L.A.’s ‘Earthquake House,’ One of the Only Homes Built on Shock Absorbers, Heads to Auction The seller, whose father designed the industrial-looking residence, said the building felt like it levitated off the ground during the 1994 Northridge earthquake.
The “Earthquake House” by architect David Ming-Li Lowe in Los Angeles, one of the only residential homes built on shock-absorbing dampers to protect against earthquakes, is back on the market with a starting price of $2.1 million.
The home goes to auction next month with an opening bid of $2.1 million, but is open to offers prior to that, according to Christina Hildebrand of Crosby Doe Associates, who is marketing the property.
Ming-Li Lowe built the three-story home in the Sawtelle neighborhood of Los Angeles for his family in 1990. Like his other designs, the three-bedroom home has an open, industrial feel, spanning 3,913 square feet across three floors, with abundant use of utilitarian materials like corrugated steel, sheet metal refrigeration and translucent Kalwall sheeting.