Back in the late 1920s, as he was easing into a lengthy architecture career that would endure for more than six decades, Wallace Neff crafted this suburban Los Angeles retreat for early Montgomery Ward leader and Occidental College trustee Charles H. Thorne and his wife, Belle. Now, after having been lovingly maintained by the same family for half a century, the alluring Spanish Colonial Revival–style home is on the market in Pasadena for $10.8 million.
Sited in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains—amid a private lane in the exclusive Los Altos neighborhood, near the members-only Annandale Golf Club, and just two doors away from Erika Jayne and Tom Girardi’s former marital mansion—the blush-hued stucco and terra-cotta-roof structure is fronted by a gated circular driveway. Ornate double glass doors open into a grassy central courtyard patterned after Southern California’s landmark 1700s-era Mission San Juan Capistrano, which comes complete with a tiered fountain and arched arcades laced with flowering hot-pink bougainvillea.
Completed in 1929, and meticulously restored and updated by its longtime owners, the main home boasts eight bedrooms and 10 bathrooms spread across a little more than 9,000 square feet of multilevel living space, featuring refinished wood floors throughout, intricate iron and stone details, vintage light fixtures, and mosaic tile accents. There’s also a two-bedroom, one-bath guest apartment of roughly 920 square feet atop the four-car garage.
Especially noteworthy is a living room with a high wood-beam ceiling, walk-in fireplace, and arched windows. Other highlights include a formal dining room and bookshelf-lined library, plus a gourmet kitchen replete with black-and-white checked floors, pale yellow cabinetry, an eat-in island, top-tier appliances, a wine cooler–equipped butler’s pantry and accompanying breakfast nook.
Two primary bedrooms sit upstairs, both with en-suite bathrooms and one warmed by a corner fireplace; elsewhere is a large storage basement. Outdoors, the grounds comprise Italian stone pines, a summer kitchen, several spots ideal for al fresco lounging and entertaining, and picturesque vistas overlooking the parklike Arroyo Seco and Colorado Street Bridge in Pasadena.
“Lovingly restored and treasured by its owners, the lavish and stunning architectural design elements are on full display as Neff set out to create a comfortable, custom family home, perfect for entertaining and California indoor/outdoor enjoyment,” says listing agent Carol Chua of Coldwell Banker Realty. “Potentially eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places, this home is one of Neff’s most treasured gems and awaits the next lucky owner.”