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An Architecture Walking Tour of Silver Lake's Micheltorena St.

By Adrian Glick Kudler
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By Adrian Glick Kudler
18 comments / new

LA is full of lovely architecture, but some streets are particularly blessed. Like Silver Lake's Micheltorena, for instance, which is home to John Lautner's famous Silvertop house, but also to scads of other modern and not-modern houses of note. The street runs through the Moreno Highlands, a much-coveted area originally developed in the 1920s and '30s by silent film star Antonio Moreno and his oil heiress wife Daisy Canfield--their Canfield-Moreno Estate is just one point on our architecture walking map of the microhood: one mile, 13 (private!) houses of interest. Enjoy!

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Yates Studio

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In 1938, Rudolph Schindler designed a studio to sit on top of this house belonging to Peter Yates, music critic for Arts & Architecture magazine (which created the Case Study program). Yates held the Evenings on the Roof concert series in the space--the events drew Schoenberg and Stravinsky.

1735 Micheltorena Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026

Daniels House

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Gregory Ain designed this house built in 1939.

1856 Micheltorena Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026

Canfield-Moreno Estate

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This 1923 house, built by silent film star Antonio Moreno (for whom the Moreno Highlands area is named), is one of the few non-modern houses of note on Micheltorena. It was designed by Robert D. Farquhar and is a frequent filming location.

1923 Micheltorena Street, Los Angeles, CA 90039

Baldwin House

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John Lautner designed this house in 1955.

1949 Micheltorena Street, Los Angeles, CA 90039

Chapman House

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The Chapman was built in 1936 and designed by LG Scherer.

1954 Micheltorena Street, Los Angeles, CA 90039

1975 Micheltorena Street

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This house was designed by Otis Art Institute instructor Frederick Monhoff and built in 1950.

1975 Micheltorena Street, Los Angeles, CA 90039

Lautner House

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This was architect John Lautner's own house, built in 1939. He apparently lived in the house until the 1970s.

2007 Micheltorena Street, Los Angeles, CA 90039

Silvertop

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Perhaps the most famous house on Micheltorena and one of architect John Lautner's most well-known as well--Silvertop has appeared in Less Than Zero (as Andrew McCarthy's family home). It was built between 1957 and 1963 and has a cantilevered driveway and all kinds of awesome gadgets created by Kenneth Reiner, who commissioned the house.

2138 Micheltorena Street, Los Angeles, CA 90039

Oliver House

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Designed by Rudolph Schindler and built in 1933, the Olive has "one of Schindler's most handsome" living rooms (built-ins galore!) according An Architectural Guidebook to Los Angeles.

2236 Micheltorena Street, Los Angeles, CA 90039

Alexander House

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Built in 1941 and designed by Harwell Hamilton Harris; takes equally from Frank Lloyd Wright and California ranch houses, according to An Architectural Guidebook to Los Angeles.

2265 Micheltorena Street, Los Angeles, CA 90039

Tierman House

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The Tierman was designed by Gregory Ain (with Visscher Boyd) in 1938 and 1939.

2323 Micheltorena Street, Los Angeles, CA 90039

Orans House

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Another Gregory Ain, built in 1941.

2404 Micheltorena Street, Los Angeles, CA 90039

Day/Hachigian Residence

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This remodel of a 1947 house was designed by architect Joe Day in the early aughts; it has a built-in LED sign and was featured in Dwell in 2004.

2518 Micheltorena Street, Los Angeles, CA 90039

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Yates Studio

1735 Micheltorena Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026

In 1938, Rudolph Schindler designed a studio to sit on top of this house belonging to Peter Yates, music critic for Arts & Architecture magazine (which created the Case Study program). Yates held the Evenings on the Roof concert series in the space--the events drew Schoenberg and Stravinsky.

1735 Micheltorena Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026

Daniels House

1856 Micheltorena Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026

Gregory Ain designed this house built in 1939.

1856 Micheltorena Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026

Canfield-Moreno Estate

1923 Micheltorena Street, Los Angeles, CA 90039

This 1923 house, built by silent film star Antonio Moreno (for whom the Moreno Highlands area is named), is one of the few non-modern houses of note on Micheltorena. It was designed by Robert D. Farquhar and is a frequent filming location.

1923 Micheltorena Street, Los Angeles, CA 90039

Baldwin House

1949 Micheltorena Street, Los Angeles, CA 90039

John Lautner designed this house in 1955.

1949 Micheltorena Street, Los Angeles, CA 90039

Chapman House

1954 Micheltorena Street, Los Angeles, CA 90039

The Chapman was built in 1936 and designed by LG Scherer.

1954 Micheltorena Street, Los Angeles, CA 90039

1975 Micheltorena Street

1975 Micheltorena Street, Los Angeles, CA 90039

This house was designed by Otis Art Institute instructor Frederick Monhoff and built in 1950.

1975 Micheltorena Street, Los Angeles, CA 90039

Lautner House

2007 Micheltorena Street, Los Angeles, CA 90039

This was architect John Lautner's own house, built in 1939. He apparently lived in the house until the 1970s.

2007 Micheltorena Street, Los Angeles, CA 90039

Silvertop

2138 Micheltorena Street, Los Angeles, CA 90039

Perhaps the most famous house on Micheltorena and one of architect John Lautner's most well-known as well--Silvertop has appeared in Less Than Zero (as Andrew McCarthy's family home). It was built between 1957 and 1963 and has a cantilevered driveway and all kinds of awesome gadgets created by Kenneth Reiner, who commissioned the house.

2138 Micheltorena Street, Los Angeles, CA 90039

Oliver House

2236 Micheltorena Street, Los Angeles, CA 90039

Designed by Rudolph Schindler and built in 1933, the Olive has "one of Schindler's most handsome" living rooms (built-ins galore!) according An Architectural Guidebook to Los Angeles.

2236 Micheltorena Street, Los Angeles, CA 90039

Alexander House

2265 Micheltorena Street, Los Angeles, CA 90039

Built in 1941 and designed by Harwell Hamilton Harris; takes equally from Frank Lloyd Wright and California ranch houses, according to An Architectural Guidebook to Los Angeles.

2265 Micheltorena Street, Los Angeles, CA 90039

Tierman House

2323 Micheltorena Street, Los Angeles, CA 90039

The Tierman was designed by Gregory Ain (with Visscher Boyd) in 1938 and 1939.

2323 Micheltorena Street, Los Angeles, CA 90039

Orans House

2404 Micheltorena Street, Los Angeles, CA 90039

Another Gregory Ain, built in 1941.

2404 Micheltorena Street, Los Angeles, CA 90039

Day/Hachigian Residence

2518 Micheltorena Street, Los Angeles, CA 90039

This remodel of a 1947 house was designed by architect Joe Day in the early aughts; it has a built-in LED sign and was featured in Dwell in 2004.

2518 Micheltorena Street, Los Angeles, CA 90039