Historic Foursquare Craftsman by Architect of LA’s Greek Theater Showcases Stunning Woodwork and Built-ins

While the name Samuel Tilden Norton may not ring a bell to the average Angeleno, anyone who’s ever attended a concert at the Greek Theater in Griffith Park or admired the spectacular Byzantine-style Wilshire Boulevard Temple would be familiar with his work. Other local landmarks Norton had a hand in designing include Downtown’s lavish Los Angeles Theatre and Fox Jewelry Plaza.

Early in his career, according to a 1905 profile in the Los Angeles Herald, Norton “made a specialty of residence work.” However, as of 2015, only five of the architect’s residential projects were believed to have survived, one of which has just hit the market.

Located in the Harvard Heights Historic Preservation Overlay Zone, the American Foursquare-style home was constructed in 1906 for Juan-Baptiste (John B.) Amestoy, son of Domingo Amestoy, a French Basque sheepherder who immigrated to Los Angeles in the 1850s and went on to become a very successful rancher and one of the founders of the Farmers and Merchants Bank.

Occupying an 8,102-square-foot lot a little south of Venice Boulevard, the property consists of a five-bedroom, 3.5-bath main house plus a two-story carriage house that’s been converted into a gym on its lower level with an office on the upper level.

Measuring 3,285 square feet, the main residence includes a parlor, formal living room and dining room, kitchen and butler’s pantry on its entry level, with its second floor taken up by the five bedrooms and two of the bathrooms. Standout features include multiple decorative fireplaces, built-in hutches and window seats, coved ceilings, art glass panels, huge picture windows, pocket doors, and original maple and Douglas fir floors throughout.

In addition to ample front and back porches, the house has a well-manicured front garden of drought-tolerant plants and a tidily landscaped backyard enclosed by tall privacy hedges and wooden fencing.

The Mills Act-designated property is listed with Peter Buonocore of the Core Group at Keller Williams Larchmont for an asking price of $1.75 million.