The best houses of all time in L.A.

No sooner can you get out the words "best houses in Southern California" than hands will go up asking what that means, reflecting the subjectivity for compiling such a list. Clearly, there's more than one way to measure the beauty, utility and significance of any house, but the architects, preservationists and professors who took part in our survey were allowed to apply the term however they felt was appropriate -- weighing combinations of personal taste, originality, historical importance and iconic clout.

By Sean Mitchell

December 27, 2008