Shailene Woodley Buys Classic Midcentury Modern Home

Groovy midcentury modern homes are as much a part of the Los Angeles cultural DNA as the Dodgers and traffic on the 405, but none are perhaps quite as famous as Pierre Koenig’s Stahl House in the Hollywood Hills. This place, while not quite as glam as that one, is still hugely impressive with its walls of glass, iconic modernist details and big, unobstructed views of the Hollywood Sign.

Built in the late 1950s by a noted Japanese-American architect. the house is sometimes known as the Rifkin Residence after its first owners, a Mr. and Mrs. Lou Rifkin. But it may soon become more commonly known as the Woodley house, given that the property was recently sold in a quiet, off-market deal to famous actress Shailene Woodley. The Simi Valley native paid $4.4 million, per records.

Since the house was never publicly offered for sale, details are somewhat scarce, though old rental listings and tax documents provide some useful information. Completely invisible from the street behind gates and a riotous collection of mature trees, the elegantly asymmetrical retreat packs about 3,500 square feet into a single level. There are four bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms, with a potential fifth bedroom currently configured as an office.

Perched directly atop L.A.’s Beachwood Canyon, the property abuts 600 acres of parkland and hiking trails. Other notable features and amenities include a butterfly roofline, carport, Fleetwood glass sliders throughout, a separate studio ideal for an artist, and a kidney-shaped pool that’s solar heated for year-round fun. All the bathrooms are tiled with imported marble.

Although it still appears mostly original, permits show the house underwent a big remodel/restoration in the mid-1990s overseen by Josh Schweitzer, who did an admirable job of keeping the structure’s original vibe intact. Over the years, the photogenic house and its concrete floors have also reportedly been used in dozens of Vogue, GQ and Marie Claire editorial shoots.

Woodley, 30, first came to public attention as a teen by starring in the ABC Family show “The Secret Life of the American Teenager.” Since then, she’s appeared in a slew of successful films and TV series (“Big Little Lies,” “The Fault in Our Stars,” “The Divergent Series”), though to a certain segment of the public at large, she’s probably best known for her longterm relationship with ex-fiancée Aaron Rodgers. Woodley formerly shared a $28 million Malibu home with her NFL star beau, but the Beachwood Canyon house seems a worthy successor.

And in addition to those stylish new L.A. digs, records reveal that way back in late 2020, Woodley paid $500,000 for a perfectly ordinary house just outside Reno, Nevada. Built in the early 2000s and located in a large housing tract of similar homes, that three-bed, three-bath structure is believed to be occupied by her paternal aunt and uncle.