As the author of Crestwood Hills: The Chronicle of a Modern Utopia, Cory Buckner was the ideal architect to transform a nondescript ranch nearby the beloved midcentury neighborhood. The new butterfly roof, redwood tongue-and-groove siding, and vertical louvers help the updates feel original to the period.
Image courtesy of Briand Guzman. Architect Cory BucknerMidcentury enthusiast Margaret Riley purchased a 1957 ranch with little panache or pedigree, but a plum location just two doors down from Crestwood Hills, the Los Angeles cooperative development revered for its A. Quincy Jones masterpieces.
Riley’s one-story home had comparably little going for it, beyond a pleasing L-shaped floor plan and a large, wooded lot, so, in 2008, she hired architect Cory Buckner to devise an addition and remodel inspired by the icons nearby. Drawing upon her experience restoring homes in Crestwood Hills and research on A. Quincy Jones, Buckner chose design elements to fit the local palette.
The renovation added a second floor, butterfly roof, redwood siding, vertical louvers, Douglas fir ceilings, elm built-ins, and sliding glass doors–all of which appear original. Rattigan Construction did the build, then interior designer Gillian Lefkowitz stepped in to combine Riley’s vintage furnishings with modern classics.
