In the latter half of the 1950s, Los Angeles County added its 60th municipality: Rolling Hills Estates.
The picturesque rural community is now made up of about 3,000 homes, according to Homes.com — but some of its earliest residences are still standing. Now, two are on the market.
Both properties are midcentury modern homes with deep local and architectural roots. But while one is freshly updated, the other has remained nearly unchanged in the last 70 years.
A restored midcentury modern house built by Henry J. Friel
First, there’s 34 Shady Vista Road, a four-bedroom, three-bathroom home built in 1957, the year Rolling Hills Estates was established. The property hit the market in July with a nearly $3 million price tag.
It was designed by architect Henry J. Friel, known for redesigning the Redondo Beach Pier after it burned down in the 1980s, and then updated by the current owners, according to real estate agent Penny Wales of Compass, who holds the listing alongside Anthony Accardo.
Though the home has new systems – including a new roof, new electrical, new plumbing, some new flooring, a new kitchen and a new pool – Wales said the owners “really wanted to respect the midcentury design.”
“They left some real beautiful details from the midcentury design,” she told Homes.com in an interview. “They replaced all the doors and windows, but they did so using aluminum frame doors and windows, so it really stays true to the time period but the function is there.”
More than its architectural flair, though, Wales said the property’s location — and the accompanying views — are a big plus.
“You have this sprawling, single-level midcentury modern home that feels very welcoming,” she said, “and then the next thing, even though it’s such a beautiful home itself, is this amazing canyon and mountain view out back.”
Wales said her sellers are leaving the property because they were called back to the office full-time and the commute had become too difficult.
“Everything they did in this home, they did with so much love,” she said.
An untouched neighbor designed by Carl Straub
Just down the street is 2 Seahurst Road, a midcentury modern house built just two years after its neighbor.
It’s known as The Mitchell Residence for its original owners, the Mitchells, who commissioned Carl Straub — then of the Buff, Straub and Hensman firm known for their contemporary residential projects in Southern California — to build the home, according to listing agent Nate Cole of Modern California House.
The three-bedroom, two-bathroom home also went up for sale in July. It’s on the market for $1.85 million, according to a listing on Homes.com.
Cole said the original owners lived in the home until they passed away around 2010, at which point their children sold the property. It’s the only time the house has traded hands.
The current owners “really just loved the house and decided they were not going to change really any of the finished materials,” Cole told Homes.com in an interview. “So essentially, it looks as if it was handed off from the original owners.”
Indeed, while things like the roof, heating and plumbing have been updated, not much has changed besides an appliance upgrade and bathroom addition in the 1990s, according to Cole.
“To see it all intact is really special,” he added. “It’s relatively simple material. It’s post and beam and glass … When things are left as they are, you really kind of get a chance to see how special it was, the work they were doing.”
It also means that there’s a bit more maintenance involved in the upkeep. For example, the beams extend past the roofline, so they might need a new coat of paint regularly.
“There are little quirks about it,” Cole said.
Even so, between the home’s authentic architecture and private location, the property creates an escape from the otherwise busy Southern California area, according to Cole.
“You feel like it’s a different world from feeling like you’re in the L.A. area,” he said.
