Mulholland Drive Modern - Page 2

"A lot of great design came out of a lack of materials," the realtor observed of the mid-century modernists. "They were like punk rockers. It wasn't intentional."

One can perhaps understand Gold's perspective better given his recent career. In 2016, he sold the Playboy Mansion West (1927) in nearby Holmby Hills for a then-record $100 million. Three years later, he sold the Chartwell Estate (1933) in Belair to Lachlan Murdoch for $150 million, still a record price for a California home.

By comparison, all the pizazz of a Case Study designer and a Mulholland Drive address might seem modest indeed, but it certainly has appeal for those of us who don't have nine figures to lay out for a home. Mulholland was built by developers in 1924 along the ridgeline of the eastern Santa Monica Mountains. It has been featured in many films and home to a galaxy of movie stars over the years, including Marlon Brando and Jack Nicholson.

As for Walker, he did not achieve the fame of Case Study architects like Richard Neutra or Pierre Koenig, but his work is still admired by modernists to this day. He built about 100 homes, mostly in Los Angeles County, before retiring to Ojai in 1958, where he ran a local hotel and store that featured his handmade jewelry. One can imagine that few people in the tiny mountain enclave knew the impressive architectural legacy of Walker before he passed away there in 1986.

After a yearlong restoration of the Mulholland house and a brief time on the market last November, Gold said he gave ten showings to prospective buyers the first weekend of March, but the home remained on the market this week.

For more information about 15154 Mulholland Drive or to request a showing, click here.