Exclusive | Rare LA home designed by one of the worlds most respected architects sells for $2.45M off-market

Tucked into the tree-lined hills of Thousand Oaks, a 1980s home by the legendary architect Frank Gehry has quietly traded hands for $2.45 million without ever hitting the open market.Commissioned in 1983 and competed in 1988, the Sirmai-Peterson House, as it’s known, sits almost an hour from downtown LA, and has garnered less attention than some of Gehry’s other residential projects, like his personal Santa Monica residence.“Nobody knew about this house really,” said listing representative Brian Linder, of Compass.

“It was published in the late ’80s, but then the owners have lived in it since then and are just very private people … it was kind of hiding in plain sight out there.” Gehry designed comparatively few residential projects over the course of his more-than-50-year career — meaning this property is a supremely rare get for the new owner, who couldn’t be identified.And not only was Gehry’s a career that spanned decades, it was also one that spanned continents.

The Pritzker-winning architect, who died in late 2025 at age 96 following a brief respiratory illness, dazzled cities around the world with his flamboyant designs, which famously include eye-catching metallic touches.Among his most famous works: the Guggenheim in Bilbao, Spain; the Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown LA; and the towering 8 Spruce luxury rental at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge in Manhattan.But, when it comes to this off-the-radar Thousand Oaks gem, even people who worked in Gehry’s office hadn’t stepped inside.Its sale unfolded with unusual speed.

Linder and his team only learned about the property after a chance encounter with a visiting designer at another listing who put them in touch with the owners.“Before we even had the photos back, we had an offer that was attractive to the seller and put it under contract with a quick close,” he said.Architecturally, the house captures a transitional moment in Gehry’s career and style, built after his early ...