Every house I've been to in Rustic Canyon

Rustic Canyon is a neighborhood true to its roots. Locals chasing out real estate agents with kitchen knives could be a big reason why. This “allegedly” happened in the 1930s, but I’ve heard retellings at various estate sales. It’s a Rustic Canyon fun fact.

Former co-owner of the Giants and a prominent name in the Epstein files, Steve Tisch, fought a five year battle against Rustic Canyon locals in an attempt to expand his already gigantic property. He also wanted to include a private right of way, but lost the case in the end.

Originally home to the Gabrielino-Tongva tribe, the Canyon had been under both Spanish and Mexican control before Alta California was ceded to the United States in 1847.

About 40 years later, it became the nation’s first experimental forestry station. Abbot Kinney, developer, eucalyptus championer, and connoisseur of the arts, was convinced that the varied terrain of Rustic Canyon was ideal to test trees as cash crops. Kinney persuaded the canyon’s owners to donate six acres in 1887.

Many of his original eucalyptus trees still exist.

In the 1940s a group of dudes from the Los Angeles Athletic Club were looking for a spot for a summer retreat. “The Uplifters Club” took over the old forestry station for 30 years. Rustic log cabins were built around the clubhouse, which each member could lease for $100. During prohibition, they were referred to as the Cuplifters Club.

Writer and canyon dweller Christopher Isherwood described the community in his book “A Single Man”, saying:

“More probably the name was chosen for its picturesqueness by the pioneer escapists from dingy downtown Los Angeles and stuffy-snobbish Pasadena who came here in the early twenties. . . . Their utopian dream was of a sub-tropical English village with Montmartre manners: a Good Little Place where you could paint a bit, write a bit, and drink lots. . . . They were tacky and cheerful and defiantly bohemian, tirelessly inquisitive about each other’s doings, and boundlessly tolerant.”

I love this neighborhood and the character that has endured. The houses are extremely varied, but a synergy exists. I’ve spent some time here photographing homes that are cute, extreme, filled with giant figs bursting through the ceiling and beyond.

Below is every home I’ve had the privilege to step foot in, in good old Rustic Canyon.

I have a disclaimer I’d like to toss in here. One of these homes unfortunately was lost in the Palisades fire. I haven’t talked about it more than necessary but I was living in the Palisades for five years, when I lost my home and entire community.

For the past year and a half I have walked into work and had people say, “Quinn I keep forgetting you don’t live in the Palisades anymore.” I have had friends of friends introduce themselves and almost immediately ask how much time I had to get out of my house.

I’m extremely sensitive about how people bring up the fire. I rarely find it worthwhile to talk about with those who didn't go through it themselves. Because my neighbors were living there for 30+ years and now can’t afford a home. The old people down the street from me who had a dining room table on their lawn for wine and cheese every evening, don’t have a place to do that anymore.

The Palisades is definitely a place of privilege, but there were still pockets of people who lived simply. A 12 year old girl who lived across from me sketched my cats in the window once and left it at my door. We literally had a neighborhood fiddler who would perform on his front lawn.

I included this home because two prolific artists lived there, and because it carried the spirit of Rustic Canyon. You can see how the skylights brought the day in. I remember spotting a closet of various chairs and hoping for an estate sale.

Anyway I think that is all of my bitching and moaning, so…

Here is every single house I’ve been to in Rustic Canyon:

1. 2022 estate sale at a 1951 mid-century home

• house has since been heavily renovated and looks terrible

• currently being rented at $27,500 a month

2. The Hyun Residence, by David Hyun (1960)

• sold in September 2024 for $5,925,000

• drove by a year ago and the house was being completely rebuilt

3. Schwartz House by Pierre Koenig, 1994.

• last project to be completed during Koenig’s lifetime

• sold in November 2024 for $3,490,000

4. 1965 mid-century home by June Veloso

• still on the market, for $5,495,000

5. The longtime home and studio of artists Nicolai Fechin and Sergei Bongart

• consisted of a 3-story Dutch Colonial in the front and a 1930 John Byers designed home in the back.

• this property burned down in the 2025 Palisades fire

6. Brutalist 80’s masterpiece by Ray Kappe

• sold in March 2025 for $3,585,000 (almost 2 mill under asking)

7. The Lenke House by Marshall Lewis, 1987

• sold in February 2023 for $7,722,000

I have a really good walking route for Rustic Canyon, complete with house info…its pretty full on. Message me if you want to give it a go.

Below are 12 estate sales all over L.A. A full Tiki bar set up is for sale, plus Chanel bags, tons of clothes, Hollywood Regency style furniture, vintage lighting. This is a major weekend for sales…I have my favorite pieces and some insider info 🥳 below.

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