1912 South Pas Mansion by G. Lawrence Stimson Asking $1.8M

This 1912 house in South Pasadena's historic Oaklawn District was designed by architect and builder G. Lawrence Stimson, who also designed Pasadena's incredible Wrigley Mansion (aka the Rose Parade Tournament House) and many other houses in the area, but this five-bedroom estate was also Stimson's personal residence for a time, says the listing. Now it seems the house is something of a restoration opportunity, but the bones are so, so good. Beyond the classically lovely entry, there is all the right kind of molding everywhere—rose motif in the formal dining room!—huge double-hung windows, wonderful wood floors, and a circular staircase.

To keep things from being too predictable, there's a "Japanese bathroom" at the back of the house, which, from the photos, appears to be a wood-slatted shower enclosed in paper screens. There's a bit of work to be done on the dwelling (the backyard needs spiffing, one of the upstairs floors appears to be paint-splattered), but it's easy to see that this 4,356-square-foot jewel just needs a bit of polishing up. It's listed for $1.799 million.

· 207 Oaklawn Ave., South Pasadena, CA 91030 [Estately]