Craig Ellwood’s Kubly House in Pasadena Lists for $3.25 Million

Craig Ellwood’s Kubly House, a 2,277 sq ft glass-and-timber residence completed in Pasadena in 1965, is for sale at $3,250,000. The listing is handled by Chris Suarez and Kimberly Benz of Suarez + Benz at Compass, via TheKublyHouse.com.

The house at 215 La Vereda Road has an unusually clean story. It was built for $45,000 — described in the listing coverage as a princely sum at the time — for Don and Sally Kubly, both ArtCenter College of Design alumni and educators. Don Kubly went on to become ArtCenter's second president. The family kept the house until 2022. Its current owners have since completed a sympathetic restoration.

Who was Craig Ellwood?

Ellwood, who lived from 1922 to 1992, is a strange figure in American architecture. Born in Texas as Jon Nelson Burke, he never formally qualified as an architect. His name is nonetheless attached to some of the most iconic houses of the last century: Case Study House #22 (the Stahl House), Case Study House #16 (the Salzman House), and houses 17B and 18. He built mid-century modern houses throughout the California hills and canyons for a client base of stylish, artistic, and creative patrons.

His surviving works include the 1976 campus for the ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, designed with James Tyler, and the restored Moore House, also from 1965. The 1950 Ellwood-Zimmerman House in Brentwood was demolished in 2024.

What does the house look like?

The Kubly House is a glass and timber box with clear Miesian inspiration — allegedly sketched on a napkin by Ellwood during a client lunch. The structure is simplicity itself.

• Plan: all utility spaces sit within the glazed envelope; a galley kitchen sits at the heart, flanked by a living room and a dining/family room.
• Bedrooms: three bedrooms and two bathrooms occupy the corners of the rectangular plan — the primary ensuite bedroom on one side, two children's bedrooms sharing a bathroom on the other.
• Site: the post-and-beam pavilion is raised on short pilotis (small support columns) above a gently curving 0.6-acre landscaped garden with a pool; mature trees along the perimeter frame views from every room.
• Detail: sliding panels conceal the kitchen from the den.

Steps and terraces, aligned with the centre of the house, lead down to the garden and pool.

What does this change for buyers?

The Kubly House is believed to be Ellwood's only residential project in Pasadena, which sharpens its collectible appeal. The recent restoration updated all major systems and restored the surfaces, structure and glazing — meaning the next owner inherits a documented, move-ready landmark rather than a renovation project.

There's also a direct institutional thread: building this house in 1965 kickstarted the creative partnership between Ellwood and the Kublys that led to his ArtCenter campus commission a decade later. Buyers get the house and its origin story. The listing at $3,250,000 positions it well below the cultural burden — and price territory — of the Stahl House, while carrying the same signature clarity.