published in Arts and Architecture, ultimately leading to his participating in the Case Study program, contributing Case Study #21 and #22. He built this house for himself and his wife Gloria. His ongoing belief in using industrial materials and methods to produce low-cost housing continues with this residence. The frame is said to have been erected in one day.


If you would like to know more about this amazing home, contact Brian Courville at 310-622-0312. Or, for additional Mid-Century Modern | Architectural homesSpanish homes, Historic Los Angeles homes or Classic Los Angeles homes for sale reach us by email at: Brian Courville. If you are considering selling, contact us for a free no-obligation home valuation.

A WHIMSICAL BUILDING’S REHAB

A whimsical building’s rehab. Several years ago our office was in a building on Wilshire in Beverly Hills playfully known as “the Wedding Cake building”. It was built in 1962 by Edward Durell Stone and known by several names, including Perpetual Savings and Loan and Pacific Mercantile Bank. It was rumored to have been influenced by a neoclassical building in Italy commissioned by Benito Mussolini (now the headquarters of the fashion house Fendi). In the 2000’s, the building was well past its glory days and was in need of some serious rehab. Long gone was the stunning Bertoia Sunburst sculptor adorning the exterior fountain. An L.A. Times article last year enlightened us that it has gone thru a restoration by @montalbaarchitects. We’re thrilled to share some Then and Now pix with you.

Photo and Video credit: © 2022 Estate of Harry Bertoia
Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York,  Kevin Scott, LA Times Article by Carolina A Miranda @cmonstah.


FORGOTTEN FANTASY | WORLD’S FIRST ART AMUSEMENT PARK

Forgotten Fantasy | World’s First Art Amusement Park

Imagine for a moment that a select group of influential modern artists got thrown into a carnival bouncy house and then launched via a cartoon spaceship into 1980’s Germany. We have the results stationed right in downtown Los Angeles. Luna Luna: Forgotten Fantasy, a spectacular showcase of the world’s first art amusement park- lost since 1987.

Artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Salvador Dali, Keith Haring, David Hockney and Roy Lichtenstein were commissioned to design rides and exhibits for a genre bending amusement park. The grand plans for a touring attraction were dashed, and, shockingly, the amusement was put into storage and forgotten. Thanks to a select group of individuals, including the rapper, Drake, Luna Luna lives again today as an art exhibit. And, you can experience it for yourself in downtown for the next few months.

If you could go back in time, what artist would you add to this list?

Interested in more content like this? Check out our LIFE STYLE page on our website for Things We Like, Things We’ve Lost, Cool In The Community and of course, Houses!


If you would like to know more, contact Brian Courville at 310-622-0312. Or, for additional Mid-Century Modern | Architectural homesSpanish homes, Historic Los Angeles homes or Classic Los Angeles homes for sale reach us by email at: Brian Courville. If you are considering selling, contact us for a free no-obligation home valuation.

Designated one of the Top 7 real estate websites for modern homes in the world by thespaces.com

SANTA MONICA THE SCHWARTZ HOUSE PIERRE KOENIG

Santa Monica The Schwartz House Pierre Koenig

Santa Monica The Schwartz House Pierre Koenig

444 SYCAMORE ROAD, SANTA MONICA | $4,550,000 | 4 BD | 4 BA

It’s astounding that the architect responsible for Case Study Houses #21 and #22 in the 50’s and 60’s was still building homes in the 90’s. As as a graduate of the USC School of Architecture, Koenig was exposed to and worked with many of the most notable modernist architects of his day. The Schwartz house in Santa Monica’s Rustic Canyon would be the last of his designs built during his lifetime.


If you would like to know more about this amazing home, contact Brian Courville at 310-622-0312. Or, for additional Mid-Century Modern | Architectural homesSpanish homes, Historic Los Angeles homes or Classic Los Angeles homes for sale reach us by email at: Brian Courville. If you are considering selling, contact us for a free no-obligation home valuation.

HOLLYWOOD HILLS CLASSIC MID-CENTURY MODERN RANCH

Hollywood Hills Classic Mid-Century Modern Ranch

Hollywood Hills Classic Mid-Century Modern Ranch

8559 EDWIN DRIVE, HOLLYWOOD HILLS | $3,350,000 | 3 BD | 4 BA

While we couldn’t find a known modernist architect on public records, this Hollywood Hills Mid Century Modern ranch fits the Cliff May or Edward Fickett mold quite nicely. This home is going to need some love, but, there’s lots to like already. The rock wall features prominently in common rooms. Oversized floor to ceiling glass in the living room allows for an infusion of light. High ceilings with beams that lead the eye towards vistas of the Valley. What’s not to love about the pink primary bedroom and bathroom. And, of course there’s a nice pool to sit by (or in) for Friday night martinis.


If you would like to know more about this amazing home, contact Brian Courville at 310-622-0312. Or, for additional Mid-Century Modern | Architectural homesSpanish homes, Historic Los Angeles homes or Classic Los Angeles homes for sale reach us by email at: Brian Courville. If you are considering selling, contact us for a free no-obligation home valuation.

HOLLYWOOD SIGNS: THE GOLDEN AGE OF GLITTERING GRAPHICS AND GLOWING NEON

Hollywood Signs: The Golden Age of Glittering Graphics And Glowing Neon

We recently discovered a book called Hollywood Signs: The Golden Age of Glittering Graphics and Glowing Neon. What an absolute treat for design and Hollywood history fans alike. While we at Modern Living LA tend to focus on houses and buildings, these iconic signs play a pivotal roll in our appreciation of the structures they adorn. Great design lies at the intersection of architecture and these historic signs.

Several of these signs were actually created by the architectural firms commissioned to design the buildings. The still standing Cinerama Dome Theater by Welton Becket and Associates exhibits its playfully colorful letters in bright lights. Sardi’s restaurant designed by Rudolph Schindler displays an elegant neon sign in sans serif font. The streamline moderne Earl Carroll Theater on Sunset Blvd by Gordon Kaufman generously used neon in the exterior signs and vertical piping along the building sides. We’re told it is going thru a renovation and may reopen. The building was originally praised in California Arts and Architecture (the predecessor to Arts and Architecture magazine).

We have a new found appreciation for these remarkable sign and value the efforts made to save the ones we’ve not lost. And, a special thanks to Kathy Kikkert for preserving all of these signs on the pages of her book.

THIS WAY FOR MORE INFORMATION | THIS WAY TO MORE “LIFE | STYLE”


If you would like to know more about this amazing home, contact Brian Courville at 310-622-0312. Or, for additional Mid-Century Modern | Architectural homesSpanish homes, Historic Los Angeles homes or Classic Los Angeles homes for sale reach us by email at: Brian Courville. If you are considering selling, contact us for a free no-obligation home valuation.

HOLLYWOOD HILLS MOUNT OLYMPUS CLASSIC SPANISH

Hollywood Hills Mount Olympus Classic Spanish

Hollywood Hills Mount Olympus Classic Spanish

1725 MOUNT OLYMPUS DRIVE, LOS ANGELES | $3,455,000 | 3 BD | 3 BA

Classic 1920’s Spanish architecture on lower Mount Olympus Drive in the Hollywood Hills. An inviting private courtyard greets you upon approach. Gorgeous engraved beamed ceilings, Spanish tile and arched doorways are featured prominently in the living room. A step-down room adjacent with stunning wood floors is currently being used a pool/billiards room.


If you would like to know more about this amazing home, contact Brian Courville at 310-622-0312. Or, for additional Mid-Century Modern | Architectural homesSpanish homes, Historic Los Angeles homes or Classic Los Angeles homes for sale reach us by email at: Brian Courville. If you are considering selling, contact us for a free no-obligation home valuation.

HOLLYWOOD SPAULDING SQUARE PICTURE PERFECT

Hollywood Spaulding Square Picture Perfect

Hollywood Spaulding Square Picture Perfect

JUST SOLD | 1445 GENESEE AVE, SPAULDING SQUARE | $3,855,000 | 5 BD | 6 BA

Picture perfect and magazine shoot ready. We were stunned to find out that the sellers of this spectacular home were not full-time designers. They recently updated this 1920’s traditional home in the architectural neighborhood of Spaulding Square. The attention to detail that went into this restoration really shows. We were told the owners had the molds for the original crown molding and were able to reproduce and enhance the look throughout the home.


If you would like to know more about this amazing home, contact Brian Courville at 310-622-0312. Or, for additional Mid-Century Modern | Architectural homesSpanish homes, Historic Los Angeles homes or Classic Los Angeles homes for sale reach us by email at: Brian Courville. If you are considering selling, contact us for a free no-obligation home valuation.