Redwood and Glass Make It Shipshape

Resembling a wooden ship from the side, this house is remarkable for its composition of masses and planes in wood and glass.

Called the Waxman House, it was designed by architect J. Barry Moffitt for his childhood friend, artist Arleen Waxman, and her husband, Jerry, a lithographer for museums and major entertainment interests.

Built in 1964, the house was photographed for publication in 1965 by renowned architectural photographer Julius Schulman.

Since then, Moffitt, who studied with such prominent L.A. Modernist architects as John Lautner, has designed a second, also widely publicized, house for the Waxmans and he is now designing a third for them in Malibu. He also has designed other houses in the L.A. area and Phoenix, where he became a professor in the late 1960s at Arizona State.

About this house: The lot rises steeply with a view of the San Fernando Valley to the north. The design adapts to the sloping site by using a series of cascading levels. Redwood is used inside and out. Architectural influences of Frank Lloyd Wright and R.M. Schindler are seen in the interplay of ceiling heights and light from clerestory windows.

Film production designer Howard Cummings, who recently completed work on the upcoming “Death to Smoochy,” bought the house in early 1999 from a fellow production designer. Between the two designers, the house has undergone a thorough restoration to preserve its clean, original look.

Landscape architect Jay Griffith, who redesigned the gardens at actor Brad Pitt’s Hollywood Hills bachelor home, revamped the landscaping of this home to complement its redwood exterior.

Asking price: $755,000

Size: Three bedrooms, 1.75 baths in 1,972 square feet

Features: The main floor has an indoor-outdoor feeling; the living room has a wood-burning fireplace, overseen by the den on an upper level, and the master suite has a balcony and garden views. The house combines mid-century Modernism with 21st century amenities.

Where: Hollywood Hills, near Laurel Canyon and Mulholland Drive. The house, at 3644 Buena Park Drive, will be open from 1 to 4 p.m. today.

Listing agent: Barry Sloane, Sotheby’s International Realty, Beverly Hills, (310) 786-1844

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To be considered as a candidate for Home of the Week, please send color interior and exterior photos (copies only, please; we cannot return the pictures) and a brief description of the house, including what makes the property unusual, to Ruth Ryon, Real Estate Section, Los Angeles Times, 202 W. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012; or e-mail homeoftheweek@latimes.com.