Your Chance to Rent Case Study House #16

Curated Mid-Century Modern Home Listings from Across the U.S.A

Feb 10, 2025

If you’re looking to rent a tasteful and historic time-capsule, you’d be hard pressed to find anything better than this: Craig Ellwood’s only surviving Case-Study House is for lease now. It’s certainly not the cheapest 1,600 square foot rental, but you get what you pay for, I guess. Check out the listing here.

Case Study House No. 16. Photo by Matthew Momberger,

More About Ellwood and Case Study House #16

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 invaluable experience on new home builds across the Los Angeles area, becoming especially skilled as a construction cost estimator. This intimate familiarity with building materials would benefit him greatly in the next phase of his career. For just over five years, Ellwood also studied structural engineering through UCLA extension night school. Although not technically an architect, Ellwood started to receive his first commissions to design private residences based on his 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.

Case Study House no. 16 was designed for a gorgeous hillside site in Bel Air with sweeping city views. The steel-and-glass house is enclosed with floating screens rather than floor-to-ceiling partitions, ensuring ample access to the best views. Fir frames the glass planes to create a warm contrast to the painted steel. A natural rock fireplace anchors the space, extending through glass walls onto a covered patio. The layout exemplifies the indoor-outdoor tenet of the Case Study program. Still in near original condition today, the home is currently recognized as a city landmark by the Los Angeles Conservancy.