This $4.3 Million Midcentury Home in Pasadena Was Designed by Master Modernist John Galbraith

Wendy Bowman

12 December 2024 at 2:00 pm·2-min read

Crafted by noted architect John F. Galbraith, this especially fetching abode was custom-built in the early 1950s. Known as the James Residence for its original owners and believed to be the architect’s first midcentury-modern project in Pasadena, it’s now on the market in a gated pocket of the charming San Gabriel Valley city for the first time in over four decades with a $4.3 million ask. The listing is held by Terry Piasky of Coldwell Banker Realty.

Nestled amid a nearly four-acre parcel in an exclusive seven-home neighborhood known as The Point—on land that once housed the circa-1890 Sierra Madre Villa Hotel, which welcomed well-heeled guests such as President Ulysses S. Grant, railway magnate Collis P. Huntington, poet Helen Hunt Jackson and developer Abbot Kinney during its day—the exterior of the single-level cedar structure is marked by a low overhanging roofline.

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John Galbraith House Pasadena — A redwood-paneled family room off the kitchen has sliding glass doors opening to the outdoors.

Once inside, three bedrooms and four baths are spread across almost 3,900 square feet of meticulously preserved living space punctuated throughout with parquet floors, vertical redwood paneling, and high post-and-beam ceilings. Vast expanses of glass also blur the boundaries between the indoors and outdoors while offering up captivating city lights, canyon, and mountain vistas.

Among the highlights is a slate-paved entry foyer that leads to a window-lined living room centered around a skylight-topped brick fireplace sporting a floating hearth. The wood-slatted ceiling was handcrafted by local artisan Ernie Greenway as part of one of two major Galbraith-led renovations completed throughout the years. A dining area around the corner connects to the kitchen, which is outfitted with updated stainless appliances.

Elsewhere is a wood-paneled family room adorned with built-in shelving, along with a bonus space holding a media room and an office nook with two integrated desks. Sequestered down a hallway is the primary bedroom, which flows to a bath equipped with dual vanities and a relaxing soaking tub tucked away next to a shower.

Not to be left out are the lushly landscaped grounds, which host a sizable sundeck-encased pool flanked by towering oak trees, as well as plenty of spots ideal for alfresco lounging and entertaining. There’s also a circular driveway out front that winds around to a two-car garage at the rear of the property.

Click here for more photos of the midcentury home in Pasadena.

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