A restored 195os-era home in Santa Monica, CA, channels some serious vintage vibes—all within a 5-minute stroll to the beach.
Designed by Thornton M. Abell, a midcentury modern architect in Southern California, the house is tucked into one of Santa Monica Canyon’s highly desirable neighborhoods, says agent Frank Langen, of Deasy Penner & Partners.
The property is listed for $10,500,000.
Built for the Haines family, the beautiful abode was included in photographer Julius Shulman’s 2013 book, “Modern Rediscovered.”
Richard Haines, the original homeowner, served as the head of the painting department at Otis College of Art and Design between 1954 and 1974.
Because of financial constraints, the house was built in two stages.
The concrete, glass, and wood building has 4,800 square feet of living space, including four bedrooms and 3.5 baths. It is arranged across three separate structures, connected by hardscape and an elevator.
Case Study architect
Arts & Architecture magazine’s Case Study House program commissioned a series of homes by major architects, including Abell, from 1945 to 1966. The spaces were designed to showcase inexpensive, efficient dwellings during the post-World War II housing boom.
This home isn’t one of the Case Study designs, but its indoor-outdoor living spaces, glass walls, and natural elements make it similar to those homes.
The seller, who is an architect, bought the place in 2017 and embarked on a five-year restoration.
Living room
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Dining area
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Kitchen
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One of the baths
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Deck
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‘Like a brand-new house’
“It’s like a brand-new house, but it follows the blueprint,” Langen says. The seller “basically rebuilt everything and extrapolated it.”
Concrete flooring, solar panels, organic rooftop gardens, and the foundation are all new, and home automation was added. The kitchen and baths were also updated.
A moveable wall in the main house divides two of the bedrooms for additional privacy. An art studio—in a separate structure with convenient street access—could also be used as a gym or office. And there is a guesthouse above the garage.
Details include built-in, oak cabinetry; board-formed, indoor-outdoor concrete walls; and radiant-heat flooring.
The property has mature gardens, a sky deck, and a two-car garage.
Attractive area
The home’s three-owner history is rare but not unusual for Santa Monica Canyon.
“Typically, there’s not a whole lot of turnover with properties like this, or in this area,” Langen says. “The area is always attractive for successful artists, creative people, Hollywood people, lots of engineers, professors, and academics. All the neighbors know each other.”
Who will move into this home next?
According to Langen, it has potential for an array of buyers—a single person, an empty nester, a young family.
“The quality of the building is exceptional,” he says.
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