Brixton Rd.
Needless to say I was thrilled beyond words to find the architect who designed and built our house in 1951. We purchased it from the original owners in 2003 and have loved it ever since. After some sleuthing (which would have been much easier had I found the original plans and seen the address on the tube it would have saved me a lot of time but no matter) I found his name and address and wrote him a letter. Of course I looked up his house on Google Earth and it is an incredible Mid-Century Modern with an Asian flare. After several letters back and forth he and his wife traveled out to Pasadena to see the house again.
He and his wife, Winnie, are amazing and I hope to be as spry and lively as they are at 89! They were friends with the original owners of the house and had many stories to tell us of the parties they attended both at Brixton and at the many houses he designed, built and sold. A house flipper after my own heart! He brought pictures of some of the houses he built and fixed including the cover of a 1958 LA Times magazine with the two of them on the patio of one of their homes with him attending the grill. Be still my retro heart! We shared my home-made quiche and had a great time. His later email quelled my fears that he might not like the changes we've made, but he said he loved the colors, finishes and landscaping. Whew!
The Wilkes
May we still be going to the Imax to see the surf movie when we're near 90 and live in a groovy modern house too.
