Almost a year later, one of the best units in Gregory Ain’s landmark Silver Lake complex returns to the market.
Ain centered his practice around designing affordable modernist housing for working-class clients featuring flexible floor plans and open kitchens. The Avenel Cooperative Housing Project was “An unusual example of a Federal Housing Administration-funded project in the postwar period; ten families pooled resources to create a modestly scaled complex that incorporated modern ideas about affordable indoor-outdoor living.”
Listed last year, the updated unit retains Ain’s original design using sliding walls and sliding wood room dividers, allowing the space to be used as one, two, or three bedrooms with one bathroom.
The “main living space feature a glass wall across the full length of the room to bring the feel of the exterior patio inside. The complex’s landscape was designed by Garrett Eckbo, who used ivy and other vines for ground cover and planted various trees to complement the strong horizontal lines of the Modern-style buildings.
“Avenel Cooperative Housing remained cooperative until 1991, when its owners converted to condominium ownership. It continues to serve as an outstanding example of the potential for well-designed, affordable urban housing in very small spaces.”
Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, 2845 1/2 Avenel Street is located in the Ivanhoe Elementary School District near local favorites such as the Silver Lake Reservoir, Blair’s, and Little Pine. The asking price is $1.2 million.
Listing courtesy of Kimberly Turner – Dilbeck