Lone mansion on Mayberry
Sitting on a high perch on the border of Silver Lake and Echo Park, this stately Mediterranean house has been the lone grand mansion of Mayberry Street since it was built in 1927.
The 2,564-square-foot house is unique in this neighborhood of small, unassuming bungalows. Built above street level, the two-story home towers over the adjacent Mayberry Street Elementary School and has a rare full basement, an underground three-car garage and views of Silver Lake and city lights from its rooftop sun porch.
Inside, however, not much has changed in the five-bedroom home since Italian immigrant-made-good Michale Togneri bought it in the early 1940s as a reminder of his Tuscan homeland.
In this 1927 time capsule, Art Deco chandeliers and wall sconces toss light onto glass prism knobs on built-in gumwood cabinets and French doors. In nearly every room, the original, hand-painted murals of kissing cherubs or delicate flora and fauna trail across walls, along ceilings and above the wood-burning fireplace.
Two of the bathrooms feature the era’s hexagonal floor tile, brilliant blue wall tiles and period fixtures. Wrought-iron railings edge balconies, trace arched windows and frame the imposing front door. A citrus grove, remnants of a grape orchard and an olive tree give the large, flat backyard its Mediterranean look.
Though the house is showing its years and is being sold “as is,” preservationists may appreciate that no significant remodeling has changed the period feel, not even in the kitchen, where a large, vintage Western-Holly oven stands as testament to the many family dinners produced there.
Members of the large Togneri clan, including two spinster sisters who were Silver Lake beauty salon operators, the late Gloria and Clara Togneri, lived in the house during the nearly 60 years it remained in the family, virtually untouched.
“When we walked into that home and closed the door, we were in another world,” said Marie Togneri, granddaughter of Michale and Marina Togneri. “It was like being in Italy.”
--
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.
--
(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)
Classic Mediterranean
Location: 2508 Mayberry St., Los Angeles 90026
Asking price: $999,900
Size: Five bedrooms and 2 1/4 bathrooms in 2,564 square feet on a 7,405-square-foot lot.
Additional features: Gumwood built-in cabinets, drawers and French doors; arched windows with walk-out balconies; vaulted ceilings; corner cornices; elaborate plaster crown molding; hardwood floors; rooftop sun porch; cedar-lined walk-in closets and dressing rooms.
Around the neighborhood: 117 pre-owned single-family homes were sold in the 90026 ZIP Code in 2008 from January through November, according to MDA DataQuick. The median sales price was $566,500. In 2007, 191 pre-owned single-family homes sold at a median price of $640,000. There were 83 homes listed last week in 90026, according to Realtor.com, priced from $200,000 to $1,297,000.
Listing agent: Coldwell Banker: Andrew Jelmert, (323) 210-2396, and Michael Locke, (323) 644-3338
--
latimes.com/realestate
Home of the Week galleries
Check out more photos of this and previous homes.
