Rodney Walker | Asher Residence, 1949

The Asher Residence offers a compelling look at Rodney Walker’s postwar residential work following his involvement with the Case Study House Program. After designing Case Study Houses #16, #17, and #18 between 1946 and 1948, Walker continued many of the same investigations here: economical construction, exposed structure, flexible planning, and a close relationship between interior and landscape.

Trained in engineering and fine art, Walker worked for R. M. Schindler before establishing his own construction company. Rather than practicing as a licensed architect, he worked as a designer-builder, maintaining direct involvement in both the conception and construction of his houses.

At the Asher Residence, an exposed wood post-and-beam system establishes the architectural order while allowing broad expanses of glazing to open the interiors toward the site. Redwood paneling, stacked-bond brick, flagstone, clerestory windows, deep overhangs, and a roof structure that extends into a trellis create a restrained and consistent material language.

Living, dining, kitchen, and outdoor spaces are conceived as a continuous sequence, while original built-ins and movable partitions allow the interior to adapt over time. Upstairs, the primary suite opens onto a terrace overlooking the San Fernando Valley and San Gabriel Mountains, with a raised outdoor fireplace positioned as part of the architecture of the view.

Photographed by Julius Shulman, the Asher Residence reflects Walker’s broader conception of modernism—not simply as a visual style, but as an integration of structure, light, material, landscape, and daily life.

4 Bedrooms
5 Bathrooms
Approximately 3,400 SF
Approximately 25,000 SF Lot

$3,850,000

Listed by Andrew Manning
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices