The landmark Joseph Kun Residence in Nichols Canyon—designed by the great Modernist architect Richard Neutra for Los Angeles Examiner printer Joseph Kun and finished in 1936—has come up for sale for the first time since wrapping up a thorough restoration. The seller is Devo singer and bassist Gerald Casale, who bought the house in 2007 and devoted the next seven years to meticulously fixing it up with the help of preservationist James Rega—the first three years were spent just researching all the details of the original design, the rest were filled with stripping and restaining the wood and removing all the post-1930s details and replacing them with period elements. Those materials that couldn't be found were made new to period-correct specification, according to a release from the broker representing Casale in the sale.

From the original cabinets down to the screws on the outdoor deck, this place—which Neutra said was his favorite of the period—should look almost exactly as it did back in 1936. The three-bedroom, two-bathroom house measures a not-extravagant 1,732 square feet, but spans three and a half stories, descending down from an entrance on the top floor, with a rooftop patio and several wraparound balconies; it was Neutra's first house to use all-electric fixtures. The house was designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 2011 and is also notable for launching the career of then-26-year-old photographer Julius Shulman, who ended up being one of the most important figures in the popularization of Modern architecture. Casale paid $2 million for the house back in 2007. It's now listed for $3.5 million.



· Richard Neutra Kun House [Official Site]

· Aaron Kirman, President Of Aaroe Estates, Lists Modernist Masterpiece Richard Neutra-Designed Home In Hollywood [PR Newswire]