One of the so-called bachelor houses designed by famed Mid-Century Modern architect John Lautner is set to hit the Los Angeles market Friday for $2.998 million, Mansion Global has learned.
Known as the Bergren Residence, the two-bedroom home features an angled roof, walls of glass and vistas of the city and the hills around it, according to the listing with Anthony Mian of Douglas Elliman Realty.
“The fact that Lautner is the designer is the most significant thing about the home—he was a disciple of Frank Lloyd Wright,” Mr. Mian said. “In Los Angeles, Mid-Century Modern architecture is highly desirable, so you have one of the creators of the style’s original houses…and then you have the view and the V-shaped roof looking out to the city. It’s just inspiring when you’re in the living room.”
Hiram Banks, a principal consultant at Banks Landl Lighting Design and a regular restorer of historic homes, purchased the property in 2018 for $1.95 million, according to property records.
“I’ve always been a fan of good architecture, like [Richard] Neutra and Lautner,” Mr. Banks told Mansion Global, noting that he visited the Bergren Residence one weekend and made a bid that was eventually accepted. Then the restoration began.
“I worked with the architects who actually wrote the book on Lautner and did the archives at the Getty Center on Lautner,” Mr. Banks continued, referring to the Los Angeles-based architectural firm Escher Gunewardena, editors of the monograph “John Lautner, Architect.” The team used Lautner’s original drawings and sketches of the home as reference.
“They took it back to what it was, because a lot of things have been done over the years that were not good to the house,” Mr. Banks said.
For example, a planter on the side of the house had been made into a water feature, something the original architect would never have done, according to Mr. Banks. In addition, the floors had been coated with a shiny epoxy, which was removed in favor of the original, mustard-colored concrete floors, and an HVAC system that had been installed on the roof was removed and smaller units were brought into the house.
Other changes were more structural, including replacing the roof and dealing with termite damage, Mr. Banks added.
The Bergren Residence was initially designed as a one-bedroom bachelor pad, but another bedroom was added later when the original owner, Big Band guitarist Ted Bergren, was married—under Lautner’s direction. There’s also a raised living room and a stainless steel Poliform kitchen designed by Norman Foster that is not original, but Mr. Banks did not remove it because of its minimalist look.
The home has an open living, dining and kitchen area, which makes it more conducive to modern living, he added.
“Everyone loves Mid-Century Modern architecture, but it’s not always the most functional,” Mr. Mian said. “I think the fact that this is a single level and actually has an open floor plan, actually could be lived in functionally, mixed with the fact that it’s an original John Lautner house is really what sets it apart.”
Lautner, also famous for his space-age, circular homes, worked in the Los Angeles area from 1938, when he opened his own practice, until the end of his career. He died in 1994 at the age of 83.