In a newly discovered small tract of Palmer &
Krisel-designed homes in southeastern Granada Hills, CA in the San Fernando
Valley sits this 1956 midcentury modern home new to the market. Expanded to
five bedrooms and three bathrooms in 2,012 square feet, this home includes an
alley-loaded detached two-car garage on a 7,100 square-foot lot with an asking
price of $539,000.
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| Service porch at front of home |
The front of the home has been stuccoed over at some point
in a chunky lace stucco finish, while the original aluminum-framed windows have
been swapped out for mullioned white vinyl replacements. The front yard is
sprawling and grassy, uninterrupted by a driveway thanks to the rear-loaded
garage. The original service porch has been walled in with a solid block wall,
and a trellised patio cover adds shade to the north-facing porch.
Inside, the floor plan is identical to others that we have
seen throughout the San Fernando Valley, including Corbin Palms and Bermuda Woods.
The family room/dining room sits just off the entry, while the kitchen sits
along the east side of the home with the living room and small original dining
room at the rear of the home, while all the bedrooms lie at the western half of
the home.
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| Family/dining room and kitchen at front of home |
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| Family/dining room at front of home |
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| Family/dining room and kitchen |
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| Living room and entry hall |
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| Living room and fireplace |
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| Living room and rear addition |
The entry is paneled in late seventies diagonal paneling – definitely
a vintage southern California look. The entry is open to the adjacent family
room/dining room, which in turn opens to the kitchen with an open breakfast
bar. The living room sits at the back of the home, and is anchored with a
signature Krisel modernist fireplace with stacked block. The living room would
have originally overlooked the backyard through large floor-to-ceiling windows;
however a long-standing rear yard addition sits where the rear-facing windows
would have been.
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| Living room and dining room with original clerestories |
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| Kitchen |
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| Kitchen |
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| Addition at rear of home |
The original clerestory windows above the original dining
room and kitchen still stand, allowing for natural light to still enter the
home. The kitchen has been updated at some point, most likely in the early
1990s, and features raised panel oak cabinetry, tile countertops and a full
combination of black, white and stainless steel appliances. Access to the service
porch sits at the end of the kitchen, along with a set of built-in glass
display cabinets open to the family room. The rear addition adds in an
additional bedroom and den/family room with skylights and sliding glass doors leading
to the backyard and garage.
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| Master bedroom |
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| Master bedroom |
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| Secondary bedroom |
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| Secondary bedroom |
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| Guest bath |
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| Bathroom at rear addition |
The original master bedroom sits at the front corner of the
home, and maintains its original west-facing clerestory windows and
three-quarters bath. The guest bath has been traditionally renovated, with
raised panel cabinetry and a mix of beige tiles and natural stone. The original secondary bedrooms sit at the
rear of the home, and still maintain their open-beamed vaulted ceilings.
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| Back of home and garage |
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| Backyard and garage |
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| Back of home |
The backyard is fairly efficient in size, with the rear addition
and detached garage occupying most of the yard space. A small concrete slab
hugs the rear of the home and side of the garage, and a small patch of grass
with two large shade trees occupies the southwest corner of the yard.
There’s lots of potential to enjoy this home as is, restore,
or give a modernist makeover. These homes always have great bones, logical
layouts and lots of great natural light that make fantastic architectural
showpieces when restored back to their modernist roots.
