Architecture Wednesday: Ravenseye

Harry Gesner was called the Modern Maverick of Malibu, and of his greatest designs, Ravenseye, perched one a 1-acre hillside lot, with views of the Pacific, is up for sale … at a bargain; it has been marked down from $14million to just $9.5 million. But it’s not the house for just anyone …

Ravenseye features a unique arched doorway that opens to a sweeping staircase leading down into the great room with its 30-foot-high vaulted ceilings , wall of windows and incredible views. Gesner designed the arched doorways, and the arched ceiling in the great room as a nod to the tip of a surfboard since surfing was another of his passion, but he was also inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright—of whom he was an apprentice—and Wright’s design for the Wayfarers Chapel in Rancho Palos Verdes, California [right, top]. But Gesner’s Ravenseye, along with his other Malibu design, the Wave House [right, bottom], then inspired Danish architect Jorn Utzon who took some ideas from Gesner when he designed the Sydney Opera House.

The interior of the 4,000+ square foot home features stone floors and fireplaces, wooden floors boards and exposed timber ceilings. There are three bedrooms—with direct access to the outdoor spaces—and four bathrooms. Out back, there’s a large wooden deck, a pool, and built-in lounges sheltered by the living room balcony. A private outdoor shower allows for washing off salt and sand before entering the house, or just for skinny-dipping. There’s even a restored 1957 Airstream trailer to use as a small guest house.

It's wild, yes; but the views and the huge open great room, and all the oddities, really call to me. If I can’t have Bette’s house, perhaps I could afford Harry’s?

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