Idyllic SoCal Retreat for Sale

When a home designed by the Southern California architectural firm of Buff, Straub and Hensman hits the market, we take special note.

Perhaps that keen interest began with the influential trio's rise to fame in 1958 with their design of Case Study House #20, built for legendary graphic designer Saul Bass.

Our memory also brings to mind that, over the years, the Pasadena-based architectural team designed homes for other celebrities as well, including Hollywood star Steve McQueen, and fellow actor Laurence Harvey, who commissioned three personal homes from the architects.

There's also some deeper meaning here: Many of SoCal's finest mid-century modern homes created in the postwar were indeed designed by Buff, Straub and Hensman.

This week we present one of them—the Mitchell Residence, a well-preserved mid-century time capsule completed by BS&H in 1959. Built in the elite community of Rolling Hills Estates, on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, 2 Seahurst Road is listed at $1.850mil by Nate Cole of Modern California House.

"This is a subtle house that presents as sort of a simple, low-slung ranch, but it is so much more," says Cole. "It's classic Buff, Straub and Hensman with subtle elevations, simple materials, and everything in its place."

Original owner Jack Mitchell was an electrical engineer who was drafted during World War II. He and his wife, Ann, had come from Minnesota originally, purchasing the land during the 1950s.

Cole says that, from what he was told, "Ann was the driving force and loved modern. A librarian who headed UCLA's social justice archive library, she found architect Calvin Straub through the Los Angeles Times 'Home' magazine supplement. Straub was Professor of Architecture at USC at the time."

At the time the Mitchell Residence was being designed, Straub was not yet a partner in the firm. Cole found "early letters back and forth [between Jack Mitchell and Straub], from the first engagement from Cal Straub." On one letter, dated August 30, 1957, the architects' address is hand-typed, indicating the newly formed partnership of Buff, Straub and Hensman.

Offered for only the second time since being built, this home was first sold by Cole 15 years ago, and "my clients have maintained the home in near-original condition, with the exception of making system updates."

Perched on over an acre, the split-level house takes architectural advantage of its private setting. Steps lead down to a captivating structure, where living spaces and adjacent decks embrace the pines, introducing views of nature into every room.

Floor-to-ceiling window walls expand the dynamic living space into the outdoors while providing a sheltered open-plan dining area, family room, and kitchen. A dramatic sunken living room is anchored by a full-height, brick fireplace with a modern, cantilevered mantle.