ROOF&WALLS
WALLACE NEFF of TODAY
Neff Didn’t Just Design Buildings
He designed an entire way of life that has endured
for nearly one century.
missions and churches throughout the Southern California region,
including Neff ’s own home parish of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary Roman
Catholic Church. Neff ’s numerous projects at the church give the parish
ownership of a sizable and rare collection of Wallace Neff works.
Residence, Libby Ranch, Pickfair Estate as well as other fine
homes and estates that line the streets of such well-heeled
neighborhoods as Chapman Woods, Hancock Park, San Marino,
Glendora, Beverly Hills, and lower East Pasadena.
As Neff became more popular his services became more in-demand and
he was soon designing homes across the region in his familiar style. In
1924 Neff ’s work was described by Harris Nelson, editor of The Pacific
Coast Architect as both “playful” and “delightful” and further applauded
Neff ’s buildings which “obtained the picture quality of the Old World to a
surprising degree.”
Since Wallace Neff ’s passing in 1982, demand and appreciation
for his work has only grown, with celebrities like Brad Pitt,
Diane Keaton and Madonna paying large sums of cash for
properties featuring his classic California living designs. And his
famous “Bubble Houses” still percolate the globe in far off
places like Pakistan, South Africa and Brazil.
Beverly Hills
This Neff home is so famous
that even Howard Hughes
crashed a plane into it in 1946.
Not “The Spruce Goose”!
Hancock Park
Wallace Neff ’s Hancock Park
creation is fit for royalty. So much so
that the United Kingdom purchased
the home as official residence of
their Consul General in Los Angeles.
Prince William and Princess Kate
famously stayed here in 2011.
Pasadena
The last remaining “bubble house” in
the United States is fittingly near
Neff ’s hometown. The owner’s say
it’s like “living in a sculpture.”
Wallace Neff client Groucho Marx: “I’ve had a perfectly wonderful evening, but this wasn’t it.”
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Neff ’s works include the Singer Mansion, Gilette Mansion, Gates