I recently ventured into the Valley (for a former New Yorker, that’s like going to New Jersey!) to check out the Joseph Eichler tract of houses in Granada Hills.
Eichler was a developer who had a taste for modern architecture. Working with noted architects A. Quincy Jones and Frederick Emmons, Eichler created the neighborhood of Balboa Highlands, consisting of about 100 houses, in the early 1960s.
These well-preserved houses are mid century masterpieces and they are also quite rare — they are part of the only Eichler tract in Los Angeles County. There are many look-a-like Eichler’s scattered about, but these are the real deal.
Much like Mar Vista, Balboa Highlands is a time capsule of a day long gone, when architects and builders took pride in what they were creating for the middle class buyer, rather than slapping up flimsy and cheesy McMansions all over the place.
Here are some photos of the different styles of houses:
