Glendale mid-century modern home lists after 71 years for $3M

A Glendale mid-century modern home owned by the same family who built it is on the market for $2.99 million.

Perched at the end of a long driveway overlooking Chevy Chase Canyon, this low-slung, single-story residence - built from 1955 to 1958 - spans 2,196 square feet and has three bedrooms and three bathrooms.

"It's a total time capsule," said listing agent Jeffrey Young of Sotheby's International Realty. "It's all original. Nothing has really changed in the construction."

Modernist architect Gregory Ain designed the home on two lots totaling 1.36 acres for elevator company executive William T. Oliver and his wife, Betty, a school teacher.

The Olivers later raised their six adopted children in the home, making it "more of a family home than an architectural home," Young said.

A gate secures the entry courtyard, where exposed roof beams form a grid above a 12-by-13-foot pond that Betty Oliver dug herself and filled with fish and turtles, according to Young.

Next to the front door, a fiberglass panel filters light through a colorful, sparkling bubbles motif.

The entry hall opens to a main living area with a travertine fireplace and expansive aluminum-framed glass walls, stretching from the terrazzo flooring to the ceiling. Views of the backyard and surrounding canyon are visible from the living area and neighboring dining and billiard rooms.

"The pool table appears to be original," Young said. "There's a picture of Mrs. Oliver playing pool at 101 years old - she lived to be 102."

The dining area flows into the kitchen through a half-wall cabinet divider and suspended cabinetry. Beyond, clerestory and standard windows flood the breakfast nook and built-in laundry station with light and overlook the entry courtyard.

While the home retains its historic footprint, it requires restoration to repair or replace missing signature features. Listing images show where original built-in features have been removed, including a sofa in the living room and a bed platform in one of the bedrooms.

Other custom architectural elements remain completely intact, such as the original built-in closets that blend seamlessly into the walls.

Outside, an island of palm trees marks where an original kidney-shaped pool stood. The Oliver family filled in the pool in 1967 following a close call with one of the children, according to Young.

"You can easily put it back," he said, noting that it represents a unique opportunity for the right buyer. "It's definitely a project for somebody. Not everybody is running out to buy a $3 million house and redo it, but the land is spectacular and private, and it has incredible architectural pedigree."

Ain established that pedigree. He launched his architectural career as a draftsman for mid-century icons Rudolph Schindler and Richard Neutra before establishing his own practice in 1935. He was driven by the conviction that modernist design could address what he called "the common architectural problems of common people."

After World War II, Ain taught at USC and later served a four-year tenure as dean of the School of Architecture at Penn State.

In 1967, he returned to Los Angeles and retired from teaching. He died in January 1988 at 79.

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This story was originally published June 18, 2026 at 2:05 AM.