Warmly Wrapped Aluminum - Page 2

"There's such a limited amount," Blau says of Soriano's body of work, which received awards from the American Institute of Architects and University of Southern California before he died in 1988. "This is the last one, to my knowledge, that's [still] owned by the commissioning party."

In 1964, Soriano was about to launch a company dedicated to building aluminum houses, but this house and 11 built in 1965 in Maui were the only ones ever built by Soria Structures Inc. They were the last of the architect's designs ever constructed and, sadly, the Hawaiian houses were built in his absence with, according to reports, construction errors and never inhabited.

Soriano designed the Grossman House around a center solarium and dubbed it 'El Paradiso,' but reportedly walked off the job before it was completed. The Grossmans finished the build and documented it thoroughly by compiling several photo albums, the earliest of which include photos of Soriano on site. They also saved every receipt, including those for some Eames chairs and Herman Miller bar stools that remain in the house.

"It's like looking at a museum piece," Blau says, noting that there are 78 windows but not a single painted wall. "You can look from one end of the house all the way to the other end through windows. It's just remarkable."

In 1997, the Grossman House aka 'El Paradiso' was declared a historic-cultural monument by the City of Los Angeles.

"The house is in impeccable condition. It's like walking back in time," says Blau, who admitted that she and Di Benedetti share a fondness for mid-century modern houses and own two of them. "To me, it's very livable."

Despite more interest in the property online than any listing she's ever had, Blau concedes that no offers have been made as of last week.

"It's a very specialized house," she offers as explanation. "It's like buying a case of fine wine or a piece of art."

Or maybe a first edition of The Catcher in the Rye.

For more info and photos of the Soriano home, click here.