Suspended above the Pacific in Palos Verdes Estates, the Murphy Residence is one of the rare surviving examples of late California Modernism in original condition. Designed in 1971 by the architectural partnership Smith, Heaton & Jones, the nearly 5,000-square-foot home captures a moment when Modernism had matured, when structure became sculpture, and light itself was a design material. Commissioned and still held by the original owner, the residence has remained untouched for more than five decades. Its redwood-lined ceilings, handcrafted decorative tile, and original fixtures remain intact, offering a pure expression of its era. Every surface, angle, and proportion reflects the architect’s intent, preserved rather than reinterpreted. Adding to its architectural significance, the complete original plans and drawings remain in the owner’s possession, providing a rare blueprint for accurate and effortless restoration. For those who value authenticity, this continuity between architect and original owner is extraordinary; offering the next custodian both historical context and design clarity. Influenced by contemporaries such as John Lautner and Quincy Jones, Smith, Heaton & Jones designed the Murphy Residence with commanding geometry and organic flow: cantilevered volumes reaching toward the horizon, walls of glass merging with sea and sky, and a harmonic rhythm of wood, concrete, and light that grounds the home in both landscape and legacy.
Perched above a 180-degree panorama of the Pacific, the property remains one of the few untouched works of its kind in Southern California. For the collector who views architecture as art, it represents a singular opportunity to restore and preserve a genuine piece of design history.
Located within one of Los Angeles’ most prestigious enclaves, with ample space for a pool or sculptural landscape, the Murphy Residence offers not just privacy and beauty but the chance to carry forward an unbroken architectural story that began in 1971. To own it is to hold a piece of California’s modernist soul, authentic, intact, and waiting to be reawakened.
