Now on the market for the first time is the architectural vision of Harry Gesner, known as the Stebel House.
The work of the self-taught surfer-architect who once turned down an apprenticeship alongside Frank Lloyd Wright is published in Houses of The Sundown Sea. The author describes Gesner as a maverick architect “designing homes inspired by his lifelong muse, the mythical landscape of Southern California, the land of the sundown sea.
“Throughout his career, Gesner was drawn to unusual and challenging sites—the kind that most architects turn down as impossible to develop—and tapped into a broad streak of invention and innovation that courses through himself and his houses.”
We see his brilliant creativity expressed in the mid-century boat houses that line steep hillsides in the Cahuenga Pass, his famous Wave House that reportedly inspired the Sydney Opera House, and, of course, this X-frame residence, built circa 1961 on an idyllic lot located at 1963 N Mandeville Canyon Rd.
Surrounded by spectacular canyon vistas, the interior of this architectural beauty is imbued with 60s coolness, featuring soaring beamed ceilings that intersect with floor-to-ceiling windows, a sunken entertainer’s living room, triangular-shaped brick fireplace, and built-in bench seating.
Asking a tad under $2 million, the home also has a guest apartment or flex space equipped with a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and office.