The value of an Art Jury...

So in my daily perusal of SoCal MLS listings, I saw one from -gasp- the Valley!  It reminded me of the utility of having an Art Jury - even a bad one - to prevent these cartoons from being built.  Please note this house is NOT NOT NOT located in Palos Verdes.  Its in Burbank actually.

(Source: MLS)

The home is currently listed for $1.5M on the MLS (listing can be found here).   Built in 2010, the The 4,500sf home sits on a 10,000sf lot and it   The "architectural design inspired by European style & elegance" - uh huh.  I've traveled a fair amount through Spain, France and Italy, and I don't recall seeing a concrete block wall topped with translucent plexiglass.  


What about those windows!  Builder special!  And the columns?  Petite.  Ah, and who can ignore the authentic banana colored stucco!  Oh Tuscany!  Wait folks - it gets better!

 (Source: MLS)

(Source: Google Maps)


How about that creative footprint - a box - and the siting of the home on the lot.  So much thought went into this.  And the balcony - look at those support columns - breathtaking.

What's more - this is yet another case of an investor/developer exploiting the land.  Here's what the site used to look like and what it looks like now:

(Source: Bing Maps)

(Source: Bing Maps)

Yep - that's right folks.  What was probably a 0.7 acre wooded lot has been transformed into a cram-as-many-homes-as-possible spec builder special.  No real room for a yard - just concrete and stucco.  All those great trees - gone.

(Source: Google Maps)

Best I can tell is that the developer bought the original lot for $1.4M in 2009 and tore down the old home, subdivided the lot, and built these three 4,500sf McMansions.  What a shame!

So as much as I complain about how the PVE Art Jury lets certain questionable homes (like this or this) slip through, at least they protect against the extremes.