We lost one...

So as most of you are keenly aware, the Moore house was demolished in Malaga Cove last week, after years of back and forth with various constituents.  The 1959 house, with all its spaceship-ness, was designed by the son of Frank Lloyd Wright, Lloyd Wright.

(Source: Curbed LA)


While I am generally a fan of preservation, this house has me torn.  On the one hand, its great to have a unique example of mid-century modern from a regionally acclaimed architect preserved for posterity.  On the other hand, this house should never have been built in Malaga Cove.  It is out of character with the vision the PV Project planners had for the area, and it is also not in keeping with the scale and feel of comparable homes in the area. 

That said, the home that is meant to take its place gives me great pause - for I fear it may go the way of the uber-McMansion.

The replacement home will span nearly 6,000sf and is penned by Ed Beall's firm.  Ed Beall is one of the better architects in the area.  That said, the above design is plagued with the features and artifcats of a classic Caliterranean McMansion - too many windows which are oversized, arches galore and an overall massing that is uninspired and boring.  I recall the comment from George Washington Smith that white space is just as important as other facade features, if not more so.  Why do McMansionists feel the need to fill every nook and cranny of a home with some ornate this or that?  Restraint!  Understatement! Subtlety!  These should be the guiding principles with which pen is put to paper.

2011 Palos Verdes Home Tour - Part 3

So our last and final stop on the tour is the Exhibition House (aka Martin Residence, aka Project House #7).  Designed by Raymond Struthers and built in 1927, this 5,600 square foot home was one of the original houses built as "model homes" to showcase the Palos Verdes lifestyle.  Struthers, who chaired the PV Art Jury at the time, was one of the popular architects in the area in the early days of Palos Verdes.

 (Source: NJC)

(Source: Palos Verdes Library)


The current owners, John and Carmen Phillips, are authors of the recently released book on Palos Verdes Estates published by Arcadia Publishing.  The Phillips purchased the home in 2006 for $2.9M and then proceeded to restore and renovate the historic home.

Of the three homes on the tour, this was by far the most livable of the homes.  The house has a U-shaped layout around a beautiful central courtyard.

 (Source: NJC)

(Source: Palos Verdes Library)
.

You'll notice that windows have been expanded below the staircase.  In fact, while the Phillips did not expand the footprint of the home, they did turn 5 rooms in that section of the house, including the kitchen, into a much larger eat-in kitchen and adjacent family room.

 (Source: NJC)

(Source: Palos Verdes Library)

(Source: NJC)

You'll notice not a whole lot has changed with the exterior of the home - if it ain't broke, don't fix it!  The central fountain, paved courtyard are edits that the new owners made.  Even the garage fits in well with the home!

 (Source: NJC)

(Source: Palos Verdes Library)

Overall, a very lovely, comfortable home that is a solid example of the Spanish Revival style.

KEY STATS 

Location: Malaga Cove, PVE
Style: Spanish
Year built: 1927 / 2007-09
Architect: Raymond Struthers / (unknown)
Square footage: 5,599
Lot size: 14,030(108x123)

Celebrity in the house! err... Celebrity is a house! (Updated)

Unlike San Marino, Pasadena, Beverly Hills or Malbu, it is very rare to see Palos Verdes featured on the silver screen.  In fact, I can think of only a few movies or TV shows that are set or filmed on the Peninsula (The O.C. used a number of PVE homes to double as Newport Beach; Kevin Kline's 2001 film Life as a House was filmed at the former Marineland site in RPV, which is now the Terranea Resort, but in the film it was a body double for Laguna Beach).  Part of the reason is that the cities on the Peninsula have very strict filming restrictions (mainly PVE and RH).  So when a home or part of the Peninsula is caught on film, its a rare treat!

This home was filmed in the the critically acclaimed (hah!) 2006 comedy Big Momma's House 2, starring Martin Lawrence.

(Source: NJC)

(Source: Ashai)

Designed by Ashai in 2004, the home measures a comfortable 6,046 square feet and sits on a flat, hilltop 0.4 acre lot.  In the movie, it was the home of the CEO of an IT company that was under FBI investigation by Martin Lawrence's undercover character.  I believe the movie was also set in Orange County.

There is a lot to love about the home.  Where to begin.  Let's start with the curb appeal and presence.  This lot is an irregularly shaped corner lot, which has one side curved and the other boxed, so it presented the architects with a unique challenge: which way shall the house face?

(Source: Bing Maps)


As you can see from above, the right hand (eastern) side of the lot is used simply as a driveway to a three-door garage.  I suppose that paved space could double as an impromptu basketball court if needed.  The facade has a semicircular driveway, and while most homes have backyards, this home instead opts for an expansive side yard.  So I think the home sits very well on the lot.

Next, massing.  This home is large.  Not obscenely large, but certainly not your average new home 3-4,000 square footer.  I like all the visual interest in the facade.  The alternating rooflines.  The very Spanish courtyard.  The various setbacks of the rooms - a hodgepodge of rooms cobbled together in a very capable way.

 (Source: NJC)

(Source: Google Maps)

(Source: Ashai)


The home feels classic, almost timeless.  While it is large, it feels cozy.  No McMansion feel here.  Ashai did a fine job making sure the features of the facade were as authentic as possible.  As most of you know by now, I'm a stickler for things like window recesses, shutters actually large enough to, you know, cover the window, white space, etc.  And this home's got all that and more.

(Source: NJC)


OK, OK, I know what you're saying - what about those second floor windows?  Shouldn't they too be recessed? You're right.  Perhaps six inches would have done the job.  How about that courtyard gate?  Very nice.

Lets switch to the back...err side yard.   This is the ocean-facing side of the home.

(Source: Bing Maps)

(Source: MLS)

(Source: MLS)

I love the side yard.  Sure there's no pool, just a big grassy area.  But look at the home. Two second floor balconies.  An arched first floor walkway.  Only thing I question is whether or not I would have preferred the second floor balcony on the left to be set back rather than overhanging the first level.  But a minor point.

This home was built as a spec house and the developer bought the lot in 2002 for $875K, went though the painful PVE approval process, and ultimately sold the home in 2005 for $3.5M.  It sold once more a year later for $3.8M.  (Quick aside: Funny enough - the owner that bought this home in 2006 is the CEO of an IT company that provides software solutions for law firms!  Similar to the movie!  In fact, he and his wife traded up from a smaller home in Lunada Bay which they had just sold for $1.9M).  The owners decided to sell at the worst possible time (October 2008) when they listed it for sale at $4.3M and chased the market all the way down over two years until it finally traded September 2010 for $3.2M.

Overall, a very lovely home I wouldn't mind calling my own

UPDATE: So I was perusing through my cable box and saw Big Momma's House 1 & 2 was playing this weekend (I'm guessing to promote the third installment of the series which is now out in theaters).  So I was able to grab a couple of screen caps (see below).  They also show shots of the Peninsula and of neighboring Redondo Beach as well.  Note that the interior of the home was not used in the film.

(Source: 20th Century Fox)

(Source: 20th Century Fox)

KEY STATS

Location: Monte Malaga, PVE
Style: Spanish
Year built: 2004
Architect: Ashai
Square footage: 6,046
Lot size: 18,740  (241 curve x 154 deep x 177 rear width)

Tempered ambitions...

Palos Verdes had always been planned as an affluent bedroom community for the movers and shakers of Southern California, particularly Los Angeles.  It was originally meant not to only be affluent, but extremely affluent - a so-called "millionaires' colony" - that was to be the envy and model for such a community and would attract the wealthy from around the world.  While present day PV remains one of the most exclusive and affluent areas in the country, it did fall short of its grand designs.  

A number of projects that were planned for the Peninsula never came to realization for a number of reasons.  One good example of such misses are the commercial centers.  Palos Verdes was primarily a residential community and was not meant to have any "undesirable" businesses such as auto shops or factories.  However, the city planners did allow for certain types of businesses to operate in tasteful, designated commercial centers.  Three plazas were designed.  Of the original three, only Malaga Cove was realized.

(Source: Wikipedia/Abby Lanes)

(Source: Wikipedia)

The other two centers were never built.  The most grand of the three was the Lunada Bay Plaza:

(Source: Palos Verdes library)

Needless to say, that plaza was never built, largely due to the Great Depression and a lack of funds.  Instead, the current commercial center in Lunada Bay is much less grand.

(Source: Google Maps)

(Source: Bing Maps)

Part of me hopes that an enterprising (and financially capable) PV patron will buy the commercial center and realize the intent of the original city planners.  It would be great for PVE to transform this rather pedestrian shopping center into a destination for, e.g.,  the art or culinary seekers.  The new plaza could be filled with art galleries, cafes, libraries, an intimate performing arts venue and a few restaurants.  Nothing "undesirable" - quite the contrary, something fashionable.

Similarly, the Valmonte Plaza, of similar grand design, was also never realized.

(Source: Palos Verdes library)

Present day:

 (Source: Google Maps)

(Source: Bing Maps)

The Valmonte Plaza was meant to occupy the lot currently occupied by a few homes and a church at the intersection of Via Campesina and Palos Verdes Drive North.  In my mind, as I fantasize of what could have been, I think of the Valmonte Plaza as a sort of extension of the Palos Verdes Country Club - perhaps, a Palos Verdes City Club which could house a public library and reading room, meeting rooms, athletic facilities (like a pool and fitness center), a day care center, a grocery store and a small hotel for guests of PVE residents.

PV would have been a fairly different place had these two commercial centers been realized as designed.  It's still possible!

For those not familiar with PV...

I recently came across a cool channel called HDNet, where, as the name might suggest, all the shows on the channel are filmed in HD.  They have a series called SkyScapes which takes you through a 45 minute tour of various cities - all footage in high definition.  In the SkyScapes:Los Angeles episode, they have quite a good sequence that covers the Palos Verdes Peninsula.  I've tried my best to capture that clip to share with the rest of you.  Full disclaimer: the video and content is copyright HDNet 2011. Video clip below.

The first post! Hello world!

Hello world!  This is my first post for a blog I think long overdue!  I've long wished that there was a blog out there that covered the amazing homes and history of the Palos Verdes Peninsula ("PV"), one of the many hidden gems in Southern California.  Since I've yet to come upon such a blog, I thought "Gosh, why not create one myself!"  So here I am.  Time for a little background. 

About me: I'm not an architect, landscape designer, nor am I a realtor or builder of homes.  I'm just a guy who grew up in the area around PV, called the South Bay.  I went to school there.  Lived there most of my life.

A little geography lesson.  Los Angeles is composed of a huge number of regions, neighborhoods and towns.  When people say they are "from LA, " that generally means they're from one of the 16 regions, 158 incorporated towns or 114 unincorporated neighborhoods that comprise the greater LA metro area.  For a very good overview of the neighborhoods, check out the LA Times Mappling LA website.  Very informative!

Along the coast, south of the Los Angeles International Airport, lies a little known area called the South Bay.  The South Bay got its name since it occupies the area on the southern edge of the Santa Monica Bay.  It is comprised mainly of the tony beach towns of Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach and Redondo Beach.  Additionally, the South Bay area also includes the cities of Torrance, El Segundo, Gardena, Lawndale and Lomita.  Further down the coast, south of South Redondo Beach and Torrance, is an even more affluent area called the Palos Verdes Peninsula, or "PV" as it is more locally known. 

PV is a 16,000 acre peninsula is made up of 5 areas - Palos Verdes Estates, Rolling Hills, Rolling Hills Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes, and the unincorporated area known generally as the Palos Verdes Peninsula.  As a general matter, Palos Verdes Estates and Rolling Hills tend to be the most affluent communities on the peninsula, the former being a master planned community designed by the Olmstead Brothers as a "Millionaire's Colony" in the 1920s and the latter is an exclusive gated community with a rural flare and the highest average household income of any city in the country.  Over the course of my posts, I'll explain more of the differences among the various towns on the peninsula.  For the most part, most of the very interesting architecture tends to be found in Palos Verdes Estates, given that the city is a master planned community and has an Art Jury that overseas the aesthetics of the town.

A few shots of the Peninsula:

From South Redondo/Torrance, looking at Malaga Cove in PVE

(Source: NJC)


North entrance into PV from Torrance, facing Valmonte, PVE

(Source: NJC)


Bluffs near the Terranea Resort, RPV

(Source: NJC)


Bluffs north of Terranea, RPV

(Source: NJC)

 

Valmonte neighborhood, PVE

(Source: NJC)


Malaga Cove neighborhood, PVE

(Source: NJC)

 

More soon.  Stay tuned.