If you’ve followed along here for a while you’ve heard plenty about Craig Ellwood. Built four years after Ellwood’s Case Study House no. 16, for many, the Kuderna House (1956) represents peak Ellwood. It’s for sale now, asking $4,995,000.
Craig Ellwood was born Jon Nelson Burke in Clarendon, Texas. His family moved West, ultimately settling in Los Angeles. After serving in the U.S. Army Air Corps, Ellwood made his way back to L.A. where he worked in construction and general contracting. Along with his brother Cleve and two friends, Ellwood formed his first company. They named the enterprise ‘Craig Ellwood’, inspired in part by the group’s favorite liquor store, Lords and Elwood. The moniker was impactful enough that Jon Burke would go on to legally take the name for himself in 1951.
While working with his brother, Ellwood gained pratical experience on new home builds across the Los Angeles area, becoming especially skilled as a construction cost estimator. This intimate familiarity with affordable building materials would benefit him greatly in the next phase of his career. For over five years, Ellwood also studied structural engineering through UCLA extension night school. Although never technically an architect, Ellwood started to receive his first commissions to design private residences based on his growing reputation in the industry. In 1951, his new company, Craig Ellwood Design, was formed.
Just one year in and still green in his career in custom home design, Ellwood became the latest recruit of the Case Study Program. Case Study House No. 16, built in 1952, followed shortly after. It was the first of three houses Ellwood created for the Arts & Architecture magazine program. Today, house #16 is the only of the three still intact.
The Kuderna House, completed in 1956 at 2977 Passmore Drive in the Hollywood Hills, was commissioned by Charles J. Kuderna and developed with architect James Tyler. Built on a hillside view lot, the house employs a steel frame and extensive glazing to create the impression that the main volume is floating above the landscape. The two-bedroom, two-bath residence is organized around panoramic views of Los Angeles, with hand-poured terrazzo floors, walnut walls, and a lap pool extending the living space outdoors. A separate guesthouse sits above the main residence and is reached by a distinctive spiral staircase. The house also incorporates small but deliberate flashes of color, including a yellow door and iconic yellow stairs, details that distinguish it from the more austere steel-and-glass houses.
From the listing:
"The Kuderna House, 1956, by Craig Ellwood and James Tyler. Set within a private, gated enclave in the Hollywood Hills, this significant example of California midcentury modernism has been thoughtfully restored while preserving the clarity and materiality of its original design. The residence appears to float above the hillside, with expansive walls of glass framing panoramic views across the city, surrounding hills and Los Angeles landmarks. Hand-poured terrazzo floors, warm walnut walls and carefully considered details define the interiors, while a sleek lap pool extends the architecture into the landscape. The main residence features two bedrooms and two bathrooms, complemented by a separate guest house with one bedroom, one bathroom and a kitchenette. Offered together with the adjacent parcel at 3076 N. Beckman Road, this rare offering pairs the Kuderna House with additional land that enhances its privacy, openness and distinctive hillside setting. An important work of Los Angeles modernism in one of the Hollywood Hills' most compelling locations.”
View the live listing here.
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