Architecture Wednesday: The Rowan Residence

This is the Rowan Residence, a sprawling, hilltop home in Beverly Hills designed in the early 1960s by acclaimed L.A. architect Robert Skinner. The home sits on a .42-acre lot in the Hidden Valley Estates, a gated community of just 33 homes.

Though originally commissioned by the Rowan Family, the home changed hands a few years after construction was complete and then remained off the market for 40 years. Alexandra Becket, who grew up in the property during that time, recalls how impressed her father was when he first toured the space before placing an offer, and he eventually expanded the residence to accommodate his growing family.

You enter the home through a private courtyard, and a long, glass-enclosed hallway leads to a sunken living room sited on the far end of the home with floor-to-ceiling windows and an original brick fireplace.

Along that hallway is the spacious primary bedroom with views to the courtyard and a private balcony and fireplace. The bathroom boasts huge walk-in shower, double sinks, an enormous soaking tub, and his-and her water closets.

From the living room, steps lead up to an open dining area and galley kitchen, with terrazzo tiled floors and skylight that illuminates the kitchen island. There are salt-marble countertops, Douglas-fir cabinetry, and a cozy breakfast nook with marble tabletop. 

Beyond the kitchen is another living area with custom shelving offers ample space to display collected memorabilia. An en suite guest bedroom, half bathroom, laundry, storage, and access to the garage fill out the space.

A later addition added an office, two more ensuite bedrooms, and a bonus play area. All told, there are now four bedrooms, four full baths, and two partial ones.

Given the two renovations the home now sits at 4,600 square feet residence with a more free-flowing layout that connects the expansive living areas with the outdoor greenery and mature trees, dining area, outdoor kitchen and swimming pool that create that quintessential California backyard oasis.

Last sold in 2012 for $3,500,000, the Rowan Residence is back on the market with a post-renovation price tag of $10,000,000.

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Architecture Wednesday: Spanish Hideaway

Okay, so I am the Little Boy who cried, “This is the house for me!” But, yeah, this is the house for me, even though it’s in Los Angeles. It’s a Spanish home where Katharine Hepburn lived early in her Hollywood career, where Boris Karloff lived at the height of his career, and where and Eric Burdon of the band The Animals lived in the 1960s.

Drama queen, horror king, rock king, all in the same gorgeous home, and the foot home is for sale for a hair under $9 million.

Hepburn rented the home for five years when she made the transition from Broadway to Hollywood in 1932. Once she had established herself, she moved on and bought her own home, and this house was them sold to Boris Karloff, who lived there from 1938 to 1945, enjoying his passion for gardening and turning the grounds into a tropical paradise.

Built in 1927, the five-bedroom, six-bath home sits in an almost park-like setting, thanks to Karloff, who created the gardens still intact today; there are terraces, two outdoor fireplaces, manicured lawns, tropical blooms, roses and fruit trees, steps leading down to the swimming pool and a pool house. Inside, the whitewashed brick walls are balanced by wood or tile floors and wood ceilings with exposed timber beams, Spanish mosaic tiles, and antique chandeliers; there are a total of six fireplaces in the home where you can cuddle up with a husband or a cat or three, a little dog, a glass of wine.

The single-story home is larger than it first appears, with wings that branch out over some 5,000 square feet of living space. Large windows, and clerestory glass, along with several skylights, flood the home with natural light.

It’s the perfect home, with a sense of history and luxury, and gardens, pool, places to relax, places to entertain. And, okay, it’s too much house and too much yard, but then we’d invite guests all the time and get a gardener. I need to check my sofa cushions. I have some money, so all I need is another $8,999,000 and I’m loading up the truck to move to Beverly … Hills that is. Swimming pools and movie stars and movie star ghosts.

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Architecture Wednesday: A Sliver of a House

I guess when you want that 90210 zip code, you’ll do whatever it takes to get it.

This home sits on a steep and narrow hillside in Beverly Hills, but, hey, it’s Beverly Hills so no expense was spared in taking the lot and building a sliver of a home that fits perfectly into the landscape. Luckily, the owners were more interested creating a feeling of intimacy and privacy, rather than capturing a hillside view.

The main structure is two levels traced along the north-south axis and houses most of the interior spaces. The garage is located at that southern end of the house, along with the more private areas of the home, bedrooms and the gym …of course.

But it’s the north end, and the long graceful walk through the house to the main living areas that opens to the pool and the trees while keeping that sense of privacy. And just beyond the pool is the second house …a second house … as an art studio and guest cottage.

It’s a sliver of a house, but, sitting in the middle of Beverly Hills, it still feels a world away.

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