We just returned from a wonderful visit to Case Study House #8, known as the “Eames House”, in Pacific Palisades. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eames_House. What a fascinating legacy this is, truly a national treasure. In fact, the Smithsonian Institute has a huge collection from their decades at the forefront of design and architecture http://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/oralhistories/transcripts/saarin79.htm We were warmly greeted by Bernadine Styburski, who is site administrator, and after a wonderful introduction and walking tour, she assigned Charlie, a local docent, to guide us around. Well just then, in a stroke of good fortune, up walks Eames Demetrios, grandson of Charles and Ray, to say hello. We are in the middle of reading one of his books about the projects of Charles & Ray, and to meet such a busy and yet thoughtful fellow, well, this has been a distinguished treat for both Jennifer and I. We took dozens of pictures, tho none of the inside, by request. In two weeks time, on June 20th, is “Member Appreciation Day” and from 11-5 PM, the house will be open for registered members of the Eames Foundation. Be sure to join right away, and then join us June 20th. Maybe we can meet each other there and share a picnic luncheon on the meadow, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Here is the site to sign up. http://www.eamesfoundation.org/ Los Angeles Times and Gregory Ain We successfully appraised a unique Gregory Ain property in Silverlake. This makes six Ain homes we have been fortunate to assist with, including 3500 Beethoven Street in Mar Vista. ( Just go ahead and google that address.) Here is from an LA Times blog: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/laland/2008/07/the-mills-act-d.html The most recent one was unusual, it was part of the Avenel Complex, a series of apartment co-ops, turned into condominiums. It has been featured as “Home-of-the-week” in the Los Angeles Times. http://www.latimes.com/classified/realestate/news/la-fi-home10-2009may10,0,7261969.story http://www.latimes.com (search under “Avenel”) We were appraising it, but it had its challenges. Was it a one, two or three bedroom condo? The lender was confused. If the median sale price of a condo in Silverlake was $350,000, how can you justify this selling for almost twice that amount? I spent several days, and went at least $500.00 over the appraisal budget to assemble this appraisal, using some of the well-sharpened tools from my toolkit. But after a lengthy review and drive by, and two pages of questions for me, the lender accepted the value. Wall Street Journal & Pinkberry The Wall Street Journal featured a new architectural home by Steven Kent in Malibu. It was purchased by the owners of the Pinkberry chain of frozen yogurt stores. Ebert Appraisals has worked with Mr. Kent on four of his other homes in the area, and we appraised this home twice, once during its initial construction. Check out this connection: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203658504574189993176077028.html Well, I’ll have to wait to tell you about the client from Puerto Rico next time. Best, drop me a line and tell me about your world: james@eas2.com