“I’d seen a ton of other homes. I just got this feeling from the bones of the house … I saw the shape, I saw the yard, and I saw what I could do with it, and I knew that it was the house to my son in and build from there.”
This is how Randy Levine remembers feeling upon first seeing his current residence. Built in 1937, at the dawn of modernism, “Los Angeles architects (both native-born and immigrant) had developed a free-thinking, exploratory Modernism blended with commercial pragmatism that generated new forms, new architectures, and a new decentralized city.” Slightly tucked back from the street at the curve of the cul-de-sac, 1248 Las Flores Dr in Eagle Rock is a prime example of residential life in Los Angeles shifting into the modernist era.
The beauty of the L-shaped dwelling wrapped in old redwood is its simplicity. “My favorite thing about the house is how open it is and all of the glass.” The living room, grounded by concrete floors and a wood-burning fireplace, looks onto the open dining area and the vintage-style kitchen.
Large windows and sliding glass doors let in the green scenery of the tall Mexican weeping, Oldhamii, and golden bamboo, creating seamless indoor-outdoor living.
“I left more natural mostly because I like it that way. I’ve always been adding to it over the years. There’s been some stuff I’ve ripped out or put back in, but I just like the Japanese feel to it. That was the whole idea – the whole concept of the house was old-style Japanese but with modern elements and in a modern way.”
The 1,523 square feet of internal space holds three bedrooms and one-and-three-quarter bathrooms. On the main level, one bedroom is en-suite with a wall of sliding glass opening to the yard.
Just beyond the full bathroom featuring a soaking tub is a short flight of stairs leading to another bedroom where you can sit and enjoy picturesque views coming in through large custom windows. “The people who lived here before had a kind of boiler/laundry room in what is now the third bedroom” that’s accessed by a fun hidden door. Detached from the house is a studio that’s “a great little space for an office or to do yoga, which I do out there sometimes.”
And, while you feel miles away in this retreat setting, you’re moments away from local favorites like Casa Bianca Pizza Pie, Little Beast Restaurant, the dog park, and the Eagle Rock Recreation Center.
The property sits on a nice-sized lot of 8,773 square feet and has a detached garage. It’s listed off-market at an asking price of $1,295,000.