By Debbie Pisaro
The Van Dekker House, designed by R.M. Schindler in 1940 for actor Albert Van Dekker, is for sale in Woodland Hills at $4,500,000. At 3,756 square feet on a half-acre gated compound, it is Schindler's largest known residential commission and is designated Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 974. The four-bedroom, three-story residence was meticulously restored after years of neglect and recognized by the Los Angeles Conservancy with a 2016 Preservation Award. The listing marks a rare opportunity to acquire a fully restored Schindler landmark with documented Hollywood provenance, including former ownership by screenwriter Al "Buzz" Bezzerides and visits from Humphrey Bogart, Robert Mitchum, and William Faulkner.
Every few years, a listing comes along that stops everyone in the Los Angeles architectural real estate world mid-sentence. The Van Dekker House is one of those listings. This isn't just another architectural home for sale in Los Angeles. This is the largest residential project Schindler ever built, it carries Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument status (HCM No. 974), and it was nearly lost to a wrecking ball a decade ago. The fact that anyone can buy it in 2026 is, frankly, a minor miracle.
I've spent 24 years selling architectural, historic, and design-forward homes across Los Angeles, with a particular focus on Studio City and the greater San Fernando Valley. When a Schindler trades, I pay attention. When his biggest Schindler trades, I write about it.
Why This Listing Matters Beyond Woodland Hills
Schindler completed roughly 150 built projects in his career. The vast majority are modest in scale, tucked into hillside sites, and designed on tight budgets for clients who shared his radical belief that architecture should reinvent daily life. The Van Dekker House breaks that pattern in almost every way.
At 3,756 square feet on a half acre, this is Schindler on a scale he rarely worked at. It was the first house where he moved away from flat or sloping roofs and began working with sculptural roof forms, draping wrinkled copper over tightly interlocking volumes. One restoration contractor memorably called the house "Schindler on steroids." I think that captures it perfectly.
For architectural home buyers in Los Angeles who have been watching the Schindler market, this is the rare opportunity where pedigree, scale, provenance, and landmark protection all intersect in a single property.
The Hollywood Backstory
The house was commissioned by actor Albert Van Dekker, later known simply as Albert Dekker after he dropped the "Van" during the McCarthy era, a detail that tells you exactly what kind of Hollywood the 1940s were. You may know his face from Dr. Cyclops (1940), Kiss Me Deadly (1955), and The Wild Bunch (1969).
Van Dekker eventually sold the property to screenwriter Al "Buzz" Bezzerides, the man who wrote the screenplay for Kiss Me Deadly. Bezzerides lived in the house until his death in 2007. During his ownership the property became a quiet Hollywood gathering place, with Humphrey Bogart, Robert Mitchum, and William Faulkner among the names who passed through.
If you care about Los Angeles history and the way the city's film industry shaped its residential architecture, this house is a primary source document.
What Schindler Actually Did Here
Schindler designed the L-shaped floor plan on a diagonal axis across the lot, which was his response to the site itself. That rotation maximized outdoor living space and captured the San Fernando Valley and surrounding mountain views from nearly every interior vantage point. A small, deliberately understated entry opens into a two-story great room with a loft overlooking the living area, a signature Schindler move that critic Reyner Banham once described by saying Schindler "designed as if there had never been houses before."
The defining exterior feature is that asymmetrical, wrinkled copper roof. Inside, the character-defining elements include folded planes, sloping walls and ceilings, polygonal windows, butt-glazed corners, exposed wood interiors, flagstone patios, and Schindler's instantly recognizable built-in furniture. These are the details that turn a house into a Historic-Cultural Monument in Los Angeles, and they are the details that make restoration so difficult and so valuable when it is done correctly.
The Restoration Story
By 2009, the Van Dekker House was in genuinely terrible shape. Decades of neglect had left copper roof panels missing, water damage throughout the interiors, and boarded-up windows. The house was on the market at $799,000 and was, in all seriousness, a demolition candidate.
Preservation advocates pushed for Historic-Cultural Monument designation, which the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission granted in 2009 as HCM No. 974. The Los Angeles Conservancy recognized the multi-phase restoration with a Preservation Award in 2016, pairing it with the restoration of Richard Neutra's Kronish House in Beverly Hills, the only two single-family homes honored that year.
The rehabilitation was meticulous. Copper roof panels were rebuilt individually. Original built-ins were restored. Windows were repaired or carefully replaced. More recent updates have layered in contemporary systems, including solar panels installed discreetly, an updated kitchen with Bosch appliances and custom cabinetry, and remodeled bathrooms, all without erasing Schindler's design language.
The Current Offering at a Glance
- Address: 19950 W. Collier Street, Woodland Hills, CA 91364
- List price: $4,500,000
- Architect: R.M. Schindler (1887-1953), the modernist who trained under Frank Lloyd Wright
- Built: 1940
- Designation: Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 974 (2009)
- Size: 3,756 sq ft (approximately 4,000 sq ft under roof per the listing)
- Lot: Approximately half an acre, gated compound, south of Ventura Boulevard
- Bedrooms: Four, all with en-suite bathrooms and built-in closets
- Primary suite: Top floor with panoramic Valley views, private gym, and remodeled bath with dual sinks and walk-in shower
- Additional spaces: Billiard/games room with wine cellar, den/office, sitting room
- Statement features: Asymmetrical copper roof, stone and copper fireplace, clerestory windows throughout, wood-beamed angled ceilings, formal dining room, updated kitchen with Bosch appliances
The Schindler Footprint Across Los Angeles
Schindler's work is scattered across Los Angeles — the Kings Road House in West Hollywood, the Lovell Beach House in Newport, the Buck House in Mid-City, the Roxy Roth and Goodwin houses and the Laurelwood Apartments in Studio City, and the Van Dekker House up in Woodland Hills. Buyers who collect Schindler do not sort by neighborhood. They fly in from New York, Chicago, and London, and they shop the architect, not the zip code.
The Van Dekker sale, whatever it ultimately trades at, will become a reference point for valuing every significant modernist home in the region for years to come. That matters whether you own a Schindler in Studio City, a Neutra in Silver Lake, or a Lautner in the Hollywood Hills. Big trades reset the comp set.
If you are considering buying or selling an architecturally significant home anywhere in Los Angeles, this is a listing worth watching closely.
What a Schindler House Is Really Worth in 2026
This is the question I get asked more than any other when a landmark listing comes to market: how is this priced? A short answer: Schindler houses do not follow standard price-per-square-foot logic, and they never have. Comps come from a tiny national pool, often just a handful of sales in any five-year window. The Roxy Roth House in Studio City traded in 2017 at $2.295M for 1,564 square feet. The Van Dekker is nearly two and a half times that size, carries HCM status, has a complete and documented restoration, and includes the Hollywood provenance. Those are not small factors when you are valuing a work of art that happens to also be a residence.
If you want my honest read on where this one lands in the market, reach out. I'll give you a real answer.
Working with Debbie Pisaro
I'm Debbie Pisaro, founder of Coastline 840, an independent California luxury real estate brokerage built on the Side platform. I specialize in architectural, historic, and design-forward homes across Los Angeles, with a focus on Studio City, Los Feliz, Silver Lake, and the San Fernando Valley. Before real estate I spent years at Warner Bros. Records, which taught me a few things about how to navigate a creative industry and why provenance matters.
If you are considering buying or selling an R.M. Schindler house, a mid-century modern, an HCM, or any significant architectural property in Los Angeles, I'd welcome the conversation. You can reach me through my contact page, browse more architectural home profiles on debbiepisaro.com, explore statewide California listings at coastline840.com, or dig into hyperlocal Eastside coverage at losfelizliving.com.
Further Reading on Debbie Pisaro
- The Roxy Roth House by R.M. Schindler in Studio City
- Studio City Architectural Homes Map and Profiles
- Studio City Real Estate Blog and Neighborhood History
Authoritative External Sources
- Los Angeles Conservancy: Van Dekker House
- Historical Marker Database: Van Dekker House, HCM No. 974
- City of Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument Program
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was R.M. Schindler?
Rudolph M. Schindler (1887-1953) was an Austrian-born architect who studied in Vienna and moved to the United States, where he worked under Frank Lloyd Wright before settling in Los Angeles. He is widely regarded as one of the most important Southern California architects of the 20th century and remains the only architect to receive a solo exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles.
What is the Van Dekker House?
The Van Dekker House is a 1940 residence in Woodland Hills designed by R.M. Schindler for actor Albert Van Dekker. At 3,756 square feet on a half-acre lot, it is considered Schindler's largest known residential commission. It was designated Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 974 in 2009.
How much is the Van Dekker House listed for?
The Van Dekker House is listed at $4,500,000 in 2026.
Is the Van Dekker House a protected historic property?
Yes. It is designated Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 974, which protects it from demolition and requires review of significant alterations. The Los Angeles Conservancy also recognized its restoration with a 2016 Preservation Award.
How many R.M. Schindler houses are for sale in Los Angeles?
At any given time, usually zero to three. Schindler built roughly 150 projects total, most remain in private hands, and significant Schindler homes trade infrequently. A listing of this caliber, with HCM status and a documented restoration, is rare.
Who should I contact to see the Van Dekker House?
If you'd like to tour the property or get my independent read on whether it's the right fit for you as a buyer, reach out to Debbie Pisaro through the contact page at debbiepisaro.com. I work with architectural home buyers across Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley.
By Debbie Pisaro
From the Archive
More Architectural Homes
- The Roxy Roth House by R.M. Schindler — Studio City
- A Gregory Ain Original — Studio City
- The James De Long / Hackett House — Studio City
- The USC Case Study Home, 1961 — Studio City
- The Architecture of Steven Ehrlich — Los Angeles
The Van Dekker House, designed by R.M. Schindler in 1940 for actor Albert Van Dekker, is for sale in Woodland Hills at $4,500,000. At 3,756 square feet on a half-acre gated compound, it is Schindler's largest known residential commission and is designated Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 974. The four-bedroom, three-story residence was meticulously restored after years of neglect and recognized by the Los Angeles Conservancy with a 2016 Preservation Award. The listing marks a rare opportunity to acquire a fully restored Schindler landmark with documented Hollywood provenance, including former ownership by screenwriter Al "Buzz" Bezzerides and visits from Humphrey Bogart, Robert Mitchum, and William Faulkner.
Every few years, a listing comes along that stops everyone in the Los Angeles architectural real estate world mid-sentence. The Van Dekker House is one of those listings. This isn't just another architectural home for sale in Los Angeles. This is the largest residential project Schindler ever built, it carries Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument status (HCM No. 974), and it was nearly lost to a wrecking ball a decade ago. The fact that anyone can buy it in 2026 is, frankly, a minor miracle.
I've spent 24 years selling architectural, historic, and design-forward homes across Los Angeles, with a particular focus on Studio City and the greater San Fernando Valley. When a Schindler trades, I pay attention. When his biggest Schindler trades, I write about it.
Why This Listing Matters Beyond Woodland Hills
Schindler completed roughly 150 built projects in his career. The vast majority are modest in scale, tucked into hillside sites, and designed on tight budgets for clients who shared his radical belief that architecture should reinvent daily life. The Van Dekker House breaks that pattern in almost every way.
At 3,756 square feet on a half acre, this is Schindler on a scale he rarely worked at. It was the first house where he moved away from flat or sloping roofs and began working with sculptural roof forms, draping wrinkled copper over tightly interlocking volumes. One restoration contractor memorably called the house "Schindler on steroids." I think that captures it perfectly.
For architectural home buyers in Los Angeles who have been watching the Schindler market, this is the rare opportunity where pedigree, scale, provenance, and landmark protection all intersect in a single property.
The Hollywood Backstory
The house was commissioned by actor Albert Van Dekker, later known simply as Albert Dekker after he dropped the "Van" during the McCarthy era, a detail that tells you exactly what kind of Hollywood the 1940s were. You may know his face from Dr. Cyclops (1940), Kiss Me Deadly (1955), and The Wild Bunch (1969).
Van Dekker eventually sold the property to screenwriter Al "Buzz" Bezzerides, the man who wrote the screenplay for Kiss Me Deadly. Bezzerides lived in the house until his death in 2007. During his ownership the property became a quiet Hollywood gathering place, with Humphrey Bogart, Robert Mitchum, and William Faulkner among the names who passed through.
If you care about Los Angeles history and the way the city's film industry shaped its residential architecture, this house is a primary source document.
What Schindler Actually Did Here
Schindler designed the L-shaped floor plan on a diagonal axis across the lot, which was his response to the site itself. That rotation maximized outdoor living space and captured the San Fernando Valley and surrounding mountain views from nearly every interior vantage point. A small, deliberately understated entry opens into a two-story great room with a loft overlooking the living area, a signature Schindler move that critic Reyner Banham once described by saying Schindler "designed as if there had never been houses before."
The defining exterior feature is that asymmetrical, wrinkled copper roof. Inside, the character-defining elements include folded planes, sloping walls and ceilings, polygonal windows, butt-glazed corners, exposed wood interiors, flagstone patios, and Schindler's instantly recognizable built-in furniture. These are the details that turn a house into a Historic-Cultural Monument in Los Angeles, and they are the details that make restoration so difficult and so valuable when it is done correctly.
The Restoration Story
By 2009, the Van Dekker House was in genuinely terrible shape. Decades of neglect had left copper roof panels missing, water damage throughout the interiors, and boarded-up windows. The house was on the market at $799,000 and was, in all seriousness, a demolition candidate.
Preservation advocates pushed for Historic-Cultural Monument designation, which the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission granted in 2009 as HCM No. 974. The Los Angeles Conservancy recognized the multi-phase restoration with a Preservation Award in 2016, pairing it with the restoration of Richard Neutra's Kronish House in Beverly Hills, the only two single-family homes honored that year.
The rehabilitation was meticulous. Copper roof panels were rebuilt individually. Original built-ins were restored. Windows were repaired or carefully replaced. More recent updates have layered in contemporary systems, including solar panels installed discreetly, an updated kitchen with Bosch appliances and custom cabinetry, and remodeled bathrooms, all without erasing Schindler's design language.
The Current Offering at a Glance
- Address: 19950 W. Collier Street, Woodland Hills, CA 91364
- List price: $4,500,000
- Architect: R.M. Schindler (1887-1953), the modernist who trained under Frank Lloyd Wright
- Built: 1940
- Designation: Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 974 (2009)
- Size: 3,756 sq ft (approximately 4,000 sq ft under roof per the listing)
- Lot: Approximately half an acre, gated compound, south of Ventura Boulevard
- Bedrooms: Four, all with en-suite bathrooms and built-in closets
- Primary suite: Top floor with panoramic Valley views, private gym, and remodeled bath with dual sinks and walk-in shower
- Additional spaces: Billiard/games room with wine cellar, den/office, sitting room
- Statement features: Asymmetrical copper roof, stone and copper fireplace, clerestory windows throughout, wood-beamed angled ceilings, formal dining room, updated kitchen with Bosch appliances
The Schindler Footprint Across Los Angeles
Schindler's work is scattered across Los Angeles — the Kings Road House in West Hollywood, the Lovell Beach House in Newport, the Buck House in Mid-City, the Roxy Roth and Goodwin houses and the Laurelwood Apartments in Studio City, and the Van Dekker House up in Woodland Hills. Buyers who collect Schindler do not sort by neighborhood. They fly in from New York, Chicago, and London, and they shop the architect, not the zip code.
The Van Dekker sale, whatever it ultimately trades at, will become a reference point for valuing every significant modernist home in the region for years to come. That matters whether you own a Schindler in Studio City, a Neutra in Silver Lake, or a Lautner in the Hollywood Hills. Big trades reset the comp set.
If you are considering buying or selling an architecturally significant home anywhere in Los Angeles, this is a listing worth watching closely.
What a Schindler House Is Really Worth in 2026
This is the question I get asked more than any other when a landmark listing comes to market: how is this priced? A short answer: Schindler houses do not follow standard price-per-square-foot logic, and they never have. Comps come from a tiny national pool, often just a handful of sales in any five-year window. The Roxy Roth House in Studio City traded in 2017 at $2.295M for 1,564 square feet. The Van Dekker is nearly two and a half times that size, carries HCM status, has a complete and documented restoration, and includes the Hollywood provenance. Those are not small factors when you are valuing a work of art that happens to also be a residence.
If you want my honest read on where this one lands in the market, reach out. I'll give you a real answer.
Working with Debbie Pisaro
I'm Debbie Pisaro, founder of Coastline 840, an independent California luxury real estate brokerage built on the Side platform. I specialize in architectural, historic, and design-forward homes across Los Angeles, with a focus on Studio City, Los Feliz, Silver Lake, and the San Fernando Valley. Before real estate I spent years at Warner Bros. Records, which taught me a few things about how to navigate a creative industry and why provenance matters.
If you are considering buying or selling an R.M. Schindler house, a mid-century modern, an HCM, or any significant architectural property in Los Angeles, I'd welcome the conversation. You can reach me through my contact page, browse more architectural home profiles on debbiepisaro.com, explore statewide California listings at coastline840.com, or dig into hyperlocal Eastside coverage at losfelizliving.com.
Keep Reading
Continue Exploring
- The Roxy Roth House by R.M. Schindler — Studio City
- A Gregory Ain Original — Studio City
- The James De Long / Hackett House — Studio City
- The USC Case Study Home, 1961 — Studio City
- The Architecture of Steven Ehrlich — Los Angeles
- The History of Sportsmen's Lodge — Studio City
Authoritative External Sources
- Los Angeles Conservancy: Van Dekker House
- Historical Marker Database: Van Dekker House, HCM No. 974
- City of Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument Program
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was R.M. Schindler?
Rudolph M. Schindler (1887-1953) was an Austrian-born architect who studied in Vienna and moved to the United States, where he worked under Frank Lloyd Wright before settling in Los Angeles. He is widely regarded as one of the most important Southern California architects of the 20th century and remains the only architect to receive a solo exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles.
What is the Van Dekker House?
The Van Dekker House is a 1940 residence in Woodland Hills designed by R.M. Schindler for actor Albert Van Dekker. At 3,756 square feet on a half-acre lot, it is considered Schindler's largest known residential commission. It was designated Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 974 in 2009.
How much is the Van Dekker House listed for?
The Van Dekker House is listed at $4,500,000 in 2026.
Is the Van Dekker House a protected historic property?
Yes. It is designated Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 974, which protects it from demolition and requires review of significant alterations. The Los Angeles Conservancy also recognized its restoration with a 2016 Preservation Award.
How many R.M. Schindler houses are for sale in Los Angeles?
At any given time, usually zero to three. Schindler built roughly 150 projects total, most remain in private hands, and significant Schindler homes trade infrequently. A listing of this caliber, with HCM status and a documented restoration, is rare.
Who should I contact to see the Van Dekker House?
If you'd like to tour the property or get my independent read on whether it's the right fit for you as a buyer, reach out to Debbie Pisaro through the contact page at debbiepisaro.com. I work with architectural home buyers across Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley.
By Debbie Pisaro
From the Archive
More Architectural Homes
- The Roxy Roth House by R.M. Schindler — Studio City
- A Gregory Ain Original — Studio City
- The James De Long / Hackett House — Studio City
- The USC Case Study Home, 1961 — Studio City
- The Architecture of Steven Ehrlich — Los Angeles
The Van Dekker House, designed by R.M. Schindler in 1940 for actor Albert Van Dekker, is for sale in Woodland Hills at $4,500,000. At 3,756 square feet on a half-acre gated compound, it is Schindler's largest known residential commission and is designated Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 974. The four-bedroom, three-story residence was meticulously restored after years of neglect and recognized by the Los Angeles Conservancy with a 2016 Preservation Award. The listing marks a rare opportunity to acquire a fully restored Schindler landmark with documented Hollywood provenance, including former ownership by screenwriter Al "Buzz" Bezzerides and visits from Humphrey Bogart, Robert Mitchum, and William Faulkner.
Every few years, a listing comes along that stops everyone in the Los Angeles architectural real estate world mid-sentence. The Van Dekker House is one of those listings. This isn't just another architectural home for sale in Los Angeles. This is the largest residential project Schindler ever built, it carries Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument status (HCM No. 974), and it was nearly lost to a wrecking ball a decade ago. The fact that anyone can buy it in 2026 is, frankly, a minor miracle.
I've spent 24 years selling architectural, historic, and design-forward homes across Los Angeles, with a particular focus on Studio City and the greater San Fernando Valley. When a Schindler trades, I pay attention. When his biggest Schindler trades, I write about it.
Why This Listing Matters Beyond Woodland Hills
Schindler completed roughly 150 built projects in his career. The vast majority are modest in scale, tucked into hillside sites, and designed on tight budgets for clients who shared his radical belief that architecture should reinvent daily life. The Van Dekker House breaks that pattern in almost every way.
At 3,756 square feet on a half acre, this is Schindler on a scale he rarely worked at. It was the first house where he moved away from flat or sloping roofs and began working with sculptural roof forms, draping wrinkled copper over tightly interlocking volumes. One restoration contractor memorably called the house "Schindler on steroids." I think that captures it perfectly.
For architectural home buyers in Los Angeles who have been watching the Schindler market, this is the rare opportunity where pedigree, scale, provenance, and landmark protection all intersect in a single property.
The Hollywood Backstory
The house was commissioned by actor Albert Van Dekker, later known simply as Albert Dekker after he dropped the "Van" during the McCarthy era, a detail that tells you exactly what kind of Hollywood the 1940s were. You may know his face from Dr. Cyclops (1940), Kiss Me Deadly (1955), and The Wild Bunch (1969).
Van Dekker eventually sold the property to screenwriter Al "Buzz" Bezzerides, the man who wrote the screenplay for Kiss Me Deadly. Bezzerides lived in the house until his death in 2007. During his ownership the property became a quiet Hollywood gathering place, with Humphrey Bogart, Robert Mitchum, and William Faulkner among the names who passed through.
If you care about Los Angeles history and the way the city's film industry shaped its residential architecture, this house is a primary source document.
What Schindler Actually Did Here
Schindler designed the L-shaped floor plan on a diagonal axis across the lot, which was his response to the site itself. That rotation maximized outdoor living space and captured the San Fernando Valley and surrounding mountain views from nearly every interior vantage point. A small, deliberately understated entry opens into a two-story great room with a loft overlooking the living area, a signature Schindler move that critic Reyner Banham once described by saying Schindler "designed as if there had never been houses before."
The defining exterior feature is that asymmetrical, wrinkled copper roof. Inside, the character-defining elements include folded planes, sloping walls and ceilings, polygonal windows, butt-glazed corners, exposed wood interiors, flagstone patios, and Schindler's instantly recognizable built-in furniture. These are the details that turn a house into a Historic-Cultural Monument in Los Angeles, and they are the details that make restoration so difficult and so valuable when it is done correctly.
The Restoration Story
By 2009, the Van Dekker House was in genuinely terrible shape. Decades of neglect had left copper roof panels missing, water damage throughout the interiors, and boarded-up windows. The house was on the market at $799,000 and was, in all seriousness, a demolition candidate.
Preservation advocates pushed for Historic-Cultural Monument designation, which the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission granted in 2009 as HCM No. 974. The Los Angeles Conservancy recognized the multi-phase restoration with a Preservation Award in 2016, pairing it with the restoration of Richard Neutra's Kronish House in Beverly Hills, the only two single-family homes honored that year.
The rehabilitation was meticulous. Copper roof panels were rebuilt individually. Original built-ins were restored. Windows were repaired or carefully replaced. More recent updates have layered in contemporary systems, including solar panels installed discreetly, an updated kitchen with Bosch appliances and custom cabinetry, and remodeled bathrooms, all without erasing Schindler's design language.
The Current Offering at a Glance
- Address: 19950 W. Collier Street, Woodland Hills, CA 91364
- List price: $4,500,000
- Architect: R.M. Schindler (1887-1953), the modernist who trained under Frank Lloyd Wright
- Built: 1940
- Designation: Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 974 (2009)
- Size: 3,756 sq ft (approximately 4,000 sq ft under roof per the listing)
- Lot: Approximately half an acre, gated compound, south of Ventura Boulevard
- Bedrooms: Four, all with en-suite bathrooms and built-in closets
- Primary suite: Top floor with panoramic Valley views, private gym, and remodeled bath with dual sinks and walk-in shower
- Additional spaces: Billiard/games room with wine cellar, den/office, sitting room
- Statement features: Asymmetrical copper roof, stone and copper fireplace, clerestory windows throughout, wood-beamed angled ceilings, formal dining room, updated kitchen with Bosch appliances
The Schindler Footprint Across Los Angeles
Schindler's work is scattered across Los Angeles — the Kings Road House in West Hollywood, the Lovell Beach House in Newport, the Buck House in Mid-City, the Roxy Roth and Goodwin houses and the Laurelwood Apartments in Studio City, and the Van Dekker House up in Woodland Hills. Buyers who collect Schindler do not sort by neighborhood. They fly in from New York, Chicago, and London, and they shop the architect, not the zip code.
The Van Dekker sale, whatever it ultimately trades at, will become a reference point for valuing every significant modernist home in the region for years to come. That matters whether you own a Schindler in Studio City, a Neutra in Silver Lake, or a Lautner in the Hollywood Hills. Big trades reset the comp set.
If you are considering buying or selling an architecturally significant home anywhere in Los Angeles, this is a listing worth watching closely.
What a Schindler House Is Really Worth in 2026
This is the question I get asked more than any other when a landmark listing comes to market: how is this priced? A short answer: Schindler houses do not follow standard price-per-square-foot logic, and they never have. Comps come from a tiny national pool, often just a handful of sales in any five-year window. The Roxy Roth House in Studio City traded in 2017 at $2.295M for 1,564 square feet. The Van Dekker is nearly two and a half times that size, carries HCM status, has a complete and documented restoration, and includes the Hollywood provenance. Those are not small factors when you are valuing a work of art that happens to also be a residence.
If you want my honest read on where this one lands in the market, reach out. I'll give you a real answer.
Working with Debbie Pisaro
I'm Debbie Pisaro, founder of Coastline 840, an independent California luxury real estate brokerage built on the Side platform. I specialize in architectural, historic, and design-forward homes across Los Angeles, with a focus on Studio City, Los Feliz, Silver Lake, and the San Fernando Valley. Before real estate I spent years at Warner Bros. Records, which taught me a few things about how to navigate a creative industry and why provenance matters.
If you are considering buying or selling an R.M. Schindler house, a mid-century modern, an HCM, or any significant architectural property in Los Angeles, I'd welcome the conversation. You can reach me through my contact page, browse more architectural home profiles on debbiepisaro.com, explore statewide California listings at coastline840.com, or dig into hyperlocal Eastside coverage at losfelizliving.com.
Keep Reading
Continue Exploring
- The Roxy Roth House by R.M. Schindler — Studio City
- A Gregory Ain Original — Studio City
- The James De Long / Hackett House — Studio City
- The USC Case Study Home, 1961 — Studio City
- The Architecture of Steven Ehrlich — Los Angeles
- The History of Sportsmen's Lodge — Studio City
Authoritative External Sources
- Los Angeles Conservancy: Van Dekker House
- Historical Marker Database: Van Dekker House, HCM No. 974
- City of Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument Program
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was R.M. Schindler?
Rudolph M. Schindler (1887-1953) was an Austrian-born architect who studied in Vienna and moved to the United States, where he worked under Frank Lloyd Wright before settling in Los Angeles. He is widely regarded as one of the most important Southern California architects of the 20th century and remains the only architect to receive a solo exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles.
What is the Van Dekker House?
The Van Dekker House is a 1940 residence in Woodland Hills designed by R.M. Schindler for actor Albert Van Dekker. At 3,756 square feet on a half-acre lot, it is considered Schindler's largest known residential commission. It was designated Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 974 in 2009.
How much is the Van Dekker House listed for?
The Van Dekker House is listed at $4,500,000 in 2026.
Is the Van Dekker House a protected historic property?
Yes. It is designated Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 974, which protects it from demolition and requires review of significant alterations. The Los Angeles Conservancy also recognized its restoration with a 2016 Preservation Award.
How many R.M. Schindler houses are for sale in Los Angeles?
At any given time, usually zero to three. Schindler built roughly 150 projects total, most remain in private hands, and significant Schindler homes trade infrequently. A listing of this caliber, with HCM status and a documented restoration, is rare.
Who should I contact to see the Van Dekker House?
If you'd like to tour the property or get my independent read on whether it's the right fit for you as a buyer, reach out to Debbie Pisaro through the contact page at debbiepisaro.com. I work with architectural home buyers across Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley.
By Debbie Pisaro
From the Archive
More Architectural Homes
- The Roxy Roth House by R.M. Schindler — Studio City
- A Gregory Ain Original — Studio City
- The James De Long / Hackett House — Studio City
- The USC Case Study Home, 1961 — Studio City
- The Architecture of Steven Ehrlich — Los Angeles
The Van Dekker House, designed by R.M. Schindler in 1940 for actor Albert Van Dekker, is for sale in Woodland Hills at $4,500,000. At 3,756 square feet on a half-acre gated compound, it is Schindler's largest known residential commission and is designated Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 974. The four-bedroom, three-story residence was meticulously restored after years of neglect and recognized by the Los Angeles Conservancy with a 2016 Preservation Award. The listing marks a rare opportunity to acquire a fully restored Schindler landmark with documented Hollywood provenance, including former ownership by screenwriter Al "Buzz" Bezzerides and visits from Humphrey Bogart, Robert Mitchum, and William Faulkner.
Every few years, a listing comes along that stops everyone in the Los Angeles architectural real estate world mid-sentence. The Van Dekker House is one of those listings. This isn't just another architectural home for sale in Los Angeles. This is the largest residential project Schindler ever built, it carries Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument status (HCM No. 974), and it was nearly lost to a wrecking ball a decade ago. The fact that anyone can buy it in 2026 is, frankly, a minor miracle.
I've spent 24 years selling architectural, historic, and design-forward homes across Los Angeles, with a particular focus on Studio City and the greater San Fernando Valley. When a Schindler trades, I pay attention. When his biggest Schindler trades, I write about it.
Why This Listing Matters Beyond Woodland Hills
Schindler completed roughly 150 built projects in his career. The vast majority are modest in scale, tucked into hillside sites, and designed on tight budgets for clients who shared his radical belief that architecture should reinvent daily life. The Van Dekker House breaks that pattern in almost every way.
At 3,756 square feet on a half acre, this is Schindler on a scale he rarely worked at. It was the first house where he moved away from flat or sloping roofs and began working with sculptural roof forms, draping wrinkled copper over tightly interlocking volumes. One restoration contractor memorably called the house "Schindler on steroids." I think that captures it perfectly.
For architectural home buyers in Los Angeles who have been watching the Schindler market, this is the rare opportunity where pedigree, scale, provenance, and landmark protection all intersect in a single property.
The Hollywood Backstory
The house was commissioned by actor Albert Van Dekker, later known simply as Albert Dekker after he dropped the "Van" during the McCarthy era, a detail that tells you exactly what kind of Hollywood the 1940s were. You may know his face from Dr. Cyclops (1940), Kiss Me Deadly (1955), and The Wild Bunch (1969).
Van Dekker eventually sold the property to screenwriter Al "Buzz" Bezzerides, the man who wrote the screenplay for Kiss Me Deadly. Bezzerides lived in the house until his death in 2007. During his ownership the property became a quiet Hollywood gathering place, with Humphrey Bogart, Robert Mitchum, and William Faulkner among the names who passed through.
If you care about Los Angeles history and the way the city's film industry shaped its residential architecture, this house is a primary source document.
What Schindler Actually Did Here
Schindler designed the L-shaped floor plan on a diagonal axis across the lot, which was his response to the site itself. That rotation maximized outdoor living space and captured the San Fernando Valley and surrounding mountain views from nearly every interior vantage point. A small, deliberately understated entry opens into a two-story great room with a loft overlooking the living area, a signature Schindler move that critic Reyner Banham once described by saying Schindler "designed as if there had never been houses before."
The defining exterior feature is that asymmetrical, wrinkled copper roof. Inside, the character-defining elements include folded planes, sloping walls and ceilings, polygonal windows, butt-glazed corners, exposed wood interiors, flagstone patios, and Schindler's instantly recognizable built-in furniture. These are the details that turn a house into a Historic-Cultural Monument in Los Angeles, and they are the details that make restoration so difficult and so valuable when it is done correctly.
The Restoration Story
By 2009, the Van Dekker House was in genuinely terrible shape. Decades of neglect had left copper roof panels missing, water damage throughout the interiors, and boarded-up windows. The house was on the market at $799,000 and was, in all seriousness, a demolition candidate.
Preservation advocates pushed for Historic-Cultural Monument designation, which the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission granted in 2009 as HCM No. 974. The Los Angeles Conservancy recognized the multi-phase restoration with a Preservation Award in 2016, pairing it with the restoration of Richard Neutra's Kronish House in Beverly Hills, the only two single-family homes honored that year.
The rehabilitation was meticulous. Copper roof panels were rebuilt individually. Original built-ins were restored. Windows were repaired or carefully replaced. More recent updates have layered in contemporary systems, including solar panels installed discreetly, an updated kitchen with Bosch appliances and custom cabinetry, and remodeled bathrooms, all without erasing Schindler's design language.
The Current Offering at a Glance
- Address: 19950 W. Collier Street, Woodland Hills, CA 91364
- List price: $4,500,000
- Architect: R.M. Schindler (1887-1953), the modernist who trained under Frank Lloyd Wright
- Built: 1940
- Designation: Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 974 (2009)
- Size: 3,756 sq ft (approximately 4,000 sq ft under roof per the listing)
- Lot: Approximately half an acre, gated compound, south of Ventura Boulevard
- Bedrooms: Four, all with en-suite bathrooms and built-in closets
- Primary suite: Top floor with panoramic Valley views, private gym, and remodeled bath with dual sinks and walk-in shower
- Additional spaces: Billiard/games room with wine cellar, den/office, sitting room
- Statement features: Asymmetrical copper roof, stone and copper fireplace, clerestory windows throughout, wood-beamed angled ceilings, formal dining room, updated kitchen with Bosch appliances
The Schindler Footprint Across Los Angeles
Schindler's work is scattered across Los Angeles — the Kings Road House in West Hollywood, the Lovell Beach House in Newport, the Buck House in Mid-City, the Roxy Roth and Goodwin houses and the Laurelwood Apartments in Studio City, and the Van Dekker House up in Woodland Hills. Buyers who collect Schindler do not sort by neighborhood. They fly in from New York, Chicago, and London, and they shop the architect, not the zip code.
The Van Dekker sale, whatever it ultimately trades at, will become a reference point for valuing every significant modernist home in the region for years to come. That matters whether you own a Schindler in Studio City, a Neutra in Silver Lake, or a Lautner in the Hollywood Hills. Big trades reset the comp set.
If you are considering buying or selling an architecturally significant home anywhere in Los Angeles, this is a listing worth watching closely.
What a Schindler House Is Really Worth in 2026
This is the question I get asked more than any other when a landmark listing comes to market: how is this priced? A short answer: Schindler houses do not follow standard price-per-square-foot logic, and they never have. Comps come from a tiny national pool, often just a handful of sales in any five-year window. The Roxy Roth House in Studio City traded in 2017 at $2.295M for 1,564 square feet. The Van Dekker is nearly two and a half times that size, carries HCM status, has a complete and documented restoration, and includes the Hollywood provenance. Those are not small factors when you are valuing a work of art that happens to also be a residence.
If you want my honest read on where this one lands in the market, reach out. I'll give you a real answer.
Working with Debbie Pisaro
I'm Debbie Pisaro, founder of Coastline 840, an independent California luxury real estate brokerage built on the Side platform. I specialize in architectural, historic, and design-forward homes across Los Angeles, with a focus on Studio City, Los Feliz, Silver Lake, and the San Fernando Valley. Before real estate I spent years at Warner Bros. Records, which taught me a few things about how to navigate a creative industry and why provenance matters.
If you are considering buying or selling an R.M. Schindler house, a mid-century modern, an HCM, or any significant architectural property in Los Angeles, I'd welcome the conversation. You can reach me through my contact page, browse more architectural home profiles on debbiepisaro.com, explore statewide California listings at coastline840.com, or dig into hyperlocal Eastside coverage at losfelizliving.com.
Keep Reading
Continue Exploring
- The Roxy Roth House by R.M. Schindler — Studio City
- A Gregory Ain Original — Studio City
- The James De Long / Hackett House — Studio City
- The USC Case Study Home, 1961 — Studio City
- The Architecture of Steven Ehrlich — Los Angeles
- The History of Sportsmen's Lodge — Studio City
Authoritative External Sources
- Los Angeles Conservancy: Van Dekker House
- Historical Marker Database: Van Dekker House, HCM No. 974
- City of Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument Program
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was R.M. Schindler?
Rudolph M. Schindler (1887-1953) was an Austrian-born architect who studied in Vienna and moved to the United States, where he worked under Frank Lloyd Wright before settling in Los Angeles. He is widely regarded as one of the most important Southern California architects of the 20th century and remains the only architect to receive a solo exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles.
What is the Van Dekker House?
The Van Dekker House is a 1940 residence in Woodland Hills designed by R.M. Schindler for actor Albert Van Dekker. At 3,756 square feet on a half-acre lot, it is considered Schindler's largest known residential commission. It was designated Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 974 in 2009.
How much is the Van Dekker House listed for?
The Van Dekker House is listed at $4,500,000 in 2026.
Is the Van Dekker House a protected historic property?
Yes. It is designated Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 974, which protects it from demolition and requires review of significant alterations. The Los Angeles Conservancy also recognized its restoration with a 2016 Preservation Award.
How many R.M. Schindler houses are for sale in Los Angeles?
At any given time, usually zero to three. Schindler built roughly 150 projects total, most remain in private hands, and significant Schindler homes trade infrequently. A listing of this caliber, with HCM status and a documented restoration, is rare.
Who should I contact to see the Van Dekker House?
If you'd like to tour the property or get my independent read on whether it's the right fit for you as a buyer, reach out to Debbie Pisaro through the contact page at debbiepisaro.com. I work with architectural home buyers across Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley.