Ray Kappe's Modernist masterpiece asks $11.5 million in Pacific Palisades

"An iconic property that has been described as possibly "the greatest house in Southern California" just hit the market for the first time ever in Pacific Palisades. Asking price: $11.5 million. A Midcentury masterpiece, the home served as the primary residence of Ray Kappe, the late architect who co-founded the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc). He designed the place himself in 1967. in 2019, and his wife Shelly, who also co-founded SCI-Arc, died last year. Now, the property is being sold by their family trust."

"Tucked on a hillside in the Rustic Canyon neighborhood, floats above a natural spring that flows through the property, resting on six concrete columns sunk 30 feet into the ground. The 4,157-square-foot floor plan is split across seven levels, featuring five bedrooms, five bathrooms and free-flowing living spaces wrapped in redwood and glass. One critic called it "a controlled explosion of space." An architect called it "the quintessential treehouse.""

"The 1967 home features dramatic design elements, some of which couldn't be built today: handrail-free stairs and glass comprising roughly 50% of the floor plan. Critics have called it possibly "the greatest house in Southern California," and it was designated an L.A. Historic-Cultural Monument in 1996. It's not a house that could be built today - for a handful of reasons. First, the hovering stairs and footbridges that navigate the property have no handrails, which are now required under current construction co"

Ray Kappe’s 1967 Pacific Palisades residence is on the market for $11.5 million. The 4,157-square-foot home rests on six concrete columns above a natural spring and is spread over seven levels. The property contains five bedrooms, five bathrooms and expansive living areas wrapped in redwood and glass, with roughly half the floor plan glazed. Design features include handrail-free hovering stairs and footbridges that would not meet current codes. The house served as Kappe’s primary residence, reflects notable midcentury modern principles, and holds an L.A. Historic-Cultural Monument designation.

Read at Los Angeles Times