A California must-have home — one that’s earthquake proof — lists for $4.2M. See it
A unique home that was built by an award-winning California architect has landed on the real estate market in Venice.
And it’s an absolute must-have in the Golden State, a place where earthquakes happen frequently.
The compound — that’s listed for $4.195 million — was built by architect David Ming-Li Lowe, a man who was recognized by the American Institute of Architects in 1994 for installing “seventeen truck-sized coils” under his design, making it earthquake proof, the Los Angeles Times reported.
It was wildly considered “one of the nation’s 100 most important residences,” Realtor.com said.
“Yes, I’m probably one of the few people who was looking forward to an earthquake,” Lowe told the Los Angeles Times in 1994.
Many of Lowe’s designs had the feature including his own home, which he built in 1992.
“This is the first true earthquake-resistive house in the United States. It floats--there’s no direct contact with its foundation. I’m looking to survive an 8.5 earthquake here,” Lowe added in the 1994 interviews with the Los Angeles Times.
The two-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom house built in 1984 currently for sale is equipped with “structural steel, with exposed posts, beams and cross bracing, which are a major design element on each floor,” the listing on Realtor says, making it a fortress that is designed to withstand Mother Nature’s worst thanks to Lowe.
Other features in and around the 3,350-square-foot residence include:
Open floor plan
Three-car garage
High ceilings
“Industrial roll up doors”
The home is also near the Boardwalk and in the center of restaurants and shops.
Lowe died in 2013, according to an online obituary in Reed Magazine.
This story was originally published April 15, 2023 at 7:00 AM with the headline "A California must-have home — one that’s earthquake proof — lists for $4.2M. See it."