Josef van der Klar’s Masterwork In Pacific Palisades, $7.5M

Author:Philip Ferrato

Josef van der Klar, the son of Dutch immigrants to L.A. was a kind of sophisticated Mid-century Southern California archetype—architect, professor, poet and radical Communist—one of the visionary architects who, like Gregory Ain, believed that architecture went hand-in-hand with social change. Nonetheless, he had prosperous clients, creating this elegant Modernist pavilion in 1957 for Henry and Beverly Rowen on a deeply private, wooded site in Rivas Canyon; it would be photographed by Julius Shulman two years later, and Rowen would go on to have his own footnote in American political and military history as head of the RAND Corporation and his involvement with the Pentagon Papers. Now on the market for the first time in nearly two decades, this under-the-radar masterwork has been sensitively updated, retaining the architect’s elegant finishes and details, with completely new systems and swimming pool.

Inside, a sweeping, curved partition defines the foyer, set off on gleaming black terrazzo. And like so many exceptional Mid-century dwellings, there are no visible headers above the walls of glass.

Below, the restored primary suite’s bath retains its original red terrazzo. There’s a total of four bedrooms and three baths.

For more, go to the listing for additional images and details or have a look at the video. An outstanding opportunity to acquire a significant piece of L.A.’s design and cultural history, represented by the architecture specialists F. Ron Smith and David Berg of the Smith & Berg Property Group at Compass.