That Commanding Presence

If the HVAC isn't keeping you comfortable enough this summer, and you're in need of more cooling down, we've got an architectural home with a breezy seaside setting for you to consider.

It's an opportunity to live in an elite coastal community in SoCal's San Diego County, just minutes from beautiful Windansea Beach and Downtown La Jolla.

Distinguished by its elevated site and commanding presence, the home was designed in the 1950s as a spec house by local architect Roger Matthews.

When construction was completed, the 'Joseph L. Klatt Spec House' was advertised in a July 1956 press as an 'Outstanding Modern Home,' and by October the house had attracted a buyer, Fred Antelline and family. (On a side note, coincidentally the Antellines' son, at age 19, designed a home for his parents, which we covered in a previous story.)

Today the Klatt Spec House, located at 6161 Terryhill Drive in La Jolla, lists for sale at $3.5 mil, represented by Jeffrey Walker of Agents of Architecture.

"The whole neighborhood is serene and private," Walker says. "It feels like you're on the water, yet you're like a mile away because you're perched up high. You can even see one of the wave-breaks…and some surfers down there."

A single-family residence in the exclusive Muirlands neighborhood named for naturalist John Muir, the gated property leads up a private drive to the house.

"The blockwork is really neat," says Walker, "and from the other Roger Matthews' houses I've sold, I haven't seen that anywhere else. Usually, he incorporates a special design on one of the corners of his homes; it was one of the architect's character-defining features."

Inside, three bedrooms and two baths sit within 2,142 square feet. The functional floor plan is "a great layout, almost a U-shaped kind of a design. Doesn't seem like it when you're in there, but it definitely is," says Walker. "All the bedrooms are on one side, and when you're in the living room, you can see the other wing."

Floor-to-ceiling windows bring in natural light from the courtyard, while west-facing windows in the living room and several bedrooms offer views of the Pacific.

"This home has substantial water views," he adds, "not only from the living room and several bedrooms, but you can see the ocean from the pool and patio area through two sets of windows."

Retaining its mid-century modern aesthetic over the years, including open-beam ceilings and unpainted mahogany panels, you'll also find a fireplace, abundant built-ins, and a well-appointed, open kitchen with built-in lighted cabinetry.