MidCenturyModern

The Maurice Seiderman House, 1955. In 1955, Maurice Seiderman, the legendary Hollywood makeup artist whom Orson Welles called "the greatest make-up man in the world," and who was responsible for Citizen Kane, A Touch of Evil, and Jane Eyre, among other films, commissioned architect Clyde Grimes, to design a home for him on a rare, large, flat promontory in the Hollywood Hills with unobstructed views sweeping from downtown to the ocean. Grimes was born in Los Angeles in 1924, was a member of the legendary Tuskegee Airmen during the Second World War, then earned his architectural degree at U.C. Berkeley. Upon graduation, he apprenticed under the legendary Paul Williams before opening his own practice. He capped off his career by being appointed by Governor Jerry Brown as the Official State Architect of California. Grimes' modernist tour de force on Deronda Drive remained virtually untouched and original until a thorough and sensitive restoration by the celebrated design firm Commune/Pam Shamshiri AD 100 and architect Barbara Bestor, with landscaping by Elysian Landscapes. The result is a visual triumph, seamlessly blending modern conveniences into the renewed soul of a true mid-century masterpiece. To add to its legacy, the property was fused with the adjoining historic Aldous Huxley estate, creating one of the largest flat plateaus anywhere in the Hollywood Hills, with an unheard-of approximately one-acre mostly flat, level pad. This rare, vast land presents the opportunity to build additional outbuildings, tennis and pickleball courts, a compound, or several distinct additional homes, as the estate comprises three separate APN parcels with separate entrances on two different streets. Privacy is paramount for this property. The entry is gated, and the home is shielded from the street by an unassuming facade wall, while the vast flat grounds are raised high above the street, preventing line-of-sight viewing into the yard. Furthermore, the views overlook hillsides and the city to the ocean, rather than facing other homes and roofs at eye level. Once inside the gate, a courtyard entry opens into the home, revealing soaring ceilings and vast rooms that flow to the covered patios, a large, flat, and lushly landscaped yard, the stunning saltwater pool, and the breathtaking city-to-ocean views beyond. The sumptuous primary suite also opens to the views and features its own private patio, a luxurious boutique-like dressing room, and an elegant marble bath. Two other en-suite bedrooms complement this home. There is also a large media room, a fireplace in the living room, a dining room that is open to the views, and a covered outdoor dining room with a kitchen, BBQ, and refrigerator. The open main kitchen features a dining island, Sub-Zero and Miele appliances, and generous storage. Other features include full Crestron and Nest automation and security systems, an infrared sauna, a secure two-car garage, additional driveway parking, and almost unlimited parking on the extensive grounds. The home is infused with light from the floor-to-ceiling Fleetwood doors and countless skylights throughout. This home is a rare opportunity to live in a modernist work of structural art on a private and incredibly large parcel in the Hollywood Hills, with land to create your dream estate while being close to all the fine restaurants, shops, and attractions the city offers.