54
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$4,599,000
Est. payment /mo
5 Beds
5 Baths
6,006 SqFt
New
1024 Armada Drive Pasadena, CA 91103
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Key Details
Property Type Single Family Home
Sub Type Single Family Residence
Listing Status Active
Purchase Type For Sale
Square Footage 6,006 sqft
Price per Sqft $765
MLS Listing ID CL26896313
Bedrooms 5
Full Baths 5
HOA Y/N No
Year Built 1956
Lot Size 0.318 Acres
Acres 0.3185
Property Sub-Type Single Family Residence
Property Description
The Gell-Mann Residence: William E. Blurock Architect. Set gently into the tree-lined edge of the Arroyo Seco, this two-story mid-century modern residence was built in 1956 and designed by California modernist architect William E. Blurock, FAIA, whose career shaped landmark civic and educational buildings across the state and around the world. Believed to be one of only a few private homes he ever designed, this striking mid-century residence is quietly tucked behind mature landscaping within Pasadena's storied, National Register-listed Prospect Historic District.The five-bedroom, five-bathroom home is anchored by an aspirational reverse floor plan that lifts the main gathering spaces to the upper level, where soaring living-room ceilings, a copper-clad fireplace, and a bespoke mid-century light fixture stretching the entire length of the living room wash the interiors in a welcoming, warm light. Custom millwork and walls clad in walnut and maple lend a natural richness to the residence. Walls of glass and a second-story balcony frame sweeping views of the Rose Bowl and surrounding canyons. A dramatic open-plan stairway becomes a sculptural centerpiece for the home, animated by inset colored-glass panels and highlighted by an architectural railing wrapped in wood and cork flooring.Below, the floor plan opens around a serene zen-style garden and an expansive pool, with a private pool house/guest studio completing a resort-like retreat built for modern California living. Flagstone, stucco and a subdued facade let the house belong effortlessly among the district's Craftsman and period-revival landmarks.The home carries a remarkable provenance as the longtime residence of Nobel Prize-winning physicist Murray Gell-Mann, who lived here during his most creative years at Caltech. The scientist who named the "quark" and reorganized our understanding of the building blocks of matter found his home in a house designed, quite literally, to lift its inhabitants toward the light and the view.More than a home, this is a rare convergence of California modernism, landscape, craftsmanship and intellectual history. The residence is ready to write its next chapter.
Location
State CA
County Los Angeles
Zoning PSR4
Interior
Interior Features Family Room, Workshop
Heating Central
Cooling Central Air
Flooring Carpet, Wood
Fireplaces Type Living Room
Fireplace Yes
Appliance Dishwasher, Refrigerator
Laundry Dryer, Washer
Exterior
Pool In Ground
Total Parking Spaces 5
Private Pool false
Building
Story 2
Architectural Style Mid Century Modern
Level or Stories Two Story
New Construction No
Others
Tax ID 5702023014
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Listed by JB An Fung • Compass
NEARBY SCHOOL & BUSINESS
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