Hunt House

Excellent

Hunt House

Site overview

The Hunt House was completed in 1957 and designed by Craig Ellwood with design associate Jerrold Lomax. Honored as an Architectural Record House of The Year in 1959, it is a quintessential example of California Modernism. Reyner Banham, Esther McCoy, Neil Jackson, and Alfonso Perez-Mendez, are among the numerous influential architectural writers who penned extensively on it, many noting it as the true beginning of what Ellwood’s designs would embody throughout his career.

Awards

Design

Award of Excellence

Residential

The Residential Design Award of Excellence is given for the restoration of the Hunt House. In 2013, a demolition attempt was thwarted by local community outcry. A new, preservation-minded owner was found, and restoration began in 2018 with a team of Ellwood experts including James Tyler, FAIA, the firm’s Chief Designer after Lomax left in 1963, and a skilled team of architects, designers and craftspeople who had worked on three previous Ellwood homes. The team utilized the entire archive of acquired original plans, publicity, original furniture, and numerous iconic Marvin Rand images to gain a precise understanding of every aspect of the original construction. 

“The use of modern finishes combined with refinished existing materials make this a true representation of an Ellwood design.”
-Bob Hruby, 2020 Jury member

“The team made the right, careful choices, where a wrong choice would destroy the house. They recognized that the importance of each selection and design element in a minimalist design is paramount in order to preserve the aesthetic.” 

- Alan Hess, 2020 Jury member
Client

Diane Bald and Michael Budman (owners)

Restoration Team

Previous Partners (Rehabilitation Design), Barton Jahncke (Principal in Charge), James Tyler, FAIA (Restoration Consulting Architect 2018/19, Ellwood Associate 1965-1979), Evan Braun (Architect of Record), Kirk Erskine (Planning Architect), Jim Budman of Budman Studio (Owner’s Representative), Scott Christiansen (Structural Engineer of Record), Bret Belyea, Grain LA (Landscape Design), Timothy Brooks, Beacon Hill Custom Carpentry (Furniture & Finish Fabrication and Restoration), Ryan Soniat (Fixture and Lighting Restoration), Laurence Converso, Conversomod (Interior Consultant), Katie Horak, Principal & Evanne St. Charles, Associate, Architectural Resources Group (Historic Consultant), Lauren Weiss Bricker, PhD., Cal Poly Pomona (Archivist)

Contractor:
Ramiro Nateras, K & M (General Contractor), Joshua Sener (Site Supervisor) 

How to Visit

Private Residence

Location

Malibu, CA, 90265

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