A near-perfectly preserved mid-century modern home owned by the same family for 57 years is for sale at $2.189 million in Pasadena.
Designed by modernist architect John F. Galbraith and constructed in 1956, the three-bedroom house at 2105 Villa Heights Road has 3,567 square feet of living space. There’s a glass-front, redwood-enclosed entry, a double-sided Bouquet Canyon stone-clad fireplace with polished concrete hearths that links living and dining spaces, and a central kitchen with mahogany cabinetry, mostly stainless steel appliances and Formica countertops.
Just off the living room sits a cocktail bar with a miniature fridge, sink and cabinets.
An intercom system and a General Electric control panel for the kitchen’s original cooktop, since replaced, also add to the home’s character although they no longer function.
Glass walls and sliding doors seamlessly blur the line between indoors and out.
“When you think mid-century, this is what it should look like,” said Ann Nader of Deasy Penner Podley, the co-listing agent.
Nader highlights the “exquisite” and “truly beautiful” architectural lines, the expanses of redwood siding and floor-to-ceiling glass, and the hill-top location.
Set on nearly an acre in gated North Kinneloa Ranch, the home offers views of the Los Angeles basin.
On a clear day, the ocean is visible along the horizon.
Galbraith was associated with several other homes and commercial buildings in the area during the 1950s-60s, including the “Cox House” in South Pasadena. He made alterations to the Southern California Gas Co., now the City of Pasadena Permit Center building.
For this commission, the architect set out to design a custom home for a pharmacist and his family.
“The way they sited it to go from the street up a hill to the pool, to the house, to the backyard and then to the orchard beyond I think was custom-designed for this family,” said co-listing Jane Workman of Deasy Penner Podley. “That makes it unique.”
Galbraith’s client had four daughters, which Workman said might account for the home’s spacious bedrooms and ample closet space.
A 23-foot row of closets with bi-folding doors alone fills the master bedroom, along with a built-in desk, fireplace and attached bathroom with a large shower. It also has direct access to the pool and patio area with an outside shower nearby.
For additional space, the den with a half-bathroom can be closed off by accordion doors for use as a fourth bedroom.
The home changed hands in 1963, and it has remained in the same family since.
