A little about my new listing at the Andalusia and Courtyard Architecture in Los Angeles....

The Zwebells added much color and an underrated mastery of architecture to LA & the fabric of Hollywood glamour. Their court design elements created the illusion of green space, a sense of privacy and delivered functional yet elegant interiors...To me they literally epitomize the definition of modernism and what every urban builder is currently trying to achieve.

With the current building frenzy in West Hollywood/Sunset corridor, along with the now looming Frank Gehry project on the corner of Sunset and Crescent heights there seems to be a return to "historicism".  Upon entering any Zwebell courtyard, people seem to be taken back and transformed by the shear beauty and tranquil details that nourishes the soul and ilicits a heartfelt response every time.

Arthur and Nina Zwebell had a short building period of just over a decade... the self taught husband and wife team not only designed and constructed the furnished apartments, but also created the landscaping, built the furniture and interior design features.  All of the wonderful details of their enormous impact can be found in the books, Red Tile Syle, Casa California, California Courtyards, Architectural Digest and numerous movies.

The Andalusia is the most historic not only because of the design but because they lived there. Each apartment had a unique floor plan with the Zwebells' unit having a two story living room and three fireplaces.  Zina had an infamous built-in pipe organ;  the bellows were located in the basement with the pipes installed at opposite ends of the living room.  The Zwebells lived at Andalusia for only four years and then gave it to their neice, Marian Uhl. 

It seems the originators of the ‘Spanish Colonial Style Courtyard Dwellings’ were perhaps unaware that they were creating the perfect artist colony environment as generations of writers, actors and directors passed through the building. While their niece lived at The Andalusia until her death in 1990, she rented units to such celebrities as Clara Bow, Claire Bloom, Cesar Romero, Marlon Brando and Louis L’Amour early in their careers. Later, luminaries saw directors Clint Eastwood and Michael Radford call The Andalusia home.  Members of the Coppola family come and go.  And short-stay European actors such as Sienna Miller and Joelly Richardson have found proximity to Chateau Marmont reassuring.

The one bed unit currently for sale, situated on the sunny side of the court-yard at the back of the building provides an excellent low maintenance cost pied a terre in the heart of West Hollywood for the aspiring writer, actor or director who will appreciate the oasis of calm provided by the beautifully restored mature courtyard gardens a skip across Sunset from the Chateau in the heart of bustling West Hollywood.

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