Decades ago, the TV comedy Green Acres lampooned a big city banker and his high-fashion socialite wife who ditched their luxurious New York City penthouse to live on a country farm. The absurd series concept was ratings hit.
Today, an equally radical idea has cropped up like a spring harvest in Los Angeles. A modern farmhouse marvel called Forest Knoll Residence has hit the market for $32 million in the Hollywood Hills. It’s also highly rated, design-wise.
Rarely has L.A. witnessed anything like this. This, too, is original programming—a traditional rural phenomenon (the barn) in modern, metropolitan residential form. Developed by Viewpoint Collection, the property is listed exclusively by Tomer Fridman, Sally Forster Jones, and Tyrone McKillen.
Los Angeles and farming aren’t natural allies. You’re more likely to discover a European-inspired castle than a grand farmhouse in this city. Contemporary Forest Knoll just might germinate into an L.A. curiosity. Maybe even a trend—because this experiment works.
Instead of housing barley or livestock (the original intent for barns), Forest Knoll is designed to be lived in—luxuriously. Perched on a 1-acre promontory in the Hollywood Hills (near Sunset Plaza), the newly constructed estate is privatized by a grand gate and hedged ficus trees on a 41,820-square-foot lot. The six-bedroom, nine-bath residence spans 11,184 square feet.
Designed by Standard Architecture and Plus Development, Forest Knoll’s majestic three-gable façade is inspired by parallel vaults at Louis Kahn’s Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas. The museum is virtually closed but Forest Knoll is virtually open.
“Forest Knoll's modern farmhouse and three-gable design seems to be a monumental compelling design and a fresh departure from a lot of the ‘square boxes’ that have proliferated new construction in recent times,” says Compass broker Fridman.
