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A Rare Look Inside Craig Ellwood’s Case Study House #16

Case Study House #16 is one of the clearest expressions of Craig Ellwood’s early architectural language—and a remarkably intact example of the Case Study House program’s ambition to rethink how ...modern homes could be built.

Designed in 1952, the house explores an unusually disciplined structural system based on slender steel columns, exposed beams, floor-to-ceiling glass, and a carefully controlled modular grid. Rather than concealing the structure, Ellwood makes it legible. Walls stop short of the ceiling. Columns are pulled forward and expressed independently. Steel beams remain visible. The distinction between structure and enclosure becomes part of the architecture itself.

In this tour, Brian Linder, AIA and Mark H. Mendez take a closer look at how those ideas shape the experience of the house.

At just roughly 1,600 square feet, Case Study House #16 feels substantially larger than its footprint. Glass corners dissolve the boundary between interior and landscape, exterior walls extend beyond the enclosure, private courtyards become extensions of the bedrooms, and the steel frame continues beyond the dining room to form an exterior trellis.

The result is a house composed less as a collection of rooms than as an interconnected series of planes, structures, landscapes, and views.

We also examine some of the quieter details that make the house so rewarding to study: the concealed entry door, the glass disappearing directly into a saw cut in the chimney, clerestory openings above interior partitions, hidden storage, the rotating mirrored closet mechanism, exposed plumbing, original American Standard fixtures, and the extraordinary survival of the original kitchen and bathroom finishes.

That preservation matters.

Much like an original vintage automobile, the architectural value of a house like this is inseparable from the details that establish its character. Replace those elements with contemporary finishes and the building may remain attractive—but something fundamental about Craig Ellwood’s architecture disappears.

Case Study House #16 demonstrates how much architecture can be produced with remarkably little material: structural steel, plaster, wood, translucent and transparent glass, and brick used selectively as an exterior landscape element.

It is rigorous, economical, playful, and extraordinarily precise.

And perhaps most importantly, it offers something more difficult to quantify: the experience of architecture as something greater than the sum of its individual details.

CASE STUDY HOUSE #16
Craig Ellwood | 1952
Bel Air, California

A sincere thank you to Veronika Sznajder, Crosby Doe, and the current steward of the home for allowing us to spend time with and document this remarkable piece of architectural history.

Cinematography by Luis Flores.

CHAPTERS

00:00 — Case Study House #16
00:13 — The Case Study House Program
00:49 — Craig Ellwood and the Structural Grid
01:27 — Celebrating Structural Steel
02:23 — Exposed Beams and Architectural Planes
03:03 — Barcelona Pavilion Connections
04:02 — The Disappearing Entry
04:32 — Understanding the Floor Plan
05:18 — A Glass Pavilion
06:18 — How the Steel Structure Works
07:12 — Ellwood’s Playful Architectural Details
07:36 — Glass Meeting the Chimney
08:01 — Structure Extending Into the Landscape
08:22 — Architecture Per Square Foot
08:38 — The Brick Landscape Wall
09:17 — Privacy Without Window Coverings
09:34 — Hidden Storage
10:23 — The Rotating Mirror Closet
11:00 — Exposed Plumbing as Architecture
11:31 — Why Original Finishes Matter
12:43 — Comparing the Case Study Houses
13:38 — Preservation and Design Integrity
14:21 — Stewardship of Case Study House #16
15:42 — Share Your Architect-Designed Home With Us

Considering buying or selling significant architecture?

Brian Linder, AIA and Mark H. Mendez specialize in architect-designed homes and properties with design integrity.

THE VALUE OF ARCHITECTURE
Properties With Design Integrity

@Thevalueofarchitecture
@MarkHmendez

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https://thevalueofarchitecture.com/

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ARCHITECTURAL KEYWORDS

Craig Ellwood, Case Study House 16, Case Study House #16, Craig Ellwood architecture, Case Study Houses, Case Study House Program, mid century modern architecture, mid century modern house, Los Angeles architecture, Bel Air architecture, modern architecture, modernist architecture

#CraigEllwood #CaseStudyHouse16 #CaseStudyHouses #MidCenturyModern #ModernArchitectureShow More

A Rare Look Inside Craig Ellwood’s Case Study House #16

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The Experiential Architecture of Raphael Soriano

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A Rare Kulapat Yantrasast House in Santa Monica

KULAPAT YANTRASAST | WHY ARCHITECTURE 2460 Beverley Ave, Santa Monica, ...

KULAPAT YANTRASAST | WHY ARCHITECTURE
2460 Beverley Ave, Santa Monica, California

One of the few private residences designed by Kulapat Yantrasast, this Santa Monica house translates the architect’s rigorous approach to light, ...material, structure, and spatial movement into a remarkably intimate residential scale.

Yantrasast, founder of WHY Architecture and a longtime protégé of Tadao Ando, recently completed the redesign of the Michael C. Rockefeller Wing at The Metropolitan Museum of Art and is currently designing a major 60,000-square-foot wing for the Louvre.

At Beverley Avenue, the architecture is defined by openness and transformation.

A rhythmic screen of cedar fins gives the house its exterior identity while filtering light and privacy. Inside, a monumental Schweiss industrial bi-fold window hydraulically lifts to open nearly the entire west side of the living space to ocean breezes and the coastal environment.

The two-story interior is organized as an open sequence rather than a collection of enclosed rooms. Nearly every element was custom designed, from the oversized front door to the suspended, visually transparent staircase connecting the upper and lower levels.

Natural light moves throughout the house, reinforcing the relationship between interior space, material, and the changing conditions outside.

Above, an expansive rooftop deck extends the architecture toward the horizon with panoramic views of the Pacific.

As one of Yantrasast’s rare residential works, the house offers a particularly revealing look at how an architect known internationally for museums and cultural institutions approaches domestic scale.

PROPERTY DETAILS

2460 Beverley Ave
Santa Monica, CA 90405

$3,750,000
2 Bedrooms
2 Bathrooms
2,067 SF

Listed By Dennis Wong

VIDEO CHAPTERS

00:00 How Does a Museum Architect Design a House?
00:33 Kulapat Yantrasast, Tadao Ando & Museum Architecture
01:18 Sculpted Cedar Exterior
02:14 The Aircraft Hangar Door
02:58 Double-Height Space & Structural Steel
04:05 Inside the Birch Plywood Jewel Box
04:41 Preserving the Original 1923 Footprint
05:21 The Staircase That Becomes a Bookshelf
06:33 A Restrained Material Palette
06:59 Invisible Doors & Concealed Hinges
07:35 How the House Is Organized
08:00 Rooftop Deck & Ocean Views
08:09 Kulapat Yantrasast’s Rare Residential Work
08:40 Final Thoughts & Ocean Breeze
08:48 Property Details
09:09 Thanks to Listing Agent Dennis Wong

Video by Orlando Canelo Hernandez (@pb.mediafilm) of PB Media

THE VALUE OF ARCHITECTURE
Properties With Design Integrity.

@thevalueofarchitecture
@markhmendez

JOIN OUR NEWSLETTER
For more architecture and architect-designed homes for sale in Los Angeles, join the newsletter:
https://thevalueofarchitecture.com/join-newsletter/

EXPLORE MORE ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE
Discover more curated Mid-Century Modern masterpieces, historic architect profiles, and notable properties at https://thevalueofarchitecture.com/.

Subscribe for more tours of significant architecture, Mid-Century Modern homes, contemporary residences, and architect-designed properties throughout Southern California.

ARCHITECTURAL KEYWORDS

Kulapat Yantrasast, WHY Architecture, Kulapat Yantrasast house, Kulapat Yantrasast residence, WHY Architecture house, Santa Monica architecture, Santa Monica modern house, architect designed homes, modern architecture Los Angeles, Los Angeles architecture, contemporary architecture, Tadao Ando protege, Tadao Ando architecture, Schweiss bifold door, Schweiss bifold window, cedar architecture, ocean view architecture, California modern architecture, architectural house tour, architecture house tour, AD100 architect, Met Rockefeller Wing, Metropolitan Museum of Art architecture, Louvre architecture, residential architecture, custom architecture, modern homes California, The Value of Architecture, Brian Linder AIA, Mark Mendez

#KulapatYantrasast #WHYArchitecture #SantaMonicaArchitecture #ModernArchitecture #TheValueOfArchitectureShow More

Inside Lorenzo Tedesco’s Hillside Modernism in Los Angeles

Lorenzo Tedesco, AIA | Beachwood Canyon Residence A mid-century house ...

Lorenzo Tedesco, AIA | Beachwood Canyon Residence

A mid-century house shaped as much by its relationship to the hillside as by the architecture itself.

Designed by Lorenzo Tedesco, AIA, this Beachwood Canyon ...residence opens outward through expansive sliding glass, extending the living spaces onto a broad terrace and framing views across the surrounding hills. Each bedroom continues that relationship to the exterior with its own balcony, while the primary suite opens to a more private outdoor court.

A recent renovation preserves the character of the original architecture while introducing a carefully considered new material palette. Warm custom cabinetry is paired with Rosa Perla marble, Bossa Nova Saguaro tile, Wolf and Fisher & Paykel appliances, while original 1960s pendant fixtures remain as part of the house’s architectural continuity.

The primary bath has been reworked, lighting updated throughout, and a separate-entry bonus space offers the possibility of a guest suite, office, or studio. A new roof and solar system complete the recent improvements.

The result is not a reinvention of the house, but an effort to allow the original architecture to continue working for another generation.

6249 Rodgerton Drive
Beachwood Canyon | Los Angeles, California

$2,350,000
3 Beds | 3 Baths
2,534 SF

Minutes from Beachwood Village and Griffith Park.

Video by Orlando Canelo Hernandez (@pb.mediafilm) of PB Media

THE VALUE OF ARCHITECTURE
Properties With Design Integrity.

@thevalueofarchitecture
@markhmendez

JOIN OUR NEWSLETTER
For more architecture and architect-designed homes for sale in Los Angeles, join the newsletter:
https://thevalueofarchitecture.com/join-newsletter/

EXPLORE MORE ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE
Discover more curated Mid-Century Modern masterpieces, historic architect profiles, and notable properties at https://thevalueofarchitecture.com/.

Subscribe for more tours of significant architecture, Mid-Century Modern homes, contemporary residences, and architect-designed properties throughout Southern California.

Video Chapters

00:00 Introduction
00:10 Lorenzo Tedesco in Beachwood Canyon
00:18 The History of Hollywood Hills Lots
00:44 A Modern Take on the Hillside Cabin
00:52 Tedesco’s Early Career at USC
01:00 Brick, Siding + Elevation Composition
01:32 Symmetry, Asymmetry + Slumpstone Block
01:51 Building on a Steep Hollywood Hills Site
02:11 Original Architecture + Sensitive Renovation
02:32 The Built-In Mailbox Detail
03:07 Retaining Walls + Private Outdoor Space
03:24 Roof Form + High Fire Severity Design
03:46 Inside the Main Living Volume
03:55 The Original “Mad Men” Bar
04:01 Fireplace + Pierre Koenig Influence
04:16 Craig Ellwood-Inspired Built-In Cabinetry
04:34 Restoring the Original Millwork
05:01 Original Sliding Doors + Stair Details
05:21 Balancing Original + New Materials
07:45 3 Bedrooms + $2.35M Asking Price
07:50 2,534 Square Feet
07:57 Thanks to Kate Blackwood
08:06 Closing Thoughts

Architectural Keywords:
Lorenzo Tedesco architect, Lorenzo Tedesco AIA, Beachwood Canyon architecture, Beachwood Canyon house, 6249 Rodgerton Drive, Los Angeles mid century modern, mid century modern house tour, architect designed homes Los Angeles, Hollywood Hills architecture, Los Angeles architecture, California modernism, renovated mid century home, indoor outdoor architecture, residential architecture, architectural house tour, The Value of Architecture, Brian Linder, Mark Mendez, PB Media, Orlando Canelo Hernandez

#MidCenturyModern #BeachwoodCanyon #LosAngelesArchitecture #ArchitectDesignedHomes #TheValueOfArchitectureShow More

Sheats–Goldstein Residence: John Lautner, James Goldstein & a Living Architectural Legacy

John Lautner | Sheats–Goldstein Residence What does organic ...

John Lautner | Sheats–Goldstein Residence

What does organic architecture actually mean?

It is not a style or a period. It is a way of thinking about site, landscape, structure, material, human experience, ...and the relationship between them. Few houses express that philosophy as powerfully as John Lautner’s Sheats–Goldstein Residence.

In this extended architectural conversation, Brian Linder, AIA and Mark H. Mendez explore the house with architects James Perry and Kris Conner of Conner + Perry Architects, whose relationship with the property reaches back decades through their work with architect Duncan Nicholson and James Goldstein.

Rather than simply touring the house, we look closely at how it works. We discuss Lautner’s understanding of organic architecture and his connection to Frank Lloyd Wright; the triangular geometry that organizes the structure, plan, and details; the relationship between shelter and openness; and Lautner’s ability to create architecture that feels both ancient and futuristic.

James and Kris also take us behind the architecture itself—describing how they learned the house by repairing it, uncovering original details, crawling beneath the structure, and working directly with craftsmen to understand how Lautner’s ideas were actually built.

Throughout the house, we examine details that appear effortless but required extraordinary thought: frameless glass, cantilevered structure, custom hardware, integrated ventilation, board-formed concrete, operable glass walls, the pool windows, and Lautner’s remarkable all-glass sink.

We also explore the evolution of the primary suite under James Goldstein and John Lautner, then move below the tennis court into Club James, where the architectural language of the original house continues—but evolves through post-tensioned concrete, enormous spans, frameless glass, integrated lighting, and precisely detailed materials.

The property remains unfinished in the best possible sense. Future plans include a movie screening pavilion, additional living spaces, and a guest house near James Turrell’s Skyspace.

The Sheats–Goldstein Residence is not architecture frozen in time. It is architecture as a living organism—adapting to its landscape, its inhabitants, new technologies, and new generations of architects while maintaining the integrity of the original idea.

THE VALUE OF ARCHITECTURE
Properties With Design Integrity.

@thevalueofarchitecture
@markhmendez

JOIN OUR NEWSLETTER
For more architecture and architect-designed homes for sale in Los Angeles, join the newsletter:
https://thevalueofarchitecture.com/join-newsletter/

EXPLORE MORE ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE
Discover more curated Mid-Century Modern masterpieces, historic architect profiles, and notable properties at https://thevalueofarchitecture.com/.

Subscribe for more tours of significant architecture, Mid-Century Modern homes, contemporary residences, and architect-designed properties throughout Southern California.

VIDEO CHAPTERS

00:00 — What Is Organic Architecture?
01:29 — Frank Lloyd Wright, Nature & the Origins of the Idea
02:27 — Form, Function & Lautner’s Architecture
03:25 — The Triangle That Organizes the House
04:03 — Ancient and Futuristic
04:49 — Learning the House from the Inside Out
07:38 — Duncan Nicholson as Mentor
08:14 — Designing Through Imagination
09:52 — Lautner’s Original “Air Curtain”
11:47 — “The Best Detail Is No Detail”
14:51 — Inside the Primary Suite
17:34 — Natural Ventilation Without Air Conditioning
18:35 — Duncan Nicholson’s Cantilevered Chair
19:43 — Lautner’s All-Glass Sink
20:19 — Inside Club James
21:39 — How the Post-Tensioned Structure Works
23:20 — Four Expressions of Concrete
24:33 — Forced Perspective in the Stair
25:10 — The Cantilevered Dining Tables
27:46 — What Comes Next for the Property
28:00 — The Future Movie Screening Pavilion
29:36 — Architecture as an Ongoing Evolution
30:26 — Goldstein, Lautner, Nicholson & Conner + Perry
31:07 — Carrying an Architectural Legacy Forward

ARCHITECTURAL KEYWORDS

John Lautner, Sheats Goldstein Residence, Sheats-Goldstein Residence, James Goldstein, organic architecture, Frank Lloyd Wright, Duncan Nicholson, Conner Perry Architects, James Perry architect, Kris Conner architect, Los Angeles architecture, Los Angeles modernism, Mid Century Modern, Mid-Century Modern architecture, modern architecture, architectural tour, house tour, architecture documentary, architectural history, Lautner architecture, John Lautner house, iconic architecture, California modernism, Southern California architecture, concrete architecture, frameless glass architecture, post tension concrete, Club James, James Turrell Skyspace, architectural details, architecture design, modernist homes, architect designed homes, The Value of Architecture, Brian Linder AIA, Mark H Mendez

#JohnLautner #SheatsGoldsteinResidence #OrganicArchitecture #MidCenturyModern #TheValueOfArchitectureShow More

Two Modernist Homes on One Pasadena Street | Lawrence Test + Theodore Pletsch

Two Homes on Scenic Drive | Pasadena Modernism Scenic Drive Pasadena, ...

Two Homes on Scenic Drive | Pasadena Modernism

Scenic Drive
Pasadena, California

Two remarkable homes. One street. Two architects—and nearly eighty years of architectural history.

Brian Linder, AIA and Mark H. Mendez return to ...Scenic Drive in Pasadena to revisit two homes we recently represented for sale: Lawrence Test’s House with the Plywood Skin, completed in 1949, and the Willard Conrow Residence, designed by Theodore Pletsch in 1948.

Only a few doors apart, the houses went through remarkably similar transformations before coming to market. In both cases, the approach was the same: remove what did not belong, preserve what mattered, and allow the original architecture to become visible again.

At the Lawrence Test house, that meant restoring its exposed post-and-beam structure and extraordinary single-layer mahogany plywood skin, where one material serves as both interior finish and exterior enclosure.

At the Conrow Residence, the process began with architectural clues. The house clearly suggested the hand of a trained designer, even though the architect was unknown at the time of the sale. After closing, the new owner discovered the answer: Theodore Pletsch.

This episode is also about what happens behind the scenes before an architectural property reaches the market. We discuss restoration, boutique staging, preparation costs, pricing strategy, multiple offers, and the importance of presenting a significant house in a way that supports rather than erases its character.

For us, that is the larger point. Selling architecture is not simply about marketing a property. It is about understanding what gives a house value, making that visible, and finding the next steward who appreciates it.

FEATURED HOMES

Lawrence Test, Architect
House with the Plywood Skin
1949

Theodore Pletsch, Architect
Willard Conrow Residence
1948

Scenic Drive
Pasadena, California

VIDEO

Orlando Canelo Hernandez
@pb.mediafilm | PB Media

Brian Linder, AIA
Architecture Broker
@thevalueofarchitecture

Mark H. Mendez
@markhmendez

Considering buying or selling architecture?

Brian and Mark would be happy to help.

THE VALUE OF ARCHITECTURE
Properties With Design Integrity.

@thevalueofarchitecture
@markhmendez

For more architecture and architect-designed homes for sale in Los Angeles, join the newsletter:
https://thevalueofarchitecture.com/join-newsletter

Subscribe for more tours of significant architecture, Mid-Century Modern homes, contemporary residences, and architect-designed properties throughout Southern California.

CHAPTERS

00:00 We’re Actually Realtors
00:28 Lawrence Test’s House with the Plywood Skin
00:42 Exoskeleton and Single-Layer Plywood Skin
01:17 Restoring the Architecture
02:24 Boutique Staging vs. Corporate Staging
03:27 The Investment Before the Sale
03:57 Pricing Strategy and Multiple Offers
04:25 A Second House on the Same Street
05:32 The Willard Conrow Residence
05:55 Japanese Influence and Architectural Clues
06:27 Stripping Away Instead of Adding
07:01 Preparing the Home for Market
07:34 Six Months of Work Before Listing
08:01 Our Architectural Approach to Real Estate
08:32 Discovering Theodore Pletsch
09:35 Original Architectural Details
10:17 The Mystery of the Sunroom
11:29 Modernist Flexibility and the Landscape
11:58 Finding the Next Stewards

ARCHITECTURAL KEYWORDS

Lawrence Test, House with the Plywood Skin, Theodore Pletsch, Willard Conrow Residence, Pasadena architecture, Scenic Drive Pasadena, Mid-Century Modern Pasadena, post-and-beam architecture, plywood house, architectural restoration, architectural real estate, boutique staging, California modernism, historic modern homes, architect-designed homes, The Value of Architecture

#LawrenceTest #TheodorePletsch #PasadenaArchitecture #MidCenturyModern #CaliforniaModernism #ArchitecturalRestoration #ArchitecturalHomes #ArchitectureTour #DesignIntegrity #TheValueOfArchitectureShow More

WAll information is provided by the licensed REALTOR®/Broker/Agent. This information is not verified for authenticity or accuracy and is not guaranteed. This website is not responsible or liable in any manner for any content posted herein or in connection with our services. Information is not guaranteed and must be confirmed by the end-user.

Compass is a real estate broker licensed by the State of California and abides by Equal Housing Opportunity laws. License Number 01991628. All material presented herein is intended for informational purposes only and is compiled from sources deemed reliable but has not been verified. Changes in price, condition, sale or withdrawal may be made without notice. No statement is made as to the accuracy of any description. All measurements and square footage are approximate. If your property is currently listed for sale this is not a solicitation.

A Rare Look Inside Craig Ellwood’s Case Study House #16

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