Posh, in the wilds of Altadena
A testament to Southern California’s historical embrace of indoor-outdoor living, this two-story Spanish Colonial Revival home, designed eight decades ago by architect Kenneth A. Gordon for his family, backs up to Eaton Canyon, providing views of the San Gabriel Mountains.
“On the edge of civilization and the wilderness,” is how the January 1931 issue of California Arts & Architecture magazine described the Altadena setting, according to research by Pasadena-based building “biographer” Tim Gregory. A caption accompanying photographs noted: “The long roof echoes the profile of the hills.”
Capitalizing on the pastoral locale studded with mature trees and hundreds of boulders on grounds of nearly an acre, the architect situated the home’s formal living room in back, with a picture window framing the mountain view.
The window also overlooks a saltwater pool added in 2006 with a waterfall, spa and lap area. The dining and family rooms face a courtyard, which has a fountain and is set against a mountain backdrop.
In keeping with the era -- and the original luxury price of $53,000 when completed in 1928 -- details include period hardware and fixtures, vaulted wood-beamed ceilings, hardwood floors, built-ins, French doors and a fireplace with Spanish-tile insets.
About this house: While preserving the elegance of the past, architect Rob Tyler added 21st century styling to the remodeled country kitchen in 2000 with tiled counter tops, an eight-burner range, a pizza oven, copper sink, designer dishwasher, extra-large refrigerator-freezer, a vegetable sink in a center island, a walk-in pantry and a covered veranda.
A renovated master suite features an enlarged bathroom with a soaking tub, twin sinks and a walk-in closet. Other updates include zoned heating, central air conditioning, copper pipes, a modernized electrical system and two water heaters.
Size: The main house has 4,383 square feet. The larger guesthouse has 728 square feet. A smaller casita near the pool pavilion has 328 square feet.
Features: Three bedrooms and 3 1/2 bathrooms in the main house; seven fireplaces, including one outdoors in the pool area; an antique wood mantle, kitchen skylights, two separate guest quarters, each with a bathroom and one with a kitchenette. The lower level, a multipurpose space, is suitable for a media room or fourth bedroom.
Asking price: $2,798,500
Where: Altadena
Listing agent: Michael J. Dilsaver, Dickson Podley Realtors, Pasadena, (626) 795-6700.
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gayle.pollard-terry@latimes.com
To submit a candidate for Home of the Week, please send color interior and exterior photos with caption information on a CD and a detailed 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. E-mail questions to homeoftheweek@latimes.com.
