Man, it ain't easy being the century-old house next door to one of the most famous examples of residential architecture in the US. Feel the pathos in these listings for the two houses next door to the Greene and Greene-designed Gamble House in Pasadena: the Ayer House "has for years watched USC's picturesque restoration [of the Gamble] with envy," and both it and the Smith House are "Yearning to regain the sheen of yesteryear." They're both being sold by Pacific Oaks College, which has owned them since 1976 (the Ayer was classrooms and offices; the Smith was the school's library). The Smith was designed by Myron Hunt and built in 1909 as a winter house for Milwaukee banker J. Hoyt Smith, according to the listing; the Ayer was built in 1913 for Pillsbury Flour heirs Harold and Harriot Ayer (again: according to the listing--no independent confirmation on that). Each house is "searching for an owner that will restore its former splendor." The Smith House actually went up for sale last year, looking for an institutional buyer at $4 million. It's been chopped down to $2.9 million. The Ayer House is asking $2.6 million.
The Smith House
· 5 WESTMORELAND Pl [Redfin]
· 6 WESTMORELAND Pl [Redfin]
· Myron Hunt-Designed House Has Been Institutionalized [Curbed LA]
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