A historic home on an hillside of Upper Nichols Canyon, where Gertrud and Otto Natzler started their ceramics legacies, recently listed for the first time in 80 years. When the couple first purchased the home in 1945, it was considered a secluded area, situated adjacent to the Briar Summit Open Space Reserve. Today, still boasting magnificent treetop views that enliven every interior space, it has the spirit of an inviting, peaceful treehouse and is asking $2.465 million.
Getrud and Otto emigrated from Austria to the U.S. in 1938 after the Nazis seized their country. Over the course of their lifetimes, they created more than 25,000 pieces of art and developed over 2,000 types of glazes, greatly influencing the future of ceramics in America. Most of their works, and even some of their equipment, are in museums. For example, the duo’s original potter’s wheel and kiln sit in the Smithsonian Institution, along with many of their other documents and records. Both art legends have passed away, Gertrud in 1971 and Otto in 2007, and this is the rare chance to own their longtime L.A. home and studio.
The main house was built in 1937, a charming and intimate residence featuring two bedrooms and two full bathrooms. However, the Natzler Studio above the garage is arguably the property’s most prestigious space. It’s where they both created thousands of pieces, and the original layout they enjoyed is in tact. In 1968, the director of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Kenneth Donahue, mused,“The Natzlers live in communion with the trees and thick planting surrounding their house and the natural textures of wood, wool and linen inside it.”
The couple’s personal touches, such as colorful hand-glazed tiles made by Otto in the kitchen and on garden steps, can be found throughout the home. Other cozy spaces include the dining room sheathed in warm wood and the living room, where the couple would host chamber music performances.
Though the home holds many original details, a substantial two-story addition by architect Alfred T. Wilkes was built on in 1988. Wilkes, known for his midcentury modern compositions, amplified those motifs through walls of glass and vaulted ceilings. The chalet-inspired addition has one sunlit primary bedroom with a wraparound balcony providing views of the canyon below. On the lower level, a studio and a darkroom were built for Otto’s second wife following Gertrud’s passing, photographer Gail Reynolds Natzler.
This haven seems destined for a buyer with artistic interests, whether in art history or creating works themselves, and may not be available long. Barry Gray of Compass holds the listing.