Is Elrod House Sale for Real? - Page 2

Nelson, co-listing agent for all five properties with partner Cat Moe for Coldwell Banker and Lloyd's Bank, said one of the vacant lots is also already in escrow.

The remarkable Elrod House has not been available for public viewing since a Modernism Week tour in 2011 and reveals little of its grandeur when viewed from below the hillside property.

"The way it sits on the site is very unassuming," said Nelson. When people enter the property through the Lautner-designed copper front gate and clear glass front door, he pointed out, they are inevitably somewhat awed.

"They don't want to move from that spot. They just want to sit down on something and enjoy it," he said of the glorious mountain and valley views afforded from the circular living room through curved, retractable glass walls.

Nelson said the walls paneled in South American courbaril wood are in good condition and the brushed stainless-steel kitchen was renovated at some point, but there is a tarpaulin on the roof and "a lot of deferred maintenance on the property that needs to be done."

"It hasn't been taken care of for a long time," he conceded, citing the landscaping in particular as needing work. Also, he said, "There [are] windows and doors that don't function properly."

Still, he said, "I just think it's one of those historic, iconic properties. I'm hoping whoever buys it puts it on the [National] Register [of Historic Places]."

After terming the Elrod House "monumental," Nelson quickly distinguished it from Lautner's much larger Hope House.

"When you walk into the Hope House, you feel like you're under the 405 freeway," he said of its enormity at 23,366 square feet. "The Elrod is just a lot more livable house."

Furthermore, despite the recent track record of the Hope House and others, Nelson said he thinks appreciation for the homes' architect is on the rise.

"I just think it's the times," he said of increasing popularity for mid-century modern design. "Lautner has always been good, and I think people are just now realizing the value of his work."