A midcentury modern abode in Pasadena, CA, is up for grabs, and the next owner won’t have to do a thing to the place.
This home from last century has been brought into this one. The sellers purchased the property in 2022 from the original owners, notes the listing agent listing agent John Matthes, with Crosby Doe Associates. Then, they embarked on a refresh.
“The person who bought it hired the right kind of construction company with the mantra of ‘do no harm,’ renovating the property in the correct way,” Matthes says.
So two years and about $500,000 in upgrades later, mostly to mechanicals and other systems, the modernized home is back on the market, listed for $4,250,000.
“The house is identical to what it was [originally],” Matthes notes. “All the colors and everything are exactly the same.”
Known as the Kubly House, the residence was designed by architect Craig Ellwood in 1965 for Don and Sally Kubly. Don Kubly would go on to become the second president of the Art Center College of Design, and Ellwood ended up designing the school’s campus when it was relocated.
Matthes, who graduated from the school Kubly headed, says he first saw the house about a decade ago at an alumni event there.
“I specialize in selling architecture by known architects, mostly midcentury era architects,” Matthes says, adding that he had multiple offers for the house the first time around and expects the same this time.
The sellers bought the home sight unseen.
“This is the type of architecture that really excites people, so somebody is going to buy this house that understands and respects it and doesn’t want to get involved in a project,” Matthes predicts, noting that the updates are all complete.
The 2,156-square-foot, wood-and-glass home seems to levitate above the ground.
“This house is sited in a particular way in a grove of ancient oak trees, and it just sits in a space that sort of slightly hovers off the ground like on a little pedestal,” Matthes explains.
Set on over a half-acre, the property also has a patio and a pool. The listing notes there’s room to add a studio or guest quarters on the grounds, too.
The buyer will be just the third owner of the property. The Kubly children sold it to the sellers in May of 2022 for $3.6 million, according to Realtor.com®. Matthes says they thought they would stay in the house longer, but a change in circumstances altered their plans.
He adds: “I think somebody’s going to buy it that probably has an interest in owning architecture the way that one owns art.”
Originally published in Realtor.com
Text by Tiffani Sherman
