The Schnabel House, composed of four buildings on a 100-by-250-foot lot sited on 525 N. Carmelina Avenue along a half-acre in Brentwood, Calif., has an asking price of $11.995 million, according to Trulia. Designed and built by Frank Gehry, FAIA, between 1986 and 1989 for Rockwell Schnabel, a former ambassador to Finland, and his architect wife, Marna, the house is one of 28 single-family homes built by the post-modernist architect. Known for buying houses to sell at a higher price, film producer Michael LeFetra purchased the five-bedroom, five-bathroom structure for $9.5 million in 2013 from producer Jon Platt, who restored and renovated the house with Gehry's guidance.
Best known for his bending geometric shapes, Gehry's design includes four sections divvied up into cubes and pillars, making up the trapezoidal interiors. The office, which stands alone, was inspired by the Griffith Observatory. The exterior has a consistent palette of stucco, wood, glass, lead, and copper. Surrounding the back and master bedroom are outdoor pools, which were added during the renovations, with copper pillars standing alone to repeat the same shapes.
