What makes the Ain tract so special is the fact that there are so many mainly unspoiled houses in the two square block area, rather than the specialness of any single one. This is a unique collection that LA is lucky to have.
it may be just "another", but soak up the provenance, soak up the ambience, soak up the pain gregory ain suffered in pursuit of not only his architectural ideals, but also his social and political ideals. a true piece of mcm architectural history….
Reginald Johnson’s influential work preceded that of Gregory Ain. You may be thinking of his son, Joseph Johnson, who was one of Ain’s partners in the later 40’s/early’50s.
Kurt-
There was a tech boom in the 1990s, and a real estate boom in the 2000s, and we may see another boom in the 2010s, source unknown.
Also, recovery tends to be a long procres, unfolding over years. So, by the time things get really hot (could be 5 to 10 years by now), other "problems" have been fixed, such as tax revenues.
I am concerned that Chinese nationals may not come here as they did through 2006—more opps in Chia nowadays.
There is another thought: Through thick and thin, worker productivity has been rising. The typical US worker produces 3 times as much as in 1970.
As a result, there is more income left over after buying the basics (especially in the upper half). The upper half is who buys L.A. housing. They are really rich.
It is true, maybe the US as a whole is headed for the crapper. We fund open-ended wars with borrowed money, trillions of dollars of it. The foundation of the Republican Party is the Red State Socialist Empire, and they require hundreds of billions in federal lard every year. You ain;t going to see a balanced budget in the US any time soon.
Maybe you may wish to invest in China or Thailand.
LA Weekly Takes on WeHo's Politics, Planning Approach
@Formosa: Formosa, you seem to have some sort of personal agenda against Lauren Meister – who is the total opposite of a nut job in a $M home. Lauren is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of a prestigious university who lives in a modest small home in the only SFM area of WeHo. Rep. Henry Waxman had her testify last month at the Congressional Hearings ain favor of the Health Care Plan and her testimony received worldwide coverage. She had great sound bites and zingers. She is very sharp on her toes. She received almost as many votes as the nearest incumbent in the last local election and spent a mere fraction of the money with no support from developers or city insiders – unlike the incumbents. She has a lot of support throughout WeHo. She tirelessly points out ethical inconsistencies of Planning Commission and City Councils votes and decisions. Their attempts to marginalize her – as you are trying to do – fall on deaf ears to those who know her. She is a formidable force in the community and highly respected.
It’s a pity that property owners don’t appreciate what they have. This house is within an incredibly intact subdivision of houses designated by the city of Los Angeles as the Gregory Ain Mar Vista Tract HPOZ. Sadly, because of the irreversible alterations, it’s one of only three parcels (out of fifty-two) in the tract that are listed as noncontributing features to the district (in other words, it’s been ruined beyond redemption from a design integrity standpoint). The photos pretty much bear this out. According to the city’s 2002 HPOZ survey, structural alterations included "Bumpout on S side; glassblock; front door; sliding metal sash; bumpout on front façade; eaves raised." Just the facts…
compared to richard rotenberg of maslon house infamy, these owners are huggable darlings, dodgy alterations and dodgy antiques or not. ain wouldn’t have approved of antiques, because modernist idealism apart, someone of his political leaning would only associate them with the bourgeoisie. ain, one of the most under-recognised architect of all time, hopefully to change since anthony denzer’s quite brilliant bio……
@Steven Price: No criticisms? Then you clearly lake a discerning eye and your overall design sensibilities are questionable at best. The "remodelers" really f’ed up this house. No wonder it’s not part of the overall HPOZ overlay – a (dis)honor shared by only 2 other remuddled homes in the larger 52-unit Ain tract.