From the latimes.com:
What’s thought to be the only remaining house in Los Angeles designed by the Craftsman stars the Greene brothers is for sale. It’s beautiful, yes. It has four original leaded glass light fixtures. It’s been lovingly restored over more than 20 years.
And it’s listed at $775,000. By comparison, the much larger Greene & Greene-designed Spinks House in Pasadena — site of the architects’ gems the Gamble and Blacker houses — was on the market last year for $4.6 million.
So why is this one, the Lucy Wheeler House, on the market even long enough for a story to be written and published?
For one thing, although the historic status of the house might net the buyer tax savings under the Mills Act, it also means the owner can’t choose the living room paint colors or replace the original kitchen sink. For another, the house is in West Adams, a neighborhood near downtown that is loved fiercely by its defenders but that demands its newcomers to be, if not pioneers, at least residents ready for some scruffiness.
For the full story and more photos, click here:
So the owner sneaks in a new kitchen sink…
This reminds me of Alice’s Restaurant!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_7C0QGkiVo
I can just see the owner immediately arrested and handcuffed… (4:30), and then the ensuing investigation.
Then the court scene (7:15), 27 8×10 color glossy pictures with circles and arrows, and a paragraph on the back of each one, to be used as evidence of the highly illicit new kitchen sink.
Then if he attempts to sign up for the military, suggesting that he wants to kill, he’ll have to discuss the kitchen sink arrest (11:00).
Group W! NOW!
Right along with the mean, nasty, ugly looking people on the bench, mother rapers, father stabbers, father rapers…
And has he rehabilitated himself (14:15)?
And imagine what would happen if he snuck in a can of the wrong color or shade of paint.
These situations are a classic example of the prisoner’s dilemma: Individual rights versus the entire community.
Note that the article points out the current owner did a conservation easement on the interior, presumably for some consideration. The historic regulations only cover the outside of the house.
So its the owners tough luck that he will only get this much he did it to himself. (Actually the its the heirs tough luck since the owner died). So in this case the interior restrictions are completly voluntary. It would be hard for the city to put appearance restrictions on on the inside, I doubt the courts would approve, but outside because it influences others is another matter.
Manhattan Beach Confidential has outed himself. Even got a column in the local paper. I don’t know if he is still alive.
Soccer popularity survey for the next 30 days:
Does the Soccer World Cup slow down RE sales?
I think it will!
But is that measurable?
Its the largest viewed event world wide every 4 years, look for sales to taper…
You saw it here first on Jim’s Blog!
I was just thinking about how much I like the craftsman style houses in LA, practice telepathy much? Parts of West Adams are pretty rough and rugged, but there’s some great food (especially Korean) close by. I’m hoping to find a craftsman-ish house down here. Many of the houses on my street look like they were rejected from the set of A Clockwork Orange.
Thanks for posting stories about these magnificent, historical homes, Jim.
Back when I lived in L.A., some of my friends and I would occasionally drive through the seedy parts of L.A. to admire the architecture. It’s unfortunate that a lot of the best buildings are in some of the very worst neighborhoods where people don’t appreciate and maintain them.