Colorful double-A-frame by Harry Gesner in the Hollywood Hills asking $3.5M

Newly available in an off-market listing is the residence that maverick architect Harry Gesner credits with putting him on the map, a.k.a. the Cole House.

Tucked into the hills above the Sunset Strip, the home was built in the late ’50s as the swinging bachelor pad for Fred Cole, founder of the swimwear company Cole of California.

Its exuberant design bore a strong Polynesian influence, making it the perfect backdrop for swimsuit-clad models in Cole of California ads and magazine fashion spreads, such as the one shown here, which ran in the May 25, 1959 issue of LIFE.

Per the listing, the 3,491-square-foot house has been “restored and updated by the current owner,” and features three bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths, Brazilian cherry wood floors, vertiginous ceilings, and massive walls of glass offering sweeping city skyline views. There’s also a two-car garage and a triangular pool (but alas, no more bamboo curtains).

Asking price for the property, which sits on a 9,131-square-foot hillside lot, is $3.5 million.

• The Cole House [Sotheby’s]
• Harry Gesner: An Architect, Maverick, and Modern Adventurer Riding the Waves [Curbed]