A Quincy Jones and Whitney R Smith collaborated on this 1950 home in LA’s Crestwood Hills. Called Gelb House, it was conceived as part of the architects’ postwar Mutual Housing Association experiment — an economical modernist option closely tied to landscape. They executed the property in concrete block and redwood with a Douglas fir frame. It’s been brought to market for $1.995 million with the Value of Architecture.

The single-storey plan follows the hillside site, separating bedrooms from the main living spaces, which open outward through broad glazing with direct access to the garden. A concrete-block fireplace anchors the interior, while skylights along the ridge beam draw light into the centre of the plan. Throughout, the post-and-beam structure remains fully expressed, with materials used plainly and without decorative treatment.

The house remained with the Gelb family for decades and survives as a highly intact example of early California modernism. A rehabilitation completed in 2014 by Bruce Norelius updated the kitchen, bathrooms and systems while preserving the original structure and spatial character of the house.

Surrounded by mature trees on a large corner lot, the property also includes room for future expansion or a swimming pool.