This Dapper Midcentury Modern Used to Be a Traditional 1920s California Bungalow

This Long Beach post and beam located just south of the Virginia Country Club actually started out life in 1924 as a classic California bungalow. Four decades later, it was acquired by a young couple, Gus and Carolee Pekrul. What the Pekruls really wanted, however, was a home in the dominant style of the day — that is to say, a modern home. To bring this wish to fruition, they enlisted the services of local architect Paul Tay.

A 1950 graduate of USC, Tay began his career in the office of George Montierth, the official City Architect of Long Beach, then went on to establish his own firm in 1956. Before relocating to Mendocino in 1971, Tay designed 30 or so homes in the Long Beach area, with the Pekrul assignment being one of the last projects he would complete in the port city.

Tay met the challenge of turning the old-fangled bungalow into a shining example of midcentury modernism by expanding it, reconfiguring it, and endowing it with rough-sawn redwood beamed ceilings, teak cabinetry and built-ins, wrap-around and clerestory windows, hand-painted tile, and custom soffit lighting. The Pekruls were very satisfied customers, holding on to the revised residence for half a century.

Since being sold by the Pekrul family in 2016, the three-bedroom, two-bath home has undergone some additional tweaks, including the installation of new cork floors throughout, sliding glass doors added to enable access to the central courtyard, a tankless water heater, a new forced air heating and cooling system with “hospital grade” air filtration, and new landscaping. Another recent addition is a 240-square-foot detached studio with kitchenette and bath.

On a gated and tree-shaded lot of 8,956 square feet, the property is listed with Nate Cole of Suprstructur at an asking price of $1.36 million.