Midcentury moderns are some of the most coveted properties in themarket, and a Ray Kappe-designed residence would be a crowning gem in just about any trophy property collector’s real estate portfolio. Lucky then that a boomerang-shaped house designed by the acclaimed architect, located in L.A.’s Baldwin Hills, is on the market at a snippet below $1.5 million.
Kappe, who died in 2019, is widely considered to be one of the most visionary architects to work in Southern California. After designing for private firms, he went on to found the architecture department at Cal Poly Pomona, and then started his own school, the Southern California Institute of Architecture, now regarded as one of the top architecture colleges in the country.
The Kappe house that’s up for grabs was built in 1958 along the sweeping curve of a quiet cul-de-sac, and modestly measures in at just over 1,900 square feet with three bedrooms and two bathrooms. The light-filled combination living/dining room contains what is perhaps the most dazzling feature of the stylish residence: a vast, angular wall of floor-to-ceiling glass that provides a truly cinematic sweep over the surrounding hills and takes in Century City, the Getty Center and the downtown skyline. A huge modern, open fireplace cleverly constructed with humble cinder blocks provides a cozy focal point for the room.
The master suite is bathed in natural light and has a warm, organic ambiance thanks to an accent wall clad in lustrous caramel-colored wood. A series of large picture windows is situated above the bed, while a small sitting area spills out through glass sliders to a backyard that offers the same spectacular views as the house but remains raggedy and without landscaping — no doubt a project for the next lucky owner.