Posts Tagged ‘Gregory Ain’
Mar Vista Tract Home by Gregory Ain
3530 Meier Street
Los Angeles, CA 90066
3 BR, 2 BA
$1,149,000
This newly listed Gregory Ain (1948) is one of 52 houses built by the architect in the “Modernique Homes” development. Also referred to as the Mar Vista Tract, this idyllic neighborhood offers mature, tree-lined streets and green yards–thanks to the work of notable mid-century landscape architect Garrett Eckbo.
The 1,688 square foot residence features many original details, including sliding room dividers, clerestory windows, a brick fireplace and floor-to-ceiling glass.
The home is protected by the Historic Preservation Overlay Zone and can qualify for the Mills Act/Tax Exemption.
Pasadena Heritage 2012 Spring Home Tour
The upcoming Pasadena Heritage 35th Anniversary Spring Home Tour will highlight mid-century modern residential architecture on a self-driven tour of 5 mid-century homes designed by noted architects. Featured homes were designed by graduates and teachers from the School of Architecture, University of Southern California and architects who received their degrees outside of California to contrast the USC style.
The deSteiguer House designed by Harwell Hamilton Harris in 1936, and moved to its current location by Leland Evison in 1951, and the Thomson House (shown above), designed by Buff, Straub, and Hensman in 1957, are both part of the Poppy Peak Historic District, which was recently added to the National Register of Historic Places. A Park Planned Homes designed by Gregory Ain in 1947-1948 in neighboring Altadena is part of a unique grouping of mirror-image homes that comprise a single residential block. Harold Zook and John Galbraith received architectural degrees from Cornell University and the University of Washington, Seattle, respectively. Tour houses will be open on Sunday, March 25th from 9am to 4pm. Trained docents will be on site with information about the architects, homes, and original owners.
Before the Spring Home Tour, there will be a champagne reception and presentation at the 1979 King House, designed by Buff and Hensman. Guest speaker Kenneth A. Breisch, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Graduate Programs in Historic Preservation at the School of Architecture, University of Southern California, will give an illustrated presentation on the USC style and its impact on Southern California architectural traditions in the mid-twentieth century. The reception will be held Tuesday, March 20 at 5:30 pm.
To purchase tickets for either event, click here or visit pasadenaheritage.org.
(Image Source: Lander Design, Los Angeles Times)
5786 Valley Oak Drive In Los Feliz
5786 Valley Oak Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90068
4 BR, 3 BA
$1,999,951
This new listing in Los Feliz features the designs of two of Los Angeles’ most renown mid-century architects: Gregory Ain and Pierre Koenig.
The main house was originally built in 1952 by Gregory Ain. It features signature Ain details like a bright open floor plan, clerestory windows, a sliding glass wall, and an indoor/outdoor flow.
Check out the steel beamed guesthouse, designed by Pierre Koenig, after the break!
New Unit In Gregory Ain Avenel Homes
2845 Avenel Street #1/2
Los Angeles, CA 90039
2 BR, 1 BA
$729,000 $695,000
I saw four units in the Avenel Cooperative Housing Project (or Avenel Homes) during the 2009 MAK Tour and I fell in love with them. (You can check out that write up, plus pictures here.) And around this time last year, I wrote about another unit listed in the Avenel Homes. And now I’m excited to report a brand new listing in the Avenel Homes.
The 10 unit Avenel Homes was designed in 1947 by Gregory Ain of Ain, Johnson and Day. Architect Michael Folonis has redone this unit and according to the listing, Folonis was “not seeking to put his stamp on the design, but rather to reflect Ain’s philosophy with contemporary cabinetry and surfaces in keeping with the international style.”
Schindler/Ain Duplex In The Hollywood Hills
6853 Pacific View Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90068
Unit 1 – 2BR, 1BA
Unit 2 – 1BR, 1BA
$799,000
This new listing has enough history to satisfy the most seasoned architecture buff. In 1912 a hunting cabin was built for the Dodge family in the Hollywood Hills. The hillside property (which has been owned by the same family for the last 80 years) has views of the Hollywood sign, Observatory and city lights. In 1950 the family hired R.M. Schindler to remodel one side of the duplex. According to the owner, shortly thereafter Gregory Ain moved into the other side and remodeled that half. Two mid-century modern masters for the price of one!
Now this home is on the market and presents an opportunity for a new owner to enjoy the work of two of the most important mid-century modern architects of the last decade in one building.
Gregory Ain’s Park Planned Homes In Altadena
2751 Highview Ave
Altadena, CA 91001
3 BR, 2 BA
$599,999
Around the same time he built the Avenel Homes in Silver Lake, Gregory Ain worked on Park Planned Homes in Altadena. This home was built in 1948 and renovated with Ain’s original ideas in recent years. Newly listed, the home features updates which include new ktichen with quartz countertops, solid wood cabinets and brand new appliances; the original concrete floors have been restored (my favorite aspect of Ain homes of this time); and a new roof, paint and light fixtures have been installed.
Avenel Cooperative Unit Hits The Market!
2841 1/2 Avenel St
Los Angeles, CA 90026
3 BR, 1 BA
$749,000
Days like today remind about why I love working in real estate in Los Angeles as this is one of two very exciting listings to hit the market today (check out the other one here). Located in the Avenel Cooperative Housing Project in Silver Lake which helped put Los Angeles on the map as the epicenter for the Modernist movement in American domestic architecture, this property was designed by architect Gregory Ain in 1947. I was able to see four units in this housing complex last October (check out my writeup here) as part of the MAK Tour and I pretty much blown away by the unit’s simplicity, sophistication and charm.
Gregory Ain Avenel Homes
Avenel Homes
2839 Avenel Street
Los Angeles, CA 90039
The last stop on the MAK Architecture Tour was in some ways the most interesting–Gregory Ain’s Avenel Homes (1946-1948). The Homes (4 of which we saw on the tour) were commissioned by a collective of WWII veterans who pooled $11,000 each to purchase a small 248 by 124 square foot hillside lot in Silver Lake. On less than a square acre, the multi-family units offered a counter to the suburban single-family homes being developed in other parts of the city. Ain designed the ten unit row house in a “sawtooth” pattern set at an angle to the street. The units are staggered due to the steep hillside and they look above one another. A common path separates the two lots.
The interior floor plan is an ingenious use of the 908 square foot of space designed to be shared among four people. Partial sliding walls open and close to allow for social gathering while maintaining privacy. Each unit also has a 20 foot rear garden to create an additional outdoor room. I was impressed by how much was packed into each of the homes. Every square inch of space seemed to be used to maximum benefit. It probably didn’t hurt that most of the owners were themselves architects (part of a 90s renovation of the complex by passionate Ain fans) who made each home look like something out of the pages of Dwell.
Check out more photos after the break.
MAK Center Architecture Tour: Silverlake/Los Feliz Mid-Century Modernism
There’s a great architectural tour coming up that I’ll be attending in Los Angeles that I’m very excited about. The MAK Center‘s fall tour features some amazing homes for the public to explore (such as Schindler’s How House above).
The tour focuses on seven homes in the Silver Lake and Los Feliz neighborhoods and features architects such as Gregory Ain, Raphael Soriano and Craig Ellwood. Aside from the How House, which is the main attraction, other highlights include Ain’s Avenel Cooperative project in Silver Lake, Schindler’s McAlmon House and Ellwood’s Moore House in Los Feliz.
The tour takes place Sunday, October 4th and tickets are $75 ($65 for students and Friends of the Schinderl House). Click here for more info. See you there!
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