Actress and comedian Kristen Wiig has become a bit of a connoisseur of midcentury modern residential architecture. Last year, she listed a 1940’s modern she picked up in 2013 before splurging on Case Study #10 in Pasadena. Both of the homes are unusually fine examples of the postwar period style in greater Los Angeles.
Wiig’s most recent real-estate listing is another modern home. This time around, the house is located in Silver Lake, and is an architect’s design for personal use. It’s known as The Martin Residence, and is the work of Albert P. Martin and his wife, visual artist Gloria Martin; the couple drew up the home and built it, too. It was completed in 1954. In 2018, it’s a hot commodity, an ideal house for the present image of Silver Lake as a last bastion of the artistically-minded.
Wiig homed in on the house in 2014, paying $1.7 million for it; it was listed at the time for $1.6 million, and hadn’t been on the market since the 1960’s. Interest in the home was considerable, and it sold above its listing price. In 2018, it’s just as desirable; less than two weeks after Wiig listed the house at $5.1 million, and it’s already pending sale.
And, with good reason. This particular midcentury modern has a marvelous history. Wiig made a few changes during her ownership tenure, losing the original blue-and-yellow opposition, but the spirit of the home is absolutely intact. It’s one of the cozier modern homes, a three-and-three of 3,500 square feet with a nifty series of surprises and view of the big reservoir.
Wiig’s upcoming films include a starring role in Richard Linklater’s 2019 release, ‘Where’d You Go, Bernadette’; the movie also stars Cate Blanchett and Judy Greer.