Midcentury time capsule near Silver Lake Reservoir asking $1.7M

Now on the market for the first time ever is a midcentury modern built for the family of Peter Soo Hoo, Sr., the founder of Los Angeles’ newer Chinatown. Located a block from the southwest end of the Silver Lake Reservoir at 3018 Castle Street, the home was designed by notable Chinese-American architect Schwen Wei Ma in 1952 and later modified and expanded by Gilbert Leong, architect of many of Chinatown’s public and commercial structures.

Designed to accommodate multiple generations of the Soo Hoo family, the structure was originally a duplex, then converted to a single-family residence with Leong’s remodel. Measuring 2,674 square feet, it has five bedrooms, two and one-quarter baths, two kitchens, and two living rooms, which can be kept separate or converged into a single long room via a set of pocket doors.

Other features include original built-ins, wood-paneled walls, period tile, hardwood floors, and sliding glass walls. On a hillside lot of 7,474 square feet, the property is listed with Gail Crosby of Sotheby’s International Realty at an asking price of $1.699 million.