A Long Beach villa with a view
Over the years, many of the old vacation houses on Long Beach’s peninsula have been remodeled or razed and rebuilt by new owners who bought in with the intention of living there year-round.
This 1937 home, which is a short walk to Alamitos Bay, was extensively remodeled in 2002. The current owner, who bought it in 2005, saw potential in an otherwise cosmetically dull living space and transformed it into a Tuscan-style villa with a rooftop terrace.
His $300,000 redo incorporated arched openings, dark rough-hewn wood and travertine surfaces throughout the living room and into the kitchen, where an island was removed to open up the space. The first floor also has a wood-beamed ceiling, a hand-carved limestone fireplace and iron chandeliers.
Wrought-iron stair railings and walnut steps lead up to a small media room with a wall-mounted 65-inch flat-screen television and 12-foot ceilings. The area provides access to the master and two guest bedrooms as well as the rooftop stairway. Surround-sound system components are tucked underneath the stairs.
An arched window above the balcony door brings light into the master bedroom, which also has a fireplace. Outside, mandevilla creep up iron railings and boxed 12-foot-tall cypress trees flank both ends of the balcony like soldiers standing guard.
The rooftop terrace, which was reinforced with a heavy-load beam, offers an unobstructed 360-degree view of Long Beach, including Naples and the Queen Mary. The 500-square-foot space was designed for entertaining, with a stainless-steel gas grill and food prep areas, a sink and a refrigerator. A large stone fountain, brought in by crane, anchors the space.
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To submit a candidate for Home of the Week, send high-resolution color photos with caption and credit information on a CD and a detailed description of the house to Lauren Beale, Real Estate, Los Angeles Times, 202 W. 1st St., L.A., CA 90012. Questions may be sent to homeoftheweek@latimes.com.
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BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX
Italianate upgrade
Location: 74 62nd Place, Long Beach 90803
Asking price: $1.35 million to $1.55 million
Previously sold for: $1,205,000 in May 2005
Size: There are three bedrooms and 2 1/2 bathrooms in 1,936 square feet.
Lot size: 2,000 square feet
Additional features: Viking range, built-in appliances, marble countertops, custom cabinetry, walnut floors, oil-rubbed door handles and hardware, professional lighting and landscaping, surround-sound system with volume control in each room, smooth stucco, two-car garage.
Around the neighborhood: 131 existing single-family homes sold in the 90803 ZIP Code in 2008 at a median sales price of $865,000, according to MDA DataQuick. That was a 10.4% drop from the 2007 median sales price. Last week there were 121 single-family homes listed for sale on Realtor.com in the 90803 ZIP, ranging in price from $425,900 to $6.5 million.
Agent: Olga Megdal, First Team Estates, (562) 208-7230
