3 Beds
2 Baths
1,197 SqFt
3 Beds
2 Baths
1,197 SqFt
Key Details
Property Type Single Family Home
Sub Type Single Family Residence
Listing Status Active
Purchase Type For Sale
Square Footage 1,197 sqft
Price per Sqft $2,255
Subdivision Crestwood Hills
MLS Listing ID 7975804
Bedrooms 3
Full Baths 2
HOA Fees $100/ann
HOA Y/N Yes
Year Built 1950
Annual Tax Amount $33,750
Tax Year 2026
Lot Size 0.323 Acres
Acres 0.323
Property Sub-Type Single Family Residence
Source actris
Property Description
The Morris & Lydia Gelb House, 1950
Rehabilitation by Bruce Norelius, AIA, Architect, 2014
City of Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 1332
Set within the utopian experiment of Crestwood Hills, the Gelb House is a rare, highly intact example of A. Quincy Jones' Mutual Housing Association vision—where architecture was not a luxury, but a disciplined framework for living.
Completed in 1950, the house embodies a rigor that feels increasingly scarce. The post-and-beam structure is expressed with clarity—Douglas fir framing, concrete block, and redwood working together without ornament or redundancy. Every decision is economical, never compromised.
Sited into the hillside, the plan unfolds with quiet logic: private rooms at one end, living spaces opening outward, and structure doing the work of both enclosure and expression. A concrete block fireplace anchors the interior, while skylights along the ridge beam draw light deep into the plan.
Owned by the original family for decades, the house remained largely untouched—preserving the intent of the MHA experiment, a community that reimagined postwar housing as cooperative, modern, and connected to landscape.
The restoration by Bruce Norelius Studio approaches the house with restraint. Systems have been updated and key spaces—kitchen and baths—reworked with a sympathetic material palette, while the original structure remains intact. Interventions are legible and deliberately quiet—a careful continuation.
On a large corner lot surrounded by mature trees, the flat pad offers potential for expansion, with room for a pool or additional living space. In a market where “mid-century” is often diluted, the Gelb House stands apart as the real thing.
Photography © Tim Street-Porter
Location
State CA
County Out Of State
Rooms
Main Level Bedrooms 3
Interior
Interior Features Built-in Features, Stone Counters, No Interior Steps, Open Floorplan, Primary Bedroom on Main
Heating Wall Furnace
Cooling None
Flooring Concrete
Fireplaces Number 1
Fireplaces Type Wood Burning
Fireplace No
Appliance Built-In Refrigerator, Cooktop, Dishwasher, Double Oven, Washer/Dryer Stacked, Wine Refrigerator
Exterior
Exterior Feature See Remarks, Exterior Steps, Private Yard
Fence Partial
Pool None
Community Features Dog Park, Playground
Utilities Available Electricity Connected, Natural Gas Connected, Sewer Connected, Water Connected
Waterfront Description None
View Garden, Trees/Woods
Roof Type Tar/Gravel
Porch Terrace
Total Parking Spaces 3
Private Pool No
Building
Lot Description Back Yard, Front Yard, Garden, Landscaped, Trees-Large (Over 40 Ft), Xeriscape
Faces Southeast
Foundation Slab
Sewer Public Sewer
Water Public
Level or Stories One
Structure Type Frame,Glass
New Construction No
Schools
Elementary Schools Other
Middle Schools Other
High Schools Other
School District Other
Others
HOA Fee Include See Remarks
Special Listing Condition Standard
Nearby Locations
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