L.A.’s past, preserved in Hancock Park

Greta von Steinbauer feels like a docent when she shows people through her Hancock Park house.

“There are so many stained-glass windows, even in the closets,” she said, “and there are many original light fixtures.”

She attributes their preservation to the use of the house and ownership by the Sisters of Social Service of L.A., a Catholic community, from 1930 until she purchased it in 1997.

Architect Alfred F. Rosenheim built the red-brick house, a registered city monument, for himself in 1904. He was the eighth president of the Los Angeles chapter of the American Institute of Architects.

A 15-by-32-foot chapel with a 56-foot-high ceiling was created in the home in 1954. That space is now a recording studio, Von Steinbauer said, but it could be used for something else, such as a basketball court or an indoor pool.

About this house: When house-hunting in the neighborhood, Von Steinbauer was told by an associate to look for fine homes where there were tall palm trees. She found not only palms, but also trees bearing loquats and other fruit with this house. Touring the solarium, she saw about half a dozen deodar trees, each about 100 feet tall. “We have our own little forest,” she said.

Asking price: $6.7 million

Size: The three-story house has six bedrooms and five bathrooms in 10,440 square feet. The lot is 29,999 square feet.

Features: Besides leaded and stained Tiffany glass, the home has fine woods, such as mahogany, in the paneling and molding; heavy wood beams in the ceilings of public rooms; six custom-designed fireplaces that include Batchelder tiles; a silver- and gold-leaf hand-painted ceiling; claw-foot bathtubs; hand-etched lightbulbs; and a large basement with room for wine storage and a gym.

The house also has an office and city views.

Where: Hancock Park

Listing agents: Jade Mills, (310) 285-7508, and Tiffany Barcena, (310) 849-9592, both with Coldwell Banker, Beverly Hills.

To submit a candidate for Home of the Week, please send color interior and exterior photos on a CD with caption information 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. Questions can be sent to homeoftheweek@latimes.com.