The Julius Shulman House Hits The Market

SELLER: Estate of Julius Shulman
LOCATION: Woodrow Wilson Drive, Los Angeles, CA
PRICE: $2,495,000
SIZE: 3,382 square feet, 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms

YOUR MAMAS NOTES: All day long Your Mama has been getting communiques, calls and taps on the shoulder about the renowned architecture photographer Julius Shulman's house in the Laurel Canyon area of Los Angeles hitting the market with an asking price of $2,495,000. We'd love to say we were the first to put something up about it, but in fact the fine folks at Curbed LA beat us to the punch by about two minutes.

Mister Shulman, who went to meet the great photo developer in the sky in July of 2009 at the ripe old age of 98, was perhaps the most famous and accomplished photographer of architecturally significant homes. Over the course of his sixty-some year career he snapped iconic images of dozens of architecturally significant structures including Richard Neutra's Kaufmann House in Palm Springs, John Lautner's Chemosphere in the Hollywood Hills, and Pierre Koenig's Case Study House #22 (a.k.a. The Stahl House) in Los Angeles, arguably the most famous architectural photo ever taken in the United States. Mister Shulman also framed up and photographed of buildings and residences by influential 20th-century architects such as Frank Lloyd Wright, Charles and Ray Eames, Mies van der Rohe and the outrageously amazing Oscar Neimeyer.

In 1947, Mister Shulman commissioned modernist architect Raphael S. Soriano to design a steel-framed residence and studio on a secluded .76-acre lot at the end of a 175-foot semi-private driveway on Woodrow Wilson Drive that backs up to conservancy land, ensuring privacy and seclusion. According to listing information the resulting residence (and studio) measures 3,382 square feet and includes 3 bedrooms and 3 poopers.

Sadly, the Shulman House remains the last unaltered and unmolested residence designed and built by Raphael S. Soriano making it a hot commodity and serious architectural collectors item. According to listing information, the residence retains its original cork panels, flooring, fixtures and hardwood walls as well as extensive built-ins including drawers, shelves, headboards, pedestal beds, bookcases and china cabinets. The expansive living room, according to listing information, has a floor to ceiling fireplace and floor to to ceiling sliding glass doors while the kitchen includes the original cook top, double ovens, fixtures and built in bench seating in the breakfast nook.

The studio, located across a brick courtyard and just 16 feet from the main house, features a built-in desk and cabinetry, a fireplace, private pooper and, natch, a dark room where Mister Shulman developed many of his famous photographs. The indoor spaces bleed into the outdoor spaces through huge walls of sliding glass doors, screened patios.

Much to Your Mama's architecture loving peace of mind, the property was designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1987. A hefty handful of images of the Shulman House can be seen here.

photo: YouAreHere.com