Landmark midcentury modern home in West Hills sells for $4.5 million
The midcentury modern home and estate was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985 Credit: Twilight Artistry/Brian Berkowitz
Architect Wallace K. Harrison’s landmarked 1930s summer house and estate at 140 Round Swamp Rd. in West Hills just sold for $4,500,000, which is a record for the area, according to OneKey MLS.
The midcentury modern home and estate was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985 by the second owner, art collector Hester Diamond, mother of the Beastie Boys’ Mike D.
The house was originally designed by Harrison as a one-story, flat-roofed concrete main house with a two-story circular living room near the center. That room was rumored to have been his inspiration for designing the Rainbow Room, an iconic entertainment venue in Manhattan. He also created two adjoining round rooms and a circular pool approached by a path of round pavers. All of those circular features still exist.
But in 2003, the most recent owners began a restoration and renovation of about 40% of the home as it had fallen into disrepair. They hired the firm SchappacherWhite Architecture. The house required insulation, a modern kitchen, art conservation and other modern upgrades. When it was completed in 2009, it had been restored and expanded to 14 rooms and 12,000 square feet, double the size of the original structure.
Architect Wallace K. Harrison's circular living room was rumored to have been his inspiration for designing the Rainbow Room, an iconic entertainment venue in Manhattan. Credit: Twilight Artistry/Brian Berkowitz
The three original circular rooms are the center design element. The living room — which has been the location of numerous scenes in movies, TV shows and photoshoots — still has the original terrazzo and wood dance floor. There’s also a gourmet kitchen with clerestory windows, upper and lower family rooms and a library, five fireplaces, walnut flooring and glass walls. The four-bedroom house also has a wine tasting room, home theater and gym. The 3.6-acre estate includes the circular saltwater pool, a new Turf Tek surface tennis court, slate patio, eight-hole mini golf putting green, waterfall and mature landscaping.
The 3.6-acre estate includes a circular saltwater pool. Credit: Twilight Artistry/Brian Berkowitz
The sellers first put the house on the market in 2018 for $6.5 million, then took it off until July 2020 when it was listed for $5,999,000. Listing agent Philip C. Laffey, owner of Laffey Real Estate, said the sellers wanted a smaller home and hoped to sell to someone who would appreciate the home’s history and become its caretakers.
"I think the most important thing is that people sometimes think these old houses are not worth restoring because it’s a lot of effort and money," Laffey said. "But when you see them restored and you see the history there — and this one is literally like a piece of art — the fact that the sellers saw the potential there and didn’t just knock it down matters."
