PBS aired a special last Sunday about the 10 Buildings that changed America. They spotlighted buildings that shaped architecture, construction, and urban planning over the last 225 years. Some on the list are famous landmarks, like Frank Llyod Wright’s Robie House, while others are unknown.

To view complete list, click here.

Rupert Murdoch, just bought a Bel Air property that according to the La Times was once owned by Gone with the Wind and Wizard of Oz director, Victor Fleming. Besides the three bedroom main house, there is a guest house, office building, and wine cave. But perhaps the most impressive feature is the commercial vineyard located on the property. The asking price of the property, $29.5 million, it is not yet known what Murdoch paid.

To read the full story click here.

The penthouse at the Residences at W Hollywood is 25,000 square feet and has an asking price of $45 million. This outrageous Hollywood penthouse was designed by Richard Robertson III, and has everything you could possibly imagine including 340-degree views of the city. Within in the penthouse you can find a wine room and wine vault, solarium, screening room, fitness center and beauty salon. There is also a Ballroom that can hold 250 guests, 17 valet spaces, recreation room with Men’s and Women’s power rooms, and a “pub style” tap room.

To read the full story click here

This beautiful Brentwood home was featured in a 1955 issue of Popular Mechanics, and was considered to be a “House of the Future”. It was built by architect Adrian Wilson and incorporated the new construction techniques of using steel frames. This 4 bedroom 2.75 bath house is listed for $1.8 million. Click here to read more.

In a week brimming with fresh mid-century listings, here’s another one on Woodrow Wilson Drive’s “celebrity row.” The 3,22-square-foot, four-bedroom house on a large flat lot has been in the same family since it was built in 1948, and has seen nary an update since then. The listing copy suggests this one might be a teardown, but if you’ve got a thing for wood paneling, walls of glass, and bookcases for days, it could be lovely with a little work. Outside the house the “tranquil property is lush with mature Eucalyptus trees and large areas of cascading bougainvillea,” plus a swimming pool and motor court. It’s on the market for $1.699 million.

Full story here–>

Because one home decor announcement this week isn’t enough, we bring news of a big, crib-changing event happening on Saturday, May 18. Modernica, WeHo’s celeb and blogstar-frequented homewares boutique, is hosting its annual factory sale at its DTLA production digs (2901 Saco St).

From 9am to 3pm, enjoy up to 70% off on mid-century modern pieces for home and garden, including LA-made pieces from Modernica’s standard product line, like Fiberglass shell chairs (one style above) and George Nelson bubble lamps.

If you like history, the brand tells us that, for the first time ever, attendees will be treated to an exclusive look at the making of the aforementioned shell chairs, which are made with the same machinery used to create the original Eames chairs in the ’50s. And if you like food, some of the best local food trucks will be serving on-site bites. Learn more here.

And if you don’t follow these rules, your world will probably fall apart. Just kidding! But OCD or not, you can probably stand to get a little more thorough with your cleaning, while saving time in the long run.

1. Use a binder clip as a sponge stand

Get the full list of time-saving tips here! –>

Comedic actor Vince Vaughn—Wedding Crashers, Anchorman, Dodgeball—has picked up what is perhaps Southern California’s least offensive, unobtrusive, and numbingly traditional house, a five-bedroom Colonial Vaughn bought for $3.925M. Though once noted as one of the priciest listings in the city of La Cañada Flintridge, the 5,563-square-foot abode—boasting a very Father of the Bride-style façade, some nice, unexceptional interiors, an amply treed tennis court, and a swimming pool—ended up selling to Vaughn for less than a quarter of what the actor is asking for his other property, an exponentially flashier 12,000-square-foot triplex penthouse in Chicago that has been floundering on the market since 2011. Of course, his new pad—which, you know, doesn’t include Hugh Hefner’s original Playboy office— is much more family-friendly, and considering Vaughn’s just announced that he and his wife are expecting baby No. 2, the shift in real estate holdings is hardly surprising.

READ ON FOR THE FULL STORY! –>

The State Historic Resources Commission is meeting tomorrow in Anaheim to vote on the latest crop of nominees to California’s Register of Historic Places, including several Case Study Houses and the Plummer Park building that a West Hollywood City Councilmember is itching to tear down. A spot on the register doesn’t guarantee preservation for all time, but it does afford some protection under the California Environmental Quality Act, and can qualify a building for tax breaks under the Mills Act. Plus the building owner can put up a plaque! To get on the list, a building must meet one of four criteria, and the applications for most of these nominees say their eligibility comes from their association with regional history or cultural heritage, or that they embody “distinctive characteristics of a type, period, region or method of construction.” Take a look at the map below and see what historic plaques may be headed to a neighborhood near you. (NB: This covers just the city of Los Angeles; there are several building in Pasadena, La Jolla, the San Gabriel Valley, and elsewhere also up for designation.)

READ THE FULL STORY HERE! –>

A duplex in Beverly Grove was recently torn down to make way for this brand spanking new four bedroom, six bathroom house. The boxy 3,859 square foot house sits behind a gate and hedge, and opens up into a mostly open living space divided by an open staircase. The listing tells us it features the “only LEED-certified Italian kitchen by Doimo Cucine fully integrated with Bertazzoni & Thermador appliances,” which leads onto an outdoor living room and backyard with a pool and small pool house. Back inside, the bedrooms and a family room are all upstairs. Boasting designer bathrooms and a Chrestron smart system controlling the lights, fireplaces, surveillance cameras, audio, pool (and more!), this “unique entertainer’s compound” is asking $2.45 million.

· 636 N. La Jolla Ave [Official Site]