Pierre Koenig’s Own Home - Page 2

The San Francisco-born, USC-educated Koenig built some 43 steel-and-glass homes, and the Altmans say he worked five years on an amazing design specifically for this lot. It shows.

Koenig's construction drawings were so precise that the steel frame was erected in one day. Divided between public spaces on the ground floor and three bedrooms on the second floor, the entire I-beam construction revolves around a stunning three-story atrium "core."

The 30-foot atrium is crossed by landings and stairways, highlighted by full-height clerestory windows, and enhanced acoustically by a carefully planned ceiling height for the music-loving architect.

"One of [the property's] many fascinating features includes the clerestory," says the Altmans' statement, "which was built with exceptional acoustics and the ability to bring music into all parts of the house because the Koenigs were avid lovers of music."

The clerestories and two atrium fans also work with a special wind door' on the ground floor to provide natural cross-ventilation that eliminates the need for HVAC equipment, even in a Los Angeles summer. There is also radiant heating in parts of the house.

The nearly 3,000-square-foot house has 2.5 baths, including one on the first floor. Also on the ground are the living room, dining room, kitchen, parlor, library, and a utility room. A separate office space where Koenig used to work faces the street.

The architect, who also designed CSH #21, lived in the Dorothy Street house for his last 19 years before succumbing to pneumonia at age 78 in 2004. His wife, Gloria, the Kaufman's mother, lived there ten more and died in 2014.

"We undertook a three-year, meticulous restoration to bring it up to modern standards, while using as many of the original materials, paints, and fabrics with attention to all the detail," said Brandan Kaufman, a grandson speaking to another publication.

The L.A. Conservancy calls the house "a wonderful example of the architect's ideas put into stunning practice," and one of those ideas was certainly his confidence in steel as a housing material. Like steel-framed skyscrapers, all beams are attached with bend-resistant moment' connections. All gutters and downspouts are seamlessly integrated into the frame, which is left exposed.

The Altmans' representative said more than 75 agents attended a brokers tour of the house last month, and that some offers have already been received. If you've got $4 mil tucked away for a mid-century modern classic, now is the time.

For more info on the Koenig house, click here.