For the first time since it was constructed in 1952, famed architect John Lautner’s so-called Harry and Pauline Williams Residence has officially hit the market with a $1.895 million price tag. Sited just below the iconic Hollywood sign in one of Tinseltown’s most celeb-popular neighborhoods, the modestly sized 1,600-square-foot villa has three bedrooms and two full bathrooms.
Lautner first met the Williamses at their grocery store, the petite, still-operational Beachwood Market, and was commissioned to build a home for the fast-growing family on a lot that they had recently purchased. Though it’s not as famous as his legendary Sheats-Goldstein Residence, the humble abode he built for the couple is indisputably a midcentury gem. (Lautner was also later commissioned to expand the house in 1954, when the couple decided they needed more elbow room.)
An early work of the architect, the house features a dramatic sloped-and-beamed ceiling in the den, soaring walls of glass, concrete floors with radiant heating and custom-built furniture designed by Lautner himself. The property was recently restored by Helena Arahuete, a Los Angeles-based architect who worked with Lautner since 1971.
Entering in through the house’s carved wooden front door, guests are immediately greeted by sunlight-carrying walls of glass in the living room. Broad beams of Douglas Fir line the ceiling, while a standalone concrete-block fireplace centers the family room. The room then flows into the kitchen, which is outfitted with some decidedly dated kitchen appliances, but still possesses all of the warm midcentury charm that one has come to expect from Lautner.
The home’s outdoor lounging area is perhaps its crowning gem, where all those glass walls effortlessly blend the lines of the house into the backyard, which is replete with lush foliage that give the property a cottage-in-the-forest feel. As an added bonus, marketing materials indicate there’s an extra room in the home that could be converted into an office, gym, or laundry room.
The listing is held by Marc Silver at Compass.