A floor-to-ceiling concrete block fireplace and long built-in sofa serve as focal points of the living room.
Sterling Reed
A striking home designed by noted California architects Conrad Buff and Donald Hensman and built more than seven decades ago has just popped up for sale at a speck under $2.8 million in southwest Pasadena‘s desirable San Rafael neighborhood, complete with a natural spring-fed creek meandering through its bucolic grounds. The listing, which is already pending sale after just a week on the market, is held by George Penner of Compass.
Commissioned by oil company supervisor-turned-engineer John (Jack) Norton and his wife Laurel in the early 1950s, built at a cost of around $11,500, and thoughtfully maintained and updated through the years, the residence was sold to its current and fourth owners, Glenn and Maggie Rothner, in 2011 for $1.3 million. Aptly named the Norton House, it was featured in a 1958 issue of Sunset Magazine and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2009. It was also part of a Pasadena Heritage driving tour celebrating midcentury-modern architecture in 2013.
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Tucked away on a sloping hillside parcel spanning almost a third of an acre, the flat-roof abode offers four bedrooms and three baths across roughly 2,500 square feet on two levels. The wood and glass structure’s interior spaces are every bit as eye-catching as its dramatic natural surroundings, with a mix of cork and polished concrete floors, ample built-ins, and dark post-and-beam ceilings dotted with skylights. French doors provide seamless indoor/outdoor environs.
An orange-hued front door opens into a central vestibule, which flows to a spacious living room anchored by a massive wide-hearth, rough concrete block fireplace flanked by integrated seating. That space abuts a dining area, with the nearby kitchen including an original mosaic tile backsplash and new light-toned cabinetry, quartz countertops, and Miele appliances, plus a breakfast nook.
An upgraded kitchen retains its original mosaic tile backsplash.
Sterling Reed
A hallway separated from the kitchen by a pony wall leads to two bedrooms that share a bath with a sunken tub and shower overlooking a small Japanese garden, as well as a primary suite boasting a separate office, direct access to a patio, and a bath equipped with a single-piece concrete sink and countertop. The lower level holds a guest suite and laundry facilities.
Amid the foliage-laced grounds are balconies, terraces, bridges, and staircases that connect the various entertaining areas, vegetable beds, ponds, and fire pit, while a street-side carport at the front of the house has room for two vehicles. An added bonus: The property is covered by the Mills Act, which offers significant property tax savings in exchange for preserving its historic appearance.
Click here for more photos of the Pasadena residence.
Sterling Reed
Authors
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Wendy Bowman