For the first time in almost three decades, the Samuel and Bertha Skolnik residence, designed by the renowned architect Rudolph Schindler, is on the market for $4 million in Los Angeles.
It’s been exquisitely maintained since its inception in the early 1950s, and was last sold in 1994 for $525,000.
Completed in 1952, the midcentury modern masterpiece was one of the last of over 500 homes that the prolific Schindler completed. He died in 1953.
The master architect was experimenting with new forms when he designed this three-bedroom beauty.
“The house is essentially a carousel, an open space with a merry-go-round in the middle,” Schindler’s biographer Esther McCoy said of this design.
The reference to the carousel refers to the fact that the architecture conveys the effect of rotating around the central pivot point of a stylish, indoor-outdoor fireplace.
As light passes through the translucent fiberglass roofing and the sun moves through the sky, the home almost feels as if it is slowly rotating.
This was the last of three homes Schindler built in this translucent style. He developed the idea while overseeing the construction of Frank Lloyd Wright‘s famous Hollyhock House.
Schindler called his later work “space architecture,” but not because it had anything to do with the cosmos. Rather, it was because the interior space in his designs was illuminated by natural light from as many directions as possible.
He was also ahead of his time with the concept of allowing indoor spaces to seamlessly flow into outdoor space.
The Skolnik house is perched neatly on a Hollywood Hills hillside below Griffith Park and its famous Observatory.
It features 2,357 feet of living space and sits on a terraced lot with views of Los Angeles below.
Previous owners have been careful to preserve and restore the classic residence, and prominent architects have been involved in the property’s expansion and alteration.
In 1962, the architect Gregory Ain was commissioned to add a swimming pool, cabana, and a separate large studio with a kitchenette, bathroom, and changing area.
In 1986, the owner at the time, Stacy Peralta, a skateboard entrepreneur, hired the architect David Serrurier to restore and reconfigure the main bedroom to accommodate a walk-in closet and to build doors that open to the outside view deck.
Note that the bathrooms and the kitchen have been updated, but are aligned with the home’s original aesthetic.
The current owners have taken great care to preserve the blond wood built-ins, which include cabinets, banquets, desks, and bookcases.
An outdoor kitchen and dining area in the back was added to fit into the lush, drought-resistant landscaping.
Whether you’re indoors or out, the natural surroundings lend this classic residence an organic feel.
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