First time on the market since it was built in 1985, the $13.5M Ray Kappe-designed Scheimer house sits just above the sand on Manhattan Beach's scenic walking path known as the Strand. And this isn't just any beachfront pad -- this one came to party. The steel, concrete and glass, 5,200-square-foot house has floor-to-ceiling windows that take in grand views of the South Bay, the Manhattan Beach Pier and north to Malibu. "It's one of the great party houses on the beach," real estate agent Crosby Doe of Crosby Doe Associates, one of the realtors representing the house.
Architect Kappe combined aeronautical and nautical themes in the unique, curving beach house built for Louis Scheimer, a well-known animation executive who also owns a Richard Neutra-designed home. Kappe, one of Southern California's premiere modernists, is one of the founders of SCI-Arc (the always cutting edge Southern California Institute of Architecture) and has influenced a generation of architects and designers. An important SoCal modernist and residential architect, Kappe has designed more than 100 homes since he began his career in 1953.
The home was designed for fun, contends real estate agent Doe, whose co-representing the property along with Sotheby's International Realty's Gerard Bisignano. It's got all the party necessities: A pro-size granite bar, wine room, media room, three large fireplaces and a spa-style master bathroom that has a peek-a-boo window into the rooftop pool.
And room for sleepovers with two smaller bedrooms level with the Strand. The master bedroom is on the top floor with the same ocean views as the living room and has a private stairway to the rooftop deck. There's also an elevator. A sculptural, stainless steel front door leads into the soaring glass-topped atrium. Typical of Kappe's designs, there's an easy flow from the indoors to the outside.
Within walking distance of Manhattan Beach's lively downtown, in recent years, the beach-side town as attracted pro athletes including several Lakers – Luke Walton and Lamar Odom – and pro baseball and football stars, like Dodgers' pitcher Derek Lowe.
Lots on the Strand typically sell between $8 and $9 million; prices remain high because inventory is extremely limited. The Scheimer Residence is priced at $13,500,000 owing to its prime corner location, architectural provenance and several features, like the rooftop pool, that would not be permitted under current zoning rules. Kappe has written that he has always sought out "the edges, the views and a feeling of expansiveness" in his architecture. This house has all of that and more.
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