THE VALUE OF ARCHITECTURE

Michael Sant | AK Live Work Lofts, 2006

Walking through Michael Sant’s award-winning AK Live Work Lofts, we found ourselves constantly moving between solid and void, inside and outside, light and shadow.

Courtyards become gardens. Interior spaces feel like they’re outdoors. The boundaries between home, work, and landscape quietly dissolve.

Projects like this remind us that great architecture doesn’t ask for attention. It rewards curiosity.

A special thank you to Natasha Rezai of The Argus Group for allowing us to experience this remarkable project.

2 Bed | 2.5 Bath
1,757 SF
Listed at $1,999,000

Listed by
Natasha Rezai

Considering this property? Mark and I would be happy to help represent you in the purchase.

THE VALUE OF ARCHITECTURE
Properties With Design Integrity.




Video by Orlando Canelo Hernandez (.mediafilm) of PB Media

The Robinson Residence | Thomas Downes

What makes a home historically significant?
Sometimes it is not only the architecture, but the lives that moved through it.

Set within the Jefferson Park Historic Preservation Overlay Zone, this postwar modern residence brings together design, material, and cultural history in a rare way.

Originally commissioned by Dr. John Robinson, the first Black physician to work at LA County General Hospital and his wife Doris Robinson, a prominent radio and television presenter, the home carries a legacy that extends well beyond its walls.

The architecture features classic post-and-beam construction, walnut-paneled walls, original beechwood built-ins, and expansive glass doors that open directly to the pool and outdoor entertaining areas.

With design contributions associated with Thomas Downs and Lester Bankhead, the residence stands as both an architectural and cultural document of Los Angeles.

Extensively renovated in 2017 and further restored in 2021, the home has been updated for contemporary living while preserving the character that makes it meaningful.

2813 5th Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90018

4 Bed | 4 Bath
2,526 SF
7,508 SF Lot
Offered at $1,799,000

Listed by Beyond Shelter

If you’re considering this property, Brian Linder and Mark H. Mendez would be happy to help represent you in the purchase.




Follow for more architect-designed homes across Los Angeles.

Egon F. J. Winkens, Architect
Gaspard House, 1966

Perched above Moon Canyon in Mt. Washington, the Gaspard House is one of Los Angeles’ hidden architectural treasures.

Designed by architect Egon F. J. Winkens after his time working under Richard Neutra, the residence emerged from an unusually thoughtful process. Before construction began, Winkens and homeowner Dr. Don Gaspard spent months studying the vacant hillside, observing the movement of the sun and considering how architecture might respond to the landscape rather than dominate it.

The result is a house that reveals itself slowly.

From the street, its presence is restrained. A dramatic cantilevered trellis projects outward, hinting at something beyond. Upon entering, a sequence of spaces leads through the “Dragon’s Tooth,” a gallery-like corridor paved in vibrant green terrazzo, before opening into one of Southern California’s great living rooms.

There, a double-height volume framed by exposed structure and walls of glass captures sweeping views toward the Pacific Ocean. Sunlight filters through angled rafters, casting shifting shadows across wood surfaces throughout the day. At the center sits a sunken conversation pit wrapped in lime-green s**g carpet and anchored by a monumental Hawaiian lava rock fireplace.

Though Winkens worked in Neutra’s office, the house often feels closer in spirit to the experimental work of Rudolph Schindler. Folded planes, irregular geometries, expressive structure, and unexpected spatial sequences create an architecture that rewards exploration rather than immediate understanding.

Photographed by Julius Shulman shortly after its completion, the Gaspard House remains a remarkable example of California Modernism, where architecture, landscape, and daily life exist in continuous dialogue.

Special thanks to Dr. Don Gaspard for graciously opening his home and sharing the story behind this remarkable piece of Los Angeles architectural history.

Full-length video on YouTube:



A Luis Flores film with help from .boone