California’s First Certified Passive Solar House Lists for $6 Million

A late 1970s contemporary residence in Los Angeles has been brought into the 21st century, especially when it comes to energy conservation.

The $6 million home in Brentwood‘s Crestwood Hills neighborhood is the first certified passive solar house in California. Designed in 1977 by the architect Martin Gelber, a protégé of greats such as Richard Neutra and A. Quincy Jones, the property was completely restored this year. Andrea Miller of Sotheby’s International Realty—Brentwood Brokerage holds the listing.

The 3,700-square-foot abode has an unconventional layout with four bedrooms and three baths in total. From the street, it cuts a striking, low-slung figure thanks to its flat roof and boxy forms punctuated by deep-set windows. The entrance, full of natural light from the floor-to-ceiling windows, is bookended by a studio or office on one side and the primary suite on the other. The bedroom sports a fireplace and a colorful bathroom with a lime-green vanity and a blue-tiled W.C.

The main living and entertaining spaces are on the lower floor, with 18-foot ceilings topping off the living room and the dining room, family room, and galley kitchen capped by clear heart redwood plank ceilings—apt for a California home. This level also includes a guest bedroom with an outside entrance and private deck. 

One floor lower is an unfinished basement that allows you to make the home truly your own. Throughout, you’ll find custom cabinetry that blends into the Modernist aesthetic. Ample decks and balconies line the exterior, affording you views from the center of the city to the ocean. And thanks to the passive energy design properties, the abode stays cool in the hot L.A. summers and warm during chilly winter nights while keeping energy bills low.

Gelber, who died in 2019, was a lifelong L.A. resident who once served as the president of the city’s chapter of the American Institute of Architects. And just as his Gelber Residence is hitting the market now, similar Modernist homes from some of his mentors have popped up for sale in recent months. Just last week, Neutra’s Sale House, also in Brentwood, listed for $8 million, and A. Quincy Jones’s first independent commission, a three-bedroom in the Hollywood Hills, carried a $1.9 million price tag in November.

Click here to see all the photos of the Gelber Residence in L.A.