Frederick Law Olmsted's House Sells (Again) By President of the Palos Verdes Historical Society Dana Graham
The latest owner of Frederick Law Olmsted's original 1926 house (Olmsted was the landscape architect who laid out the original Palos Verdes Project in the early '20's and whose father designed Central Park in New York City), Tatiana von Furstenburg, daughter of famous designer Diane von Furstenburg, has quietly sold the estate to the next door neighbor. She had just purchased the property a few years ago. Whether she was alarmed by the recent local landslide or had simply grown tired of the landmark mansion overlooking Torrance beach and with an unobstructed view of Santa Monica Bay is unknown.
The original house dates from the earliest days of the Palos Verdes Project and was first sold by the Olmsted estate in 1949. In 1961 it was sold to LCDR Arthur Struble and has been referred to by locals since as the "Struble House". Shortly after Struble's purchase, much of the house slid down onto the beach, a distressing event for the new owner. Struble, who was a civil engineer by training, immediately reinforced the house against further movement, and the remainder has been stable ever since. The recent small landslide just to the north, which was made to look like a catastrophic event in the national media, served as a reminder of the instability of that bluff.
A little free general real estate advice: if you want to buy on the ocean, buy on a point rather than on a bay. Bays are bays for a reason.
Dana Graham, real estate expert, historian, PV Native and you can find Dana at www.danagraham.com
Dana is President of the Palos Verdes Historical Society.
