Architect Carl Maston completed this exemplary Ventura Beach house in 1984 for a former actress and her partner. The Susman house sits above the shore in the heart of California's surf culture, looking back at the grand sweep of the bay with its Channel Islands beyond.
Ventura Beach House, California, Carl Maston
Step inside this Ventura Beach house, now on the market
The work of Maston (1915-1992) epitomises the aesthetic and spirit of midcentury California; his own house, completed in 1947, was subsequently owned by Ryan Murphy and then Dakota Johnson, and other local luminaries, including Ray Kappe, worked in his studio.
The living areas open onto a beachside terrace
The beachside terrace
With Maston’s star riding high, this is a rare opportunity to acquire a late period work that embodies all of his architectural devices, set in an unbeatable location. Back in 1985, the house was extensively photographed by Julius Shulman, adding another layer of historical lustre to an already impressive project.
This is the Susman House’s first time on the open market. The original owner, Tracy ‘Babs’ Susman, acted and modelled before studying town planning and working in local politics and environmental planning, with the occasional foray into film production.
The house was built on a plot once owned by her sister and brother-in-law, and her brief to Carl Maston was to keep the spirit of the traditional Californian cabin alive in a contemporary structure.
A brick hearth forms the heart of the house
Maston went to town. The Susman House was one of over 40 he completed in the area during his career, but probably most dramatically sited of all of them. Pairing traditional cedar siding on the interior and exterior walls along with exposed brick flooring and fireplaces, Maston integrated large areas of glass for lightness along with hefty concrete foundations to anchor the structure into the coastline.
The house at dusk
From the roadside, the 2,640 sq ft house is nestled between mature trees and only hints at the views and space within. A large sitting room adjoins a kitchen with bay views from the sink, with sliding glass doors that open out onto a spectacular terrace with 240 degrees of Pacific views.
It’s a spot that has long been favoured by surfers, including one of the sport’s pioneers, Mary Monks, who became closely associated with nearby Mondo’s Cove in the late 1950s.
Upstairs, there are three main bedrooms and a separate sitting area with balcony. All of these incorporate the slope of the roof to achieve high ceilings, walls of glass and Pacific views. A central atrium and landing is arranged around the brick chimney with internal glazed partitions bringing light down into the heart of the house.
The house retains the modesty and feel of the original Faria Beach Colony, one of the classic Californian coastal retreats that began as a stretch of summer cabins in the years before WWII. As the original Shulman photographs attest, very little has changed in the four decades since the house was completed.
The family eschewed any extensive remodelling, keeping Maston’s architectural pristine and original as a testament to the fundamental rightness of the original design.
Ventura Beach House, California, Carl Maston
The Susman House is for sale through Shannon and Chuck Menzel at The Menzel Group priced at $5,100,000. More details at MondosCove.com