Central Atrium Ties Retro-Fabulous Outpost Estates Post and Beam Together

Known for its abundance of celebrity residents, the Hollywood Hills neighborhood of Outpost Estates is also well-stocked with an ample supply of notable architectural specimens in a wide range of styles, from 1920s Mediterranean Revivals to 2020s Glass Boxes. Among the illustrious architects whose works have contributed to the neighborhood’s eclectic flavor are Marshall P. Wilkinson, R.M. Schindler, John Lautner, and Hal Levitt. So when this distinctive midcentury modern popped up on the market last week, we eagerly scanned the listing description, expecting to read the name “A. Quincy Jones,” or “Ed Fickett,” or perhaps “Cliff May.”

Nope! Guess again. Actually, don’t bother, because you’ll never get it. According to permits on file with the L.A. Department of Building and Safety, the peaked post and beam was produced by Michael Sims, principal of Holliday Sims Builders. Further information about Sims or his company proved elusive, which is a shame because if this house is any indication, he appears to have had a fair amount of talent. While the home’s design clearly owes a debt to Jones, Fickett, May, and other midcentury masters, its designer managed to add a bit of spice to the traditional MCM recipe that makes it stand out in the sea of pitched-roof, glass-walled abodes.

Ensconced behind a gated hedgerow wall, the property is fronted on one side by a modest-size grassy yard and by a two-car garage on the other. An aggregated-concrete path the approximate width and length of a bowling alley lane proceeds to the front door and its central knob that resembles the home’s belly button. Indeed, the trip to the front door is a textural immersion: to the right is a wall of fluted glass, to the left, a wall sheathed in vertical siding, while the pebbled-concrete path is bordered on both sides with polished gray river stones.

The textural theme continues inside, where parquet wood floors complement a wall of Bouquet Canyon stone, a central fireplace, vaulted and beamed ceilings, and floor-to-ceiling glass in the expansive great room. Adjacent is the open-plan kitchen, which has been updated with stainless steel appliances, a lengthy breakfast bar with quartz countertops, and a center island.

The 1,960-square-foot home is divided into two wings, one for common spaces, the other containing its two bedrooms, two updated bathrooms, and an office that seems like the ideal setting for a work-from-home shrink to conduct therapy sessions. Separating the two wings yet tying the whole place together neatly is a glass-roofed atrium, spacious enough to host a sizable dinner party.

Beyond the atrium is a petite oval pool and terraced gardens that climb up the sloped lot to a canopy of mature oak trees. The 0.22-acre property is listed with Patrick Moya and Joe Reichling of Bryant/Reichling at Compass for an asking price of just under $2.4 million.