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BARBARA BESTOR, FAIA (1966-)
Bestor grew up in Cambridge MA, the daughter of an anthropologist and a Harvard college administrator. She interned for Cambridge Seven Associates through college, with a study-abroad year at the London Architectural Association, studying under Rem Koolhaas, and eventually graduating from Harvard in 1987. She worked for Thom Mayne for a summer then graduated in with a Masters Architecture from SCIARC in 1992. She opened her practice that same year.
Bestor has taught at Harvard, UCLA, and Woodbury University School of Architecture where she is Executive Director of the Julius Shulman Institute. She curated a 2017 exhibition on Albert Frey and Lina Bo Bardi at the Palm Springs Art Museum. Besides new houses, she also specializes in restoring classic mid-century homes like the Salkin and Silvertop houses by John Lautner. She is the author of Barbara Bestor, Bohemian Modern: Living in Silver Lake. Bio adapted from Wikipedia.
1999 - The Lucy Bryant Bivins and Eric Schmidt Renovation, aka Show House, Echo Park, Los Angeles CA. Built by Monte Ross.
2001 - The Joseph D. Oreck and Christina N. Carter House, 2343 Valley View Drive, Los Angeles CA. A+B Construction was the builder. Still owned by Joseph Oreck and Christina Carter as of 2022. Photos by Michael Locke.
2002 - The Barbara Bestor Renovation, 1946 Cerro Gordo Street, Los Angeles CA. Sold in 2005 to Amy Morrison.
2003 - The Gregory and Edith Wong Residence, 2523 Silver Ridge Avenue, Los Angeles CA. Deeded to Gary Wong. Photos by Michael Locke.
2004 - The Altadena House Addition, 1533 East Altadena Drive, Altadena CA. Original 1950 house designed by Caspar Ehmcke. Sold in 2009 to Jimmy Chen.
2004 - The Angel Roberts and Robert VanNewKirk House, 6330 Primrose Avenue, Los Angeles CA. Sold in 2006 to Sean Donnellan. Sold in 2022 to Peter Drocton and Candice Mann.
Around 2005 - The Lucy Bryant Bivins and Eric Schmidt Renovation 2, 3672 Roseview Avenue, Los Angeles CA. Original house designed in 2001. Sold in 2012 to Jahmin and Sophie Assa.
2006 - The Michael Ferris House, 2312 Baxter Street, Los Angeles CA. Sold in 2007 to Callum Greene. Sold in 2015 to Mark Duplass and Katie Aselton. Bottom photo by Michael Locke. Sold in 2021 to West Maple Real Estate LLC.
2007 - The Barbara Bestor House II, aka the Glendower Residence, 2612 Glendower Avenue, Los Angeles CA. Located on a hillside lot below the 1924 Ennis House by Frank Lloyd Wright. Renovated in 2009. Sold in 2010 to Heidi Raydor. Photos by Michael Locke.
2007 - The David Balk and Lenore Zerman House, 8925 Wonderland Park Avenue, Los Angeles CA. Photos by Michael Locke.
2008 - The Alex McDowell and Kirsten Everberg House, aka the House Over a Wall, 2288 Earl Street, Los Angeles CA. Commissioned in 2006. Built by Johnson Design. Pool added in 2010. Remodeled in 2013. Top photo by Michael Locke.
2008 - The John and Liao Lesher Remodel, 1317 Club View Drive, Los Angeles CA. Original house designed for Hial M. and Laura J. Hales by architect Percy Parke Lewis in 1935. Photo by Michael Locke.
2008 - The Julie C. Hermelin Addition, 2000 North Hobart Boulevard, Los Angeles CA. Original house designed in 1922 by architect William M. Achen. Bestor designed a two story addition and basement. Sold in 2013 to Hilton Morehead Trust. Photos by Michael Locke.
2009 - The George (Dewey) Nicks House, aka Surf Shack, 3292 Beach Club Road, Carpinteria CA.
2009 - The Eric Grunbaum House, aka Floating Bungalow, 853 Marco Place, Venice Beach CA. Glenn Lyons Construction was the builder. Bottom photo by Michael Locke.
2011 - The Jeremy M. and Clair Weiss Additions and Remodel, 5074 Glen Iris Avenue, Los Angeles CA. Original house built in 1922. Photos by Michael Locke. Sold in 2024 to Boris and Zita Von Bormann.
2012 - The Christina Liao House, aka Toro Canyon House, 3660 Toro Canyon Park Road, Santa Barbara CA. 160 acres. Sold in 2016 to Cielo Azul Tcp, LLC (William Sargent).
2014 - The Andrew Morrison House, 4163 Ranons Avenue, Los Angeles CA. Photos by Michael Locke.
2014 - The Christopher and Michelle Carlson Renovation, 2736 Laurel Pass Avenue, West Hollywood CA. Original house built in 1961. Sold in 2016 to Michael Ullman and the Zooks Trust.
2014- The Drew and Amy Pearce House Remodel, 5200 Los Caballeros Way, Los Angeles CA. Original house built in 1963. For sale in 2024. Photos by Michael Locke.
Around 2014 - The Todd Phillips Renovation, 1506 Allison Avenue, Los Angeles CA. Sold in 2021 to Anna Furman.
2015 - The Blackbirds, Echo Park, Los Angeles CA. 18 houses on 0.82 acres, 2-3 bedroom, 1900 sf. Landscape design by Mia Lehrer and Associates. Built by Pacific Empire Builders. Example house: 2022 Blackbirds Way.
2015 - The Dmitri Siegel and Woodwyn Koons Renovation, 712 Cuyama Road, Ojai CA. Renovation of a 1962 Ranch located in the Arbolada neighborhood. Bestor moved the kitchen to the center of the house while using glass walls and mirrors to bring the outdooors in. Last photo is pre-renovation.
2015 - The Grey Gardens, Los Angeles CA. A 2-story, 32-unit senior living development. Assumed unbuilt.
2015 - The Michael Diamond Renovations, aka Malibu House, 7126 Fernhill Drive, Malibu CA. A remarkable renovation of several run-down buildings. Featured in Architectural Digest in 2017.
2015 - The Michelle Nader Remodel, 5266 Los Caballeros Way, Los Angeles CA. Original house built in 1965. Built by Gordon Group Associates. Photos by Michael Locke.
2016 - The John Dolan and Sarah Lambert Addition and Remodel, aka Sunswept House, 3860 Sunswept Drive, Studio City CA. Built by J. M. Carlson Construction Corporation. Landscaping by Judy Kameon, Elysian Landscapes. Original 1940s ranch house designed by R. S. Loring (bottom photo). Photos 1 and 4 by Michael Locke. Sold in 2023 to Melissa Morton and Sunswept Trust.
Around 2016 - The Altadena House Renovation. Original house built in the 1930s. Interiors by Amy Sklar. Built by DTK Builders. Status unknown.
2016 - The Dan Kugle Renovation, 1935 Mayview Drive, Los Angeles CA. Sold in 2018 to Chay Thomas Lapin. Sold in 2020 to Joseph Epstein.
2016 - The Donald Glover Renovation, La Cañada Flintridge CA. Original house built in 1953 by architect Keith Marston. 3,300sf. Sold in 2021 to Mark Fischbach.
2018 - The Doug Zell Renovation, aka the Cambridge Renovation, 17 Vineyard Street, Cambridge MA. The only house in Cambridge by Bestor; remodel of an 1800s house. Sold in 2020 to Catherine Cincotta.
2019 - The Ben and Meaghan Farver House, aka the Bend House, 61656 Rowallan Court, Bend OR.
2019 - The Hancock Park Renovation, Los Angeles CA. Original house built in the 1920s. Interior design by Ondine Karady and Susan Davis Taylor. Photos by Trevor Tondro; built by Luis Chavez.
2019 - The William and Annie Macomber House, aka Hilltops, aka House Stepping Down a Hill, 1855 North Dillon Street, Los Angeles CA. Next door to the 1936 Lipetz House by Raphael Soriano and owned by the same family, who use the Soriano house as a guesthouse. 3740 sf. Featured in the book California Modern. Photos by Bruce Damonte.
2020 - The Eric and Suzanne Sumbrunnen House, aka Palisades House, 533 Lombard Avenue, Pacific Palisades CA.
2020 - The Melina Polly House, aka the Superba House, 906 Superba Avenue, Venice CA. Original house built in 1925, first photo.
2020 - The Tony Ishizaki Renovation, aka Church Street Renovation, 1111 Church Street, Pasadena CA. Photos by Yoshihiro Makino. Sold in 2018 to Jordan Corngold.
2021 - The Frogtown Foursquare Low Rise, Los Angeles CA. Designed with collaborators SALT and was awarded second place in the City of Los Angeles' Low Rise Competition. Unbuilt.
2021 - The Narrows Project, San Fernando Road, Los Angeles CA. A new model for housing in Los Angeles that proposes dense and diverse new city blocks to replace underused industrial zones. Unbuilt.
2021 - The David Kordansky and Mindy Shapero Renovation, 5637 Green Oak Drive, Los Angeles CA. A reworked 1940 ranch house designed around art. Featured in W Magazine, 8/31/2021. Photos by Ye Rin Mok.