Case Study Houses go fast. See this historic one listed for $3 million before it’s gone
The Case Study House series, created by Arts and Architecture magazine after World War II, showcases some of the most stunning Midcentury homes in California. Now, for the first time in 50 years, one of those homes, the historic Case Study House No. 16, is for sale in Los Angeles for $2.995 million.
The United States needed to create simple, affordable homes that could be built in a hurry to accommodate a growing number of postwar families. The magazine Arts and Architecture put out the challenge to such well-known architects as Richard Neutra, Raphael Soriano, Ray Eames and Craig Ellwood.
Case Study House 16 in Bel Air was one of three designed by Ellwood.
“From the street, the house presents itself as a glowing, floating glass pavilion, surrounded by mature trees and landscaping,” according to the listing for 1811 Bel Air Road.
“The house was innovative in its use of exposed steel-structural framing and floor-to-ceiling glass walls to optimize the views and open to the grounds making it feel twice the size,” writes TopTenRealEstateDeals.com.
Case Study Houses rarely come up for sale, the website reported, “and when they do are usually snapped up by affectionados almost as quickly as the listing goes into print.”
Indeed, a sale for Case Study House No. 16 is already pending after one day on the market, according to the listing.
The 1,664-square-foot home, completed in 1953, has two bedrooms and two baths. A dramatic stone fireplace is set into the glass wall in the living room and extends beyond it into a terraced area. The one-story residence was constructed on a flat pad in the Bel Air hills with magnificent views.
“The Case Study Houses were numbered 1 through 28 and two apartments were included,” according to TopTenRealEstateDeals.com, which covers real estate around the world. “They were built from 1945 sporadically through 1966. Thirteen were never built and from the ones that were, at least three were later demolished. A couple of them have been renovated rather than restored, and the rest are lived in and cared for today.”
Most of the homes were built in Los Angeles, one in the Bay Area city of San Rafael and one back east in New Jersey.
No. 16 was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in July 2013 for its significance with the Case Study House Program, according to The Architect’s Newspaper.
The listing agents are Aaron Kirman, Dalton Gomez and Weston Littlefield, all with Aaron Kirman Group at Compass, Los Angeles CA.
This story was originally published December 5, 2019 at 11:03 AM.
