Telepeer

Woodland Hills home by architect R.M. Schindler lists for $4.5M

April 13, 2026

The great room. (Photo by Gavin Cater)

1 of 16

The great room. (Photo by Gavin Cater)

A modernist Woodland Hills home designed by architectural icon R.M. Schindler is on the market for $4.5 million.

Completed in 1940 for character actor Albert Dekker and his wife, Esther, the 3,756-square-foot Van Dekker House includes four bedrooms and four bathrooms. Records show the current owner, construction executive Frank Gamwell, bought the property for $700,000 in December 2013.

Gamwell restored the property to its original intent while incorporating 21st-century updates, such as solar panels and systems for catching greywater and rainwater for irrigation.

Now a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument that benefits from a Mills Act contract for reduced property tax savings, the house stands as one of modernist master’s largest residential projects. According to the Los Angeles Conservancy, it’s the only known Schindler design to feature a copper roof.

The asymmetrical copper-paneled roof consists of two steep sections that meet at a sharp angle. This unique shape creates high, vaulted ceilings and sharp, geometric lines throughout the interior.

In the great room, a two-level geometric beamed ceiling towers over a stone and copper fireplace. A bank of floor-to-ceiling windows frames views of the San Fernando Valley and mountains, while providing direct access to the grounds.

Additional living spaces include a formal dining room with original built-ins, a den, a sitting room and a billiard room with a wine cellar. On the upper level, the primary suite includes a space that serves as a private gym and an updated bathroom.

Outside, there’s a saltwater pool with a waterfall spa, a fire pit, a barbecue area and multiple decks.

A detached 256-square-foot office provides flexibility with its own kitchen and laundry facilities. The driveway accommodates up to eight vehicles.

Benjamin Kahle of Compass and Desiree Zukerman of Coldwell Banker Realty hold the listing.

Gamwell purchased the home from preservationist Joshua Gorrell, who saved it from demolition in October 2009. He acquired it for $580,005 from the trust of late screenwriter A.I. “Buzz” Bezzerides.

The listing reads “the likes of Humphrey Bogart, Robert Mitchum and William Faulkner” frequented the house at that era.

Bezzerides originally bought the property from Dekker in 1955 as previously reported by the Los Angeles Daily News.

Dekker, born Thomas Albert Ecke Van Dekker in 1905, starred on Broadway before he transitioned to film as a prolific character actor. Off camera, he represented California’s 57th district in the California State Assembly for a single term in 1945. His outspoken criticism of U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy’s tactics led to his blacklisting, though he continued to work on Broadway and in films.

Dekker’s notable credits included “Dr. Cyclops” (1940), “Kiss Me Deadly” (1955) and “The Wild Bunch” (1969), in which he played his most memorable role: the tough railroad detective Harrigan. Dekker, who has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, died in May 1968 at 62.

Woodland Hills home by architect R.M. Schindler lists for $4.5M Orange County Register

News Details

Woodland Hills home by architect R.M. Schindler lists for $4.5M

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

News

CONTACT INFO

QUICK LINKS

SERVICES

CURRENT NEWS