Huell Howser, the late TV producer/host of KCET's California's Gold and other shows, was known for his excitement and enthusiasm for all things California. His keen eye for the amazing was impeccable, and that included his architectural sensibilities: he was revealed to be the owner of the incredible Volcano House in Newberry Springs, which looks like a space egg and sits on a volcanic peak. With that in mind, it's this Twentynine Palms house that was referred to as his "dream home." During travels for his show, Huell passed through the desert burg of Twentynine Palms and loved it instantly; in 1997, when this house there, on nearly 12 acres, went up for sale, he bought it in a day and got to work on remodeling, intent on updating the circa-1953 house while preserving its character.
Now this two-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bathroom house has industrial elements, like "cast-in-place concrete kitchen countertops, stainless steel baseboards and an inverted mid-century streetlight fixture that serves as the master bath wash basin," but still retains its mid-century cool. The garage was converted into an entertainment room with movable glass walls, and the pool offers vast views of the mountains over a barrier of rusted steel sheets. Huell's desert hideaway can be yours for $395,000.
· 5960 Sunrise Road, Twentynine Palms, CA 92277 [Jeff Wysard]
· Striking Gold [LA Times]
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