CONTACT US

Contact Form

    News Details

    Pasadena Streamline Moderne home built amid architect’s fraud conviction seeks $1.9M
    • March 24, 2025

    A Pasadena home, designed by architect William Kesling in a Streamline Moderne style, is on the market for $1.895 million.

    The 2,106-square-foot house sits a corner lot in the Poppy Peak Hills area. Completed in 1937, it features three bedrooms, three bathrooms and a tri-level floor plan where the entry is on the top level.

    Records show the property last sold in March 2014 for $849,000.

    According to the listing, Kesling transferred the project to the John L. Hudson Construction Company for oversight and final approval. This hand-off came after a grand jury investigation found the architect guilty of overcharging his clients to finish their homes, as described in a profile on Kesling in ModernSanDiego.com.

    The article notes the judge sentenced Kesling, who plead guilty to only one count of stealing $24, to San Quentin prison. But he commuted that to two years of probation during which the court prohibited Kesling from designing or building any projects.

    With its horizontal lines, an updated flat roof and glass walls designed to accommodate indoor-outdoor living, the Pasadena house is one of many homes Kesling build in the style during the 1930s.

    The entry-level boasts a living room, dining area and galley kitchen with a Sub-Zero refrigerator.

    Off the dining area, a deck “reminiscent of a steamliner’s bow provides effortless alfresco entertaining and captivating hillside views,” the listing reads.

    The bedrooms are on the mid-level, including the primary bedroom with a walk-in closet and dual vanity sinks in the bathroom.

    On the ground level features, there’s a two-car garage with a Tesla EV charger. A roof-mounted, fully-owned solar system is among the updates.

    Outdoor features include a combination of decks, tiered gardens and patio spaces.

    George Penner of the George Penner Team at Compass holds the listing.

    After his probation ended, Kesling relocated to La Jolla, where he designed pre-fabricated houses and privately commissioned homes. His most famous work is the cliffside McConnell House in La Jolla, which architectural photographer Julius Shulman captured for a Life magazine spread in November 1947.

    Kesling died in 1983 at 84.

     

     Orange County Register 

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    News