Case Study House #21 in L.A. Is Back on the Market at a Discount: $3.6M

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Case Study House #21 in Los Angeles—designed by Pierre Koenig—is now available at a discounted price. The showstopping home went on the market two years ago for $4.5 million, but didn’t attract a buyer. Its new list price is $3.6 million.

We’ll never tire of gazing at this brilliant midcentury modern design, which was commissioned by Arts and Architecture magazine for a program initiated in 1945. The publication challenged up-and-coming architects to create experimental prototypes using innovative and low-cost materials, in response to what was expected to be a housing shortage after World War II. Of the 28 that were designed, about 20 were built, and they stand today.

Koenig was paired with psychologist Walter Bailey and his wife Mary, described by the magazine as a “contemporary-minded” couple, who were open to the idea of a steel-frame house.

Case Study House #21

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Indoor-outdoor living

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Walls of glass

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Eat-in kitchen

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Historic image of the home

J. Paul Getty Trust, Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles

Finished in 1958 and known as the Bailey House, the 1,280-square-foot box is built from prefabricated steel. The box features two bedrooms, two baths (in the center of the layout), and is surrounded by two reflecting pools.

Situated on a north/south axis, the orientation helps the home capture sunlight in winter and screen it out in summer. Sliding doors allow cross-ventilation, and the cooling reflecting pools surrounding the home also help it blend in with its natural surroundings.

The simple yet innovative design is evident from the steel-paneled opaque walls at the front of the house and carport, which shield the residence from the street. The back of the home is open and showcases floor-to-ceiling glass, melding indoor and outdoor space. The ceilings—painted white—are also corrugated steel.

Once completed, the home was touted as “some of the cleanest and most immaculate thinking in the development of the small contemporary house,” by Arts and Architecture. The Los Angeles Conservancy says it exists as “a beautiful and sadly rare example of steel-framed residential architecture in a graceful Mid-Century Modern style.”

The pristine state of the home devolved when the Baileys moved out a decade after it was built. Trendy additions such as skylights, a fireplace, a kitchen island, and wide-grout ceramic floor tiles muddied its origin story and the home morphed into a product of the 1990s.

All was not lost. A serious booster of midcentury modern architecture purchased the place in 1997, and even brought back Koenig to restore the home, searching out original furniture and materials long since discontinued. The interior look and footprint restored, the home garnered local landmark status, and the design is also listed on the National Historic Registry.

According to reports, the magnificent masterpiece was last purchased at auction in 2006 for around $3.5 million by P.J. Park, the founder of a Seoul-based art gallery, who used the spare space as a backdrop for a gallery focusing on contemporary Korean design. More recently, the family lived there before deciding to place the home on the market in 2016.

Now back on the market with a lower price point, it’s an incredible opportunity for an architecture aficionado.

“It’s considered to be the pinnacle of the Case Study program, as well as Koenig’s masterpiece,” says listing agent Edward G. Reilly with Keller Williams Realty Los Feliz. He notes the compact house is well-designed, and includes plenty of storage despite its open layout. The current owners also added water-tolerant landscaping to the property.

Although the asking price for such a small house is admittedly steep, homeowners do benefit from a Mills Act contract. Such contracts offer private property owners economic incentives for the restoration and preservation of qualified historic buildings. This provides “significant property tax savings,” the listing notes.

More than that, the next owner essentially agrees to be the steward of an experiment in housing that still resonates today.

“Most people understand they are buying more than just a home,” Reilly says of the listing. “They are buying a piece of art.”

The post Case Study House #21 in L.A. Is Back on the Market at a Discount: $3.6M appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.

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