Current Listings as of 2/25/10
Sumner Spaulding Estate
3659 Shannon Road
Los Feliz
7 bedrooms, 6 baths in 6,408 square feet on a 17,031 square foot lot
A sprawling and historic estate in the hills of Los Feliz has come onto the market. Built by noted architects, Walter Webber and Sumner Spaulding, the 6,408 square foot, seven bedroom, five bath home straddles two lots on almost four-tenths of an acre. Facing south, the home enjoys commanding views of the San Gabriel Mountains and city lights below. Much updating in recent years has been done sympathetically so as to preserve the historic character of the structure while meeting contemporary needs.
Walter Webber and Sumner Spaulding were, in their era, two of the great L.A. architects. The year this house was built, 1928, Webber and Spaulding also designed the casino in Avalon on Catalina Island. Webber is best known for building the landmark Japanese-inspired home in the Hollywood Hills now known as the Yamashiro restaurant. Together, they were responsible for work at Pomona College and the Malaga Cove Plaza. Spaulding worked on designs for the pre-World War II downtown master plan, the prop-era LAX, Pico Gardens Public Housing and Westchester High School, in addition to numerous private homes for prominent Angelenos.
A longtime prior owner, William F. McKenna, was also notable. He had a distinguished career in the Federal government’s housing arena from the Eisenhower administration, as an anti-racketeering investigator, to the Reagan era, when he chaired the President’s Commission on Housing . He founded a prominent, nationwide law firm, McKenna, Conner and Coneo, and was an important figure in the development of affordable housing.
The style of the house is unusual for its era in that it presages a later idiom. The style is an amalgam of Southern Colonial and Traditional, wrapped in a brick veneer. The details, craftsmanship and materials are first-rate, as are the overall floor plan and site, which is a double lot. The effect of the house is akin to the currently in-vogue “Hollywood Regency”, which was popular from the mid-‘30s through the ‘50s. New landscaping frames the recently-added pool. Elegant, high-ceilinged rooms open onto broad patios, lawns, grounds and views.
$2,299,000
The Backer/DeCarolis House
2527 Hargrave Drive
Hollywood Hills
2 BR 3 BA
The Backer/DeCarolis House, 1959-’75, by Robert B. Marks, architect. Marks was a student of Lloyd Wright, and the influence of the master’s “organic architecture” is palpable in the hexagonal forms and the house’s multi-level embrace of its site.
Dramatic brickwork and built-ins define the step-down living room with hearth; dining areas; wet bar; updated master suite; outside-entrance studio/guest room and bath; broad deck with pool and spa; inside or out, all point toward the canyon views.
$849,000
It’s High, Wide, Handsome--and “Done”!
4243 Los Nietos Drive
Los Feliz
“Los Feliz Spanish”-style is nearly a generic, due to the universal allure of these homes and their prolificacy below Griffith Park. Most are lovely, but few are also as thoroughly updated as this prime example. From the curb, note the crisp sheen of its plaster-finish stucco in the glow of an October afternoon. High, wide and handsome never looked more appealing. And wait ‘til you step inside...
Some details:
- 4 bedrooms; 3 baths in 3,991 square feet on a 6,048 square foot lot--figures per public records.
- Classic character details from the tiled entry stair risers to the iconic catenary arch of the living room picture window.
- Vintage and reproduction tiles.
- Grand, barrel-vaulted living room with fireplace and balcony dining room.
- Tiger-stripe hardwood, tile and concrete flooring.
- Thorough updating of systems, surfaces, fixtures and amenities. Central HVAC.
- Large, well-equipped kitchen plus breakfast room--modern, but with vintage flair.
- Game/family room with 2nd fireplace; office; exercise/bonus room; laundry room and maid’s quarters/4th bedroom with bath.
- Double garage with carport and driveway.
- Tropical gardens. Private, grassy garden in rear. Patios, open and covered. Street-to-street lot.
- Sweeping city views. Warm, southern exposure assures sunshine all day, all year.
- Close to Los Feliz Village and Griffith Park attractions.
$1,439,000
1930 N. Vermont Ave, #303
Los Feliz
1 BR 1BA
Most affordable condo in Los Feliz: top floor unit in close-to-all HOA in the heart of Los Feliz Village. Granite and stainless kitchen; open plan; granite bath; knotty pine engineered flooring; new paint and carpet; sunny, southern exposure; balcony with city/treetop views; 1 subterranean parking space; largest 1-BR plan; 30-unit building extensively renovated and converted to condos in 2004; customary sale; move-in ready.
$269,000
2131 Cedarhurst Drive
Los Feliz
Grand '30s tudor manor with downtown & city lights views & swimmers' pool. Impressive scale & size w/ 3 stories. Elegant & historic street. Southern exposure opens most rooms to sunshine & city views. Quality original character details throughout. Original hardwood floors & distinctive paneling. Ornately carved fireplace interiors. Updates include new roof, kitchen w/ viking, sub-zero, custom woodwork & marble surfaces. Includes steam shower, outdoor spa & sauna. Recording/editing rm. Celebrity provenance.
$1,599,000