Former Winery Is Ripe for the Picking

It’s a residence now, but it was built in 1867 as the San Rafael Winery. Situated in a gated community of 18 homes, the house, described as a “contemporary Craftsman,” is on Johnston Lake, a two-acre natural spring-fed lake with an adjacent one-acre meadow in the San Rafael area of Pasadena.

About this house: It was a winery until the 1930s, and the wine was “pretty good,” old-timers said. The property then sat vacant for years. In 1954, it was turned into an 1,800-square-foot house. Then, in 1989 and 1990, the building was transformed into the larger refurbished house it is today.

The three-level house looks like a Craftsman, but it has modern amenities and it still has such remnants from the winery as the original trusses and used bricks. The bricks have a wonderful, musty smell.

The owner-architect is Robb Hunter, principal of the architectural firm McClelland, Hunter, which has offices in Pasadena.

Asking price: $2.9 million

Size: Six bedrooms and six baths in about 7,800 square feet

Features: Beamed cathedral ceilings; river-rock fireplaces; Douglas fir floors; an AV entertainment area; a 2,000-bottle wine cellar; a billiards area; a woodworking shop; a children’s area with study space and separate laundry facility; a library with cherry-finished cabinets; a leaded-and stained-glass front door; patios with views of the lake; a master suite with spa tub; a wet bar with etched-glass cabinets; a guest suite with meadow view; and a nanny’s quarters.

Where: Pasadena

Listing agent: Lu Gordon, Coldwell Banker Lake-Hudson office, (626) 844-2278

To have a residence considered as a candidate for Home of the Week, please send color interior and exterior photos (copies only, please; we cannot return the pictures) and a brief description of the house, including what makes the property unusual, to Ruth Ryon, Real Estate Section, Los Angeles Times, 202 W. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012; or e-mail [email protected].