See-Worthy House Was Lloyd Wright’s Vision
Lloyd Wright, who designed the Wayfarers Chapel (also known as the Glass Church) in Rancho Palos Verdes and was the oldest son of architect Frank Lloyd Wright, designed this house for a Dr. Louis Moore, a general surgeon, and his wife, Marriott, in 1956.
The Moores were already living on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, but they needed a bigger house for their growing family.
The doctor and his wife died in the 1990s, but the house still belongs to their family, and they have put it on the market for the first time since it was completed in 1958.
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About this house: As the doctor drove the architect around the neighborhood in lower Malaga Cove where the doctor’s vacant lot was situated, the physician pointed at an existing house that was, in his mind, common and uninteresting.
“Mr. Wright,” the doctor said, according to an account by Alan Weintraub in his book “Lloyd Wright: The Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright Jr.,” “I don’t want a big square house like that one.”
“Sir,” the architect was said to have responded, “you insult me.”
Like his father, Wright created anything but the mundane, and this house was no exception. It has been described as a “spaceship” for the way it seems to float over the ocean. Its V-shaped western facade maximizes exposure to the bluff and ocean views from Malaga Cove to Malibu.
Through mitered glass corners and a structural ring that eliminated the need for crossbeams, Wright was able to capture an unobstructed view of Santa Monica Bay. And he used floor-to-ceiling windows that would not be permissible under today’s building codes.
Asking price: $2,595,000
Size: Five bedrooms and four baths in about 3,400 square feet.
Features: Immediate access to surfing, tide pools and beaches; two fireplaces; private courtyard; a huge second-floor deck wraps the western facade.
Where: 504 Paseo Del Mar, Palos Verdes Estates; open today from 2 to 4 p.m.
Contact: Sharon Nolan, listing agent, Re/Max Palos Verdes Realty, (310) 377-5253
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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.
