40 DIGS.NET
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4.5.2019
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P R O F I L E | E D W A R D O G O S TA
A MODEST PROPOSA L
A contemporar y expansion with nods to its Culver Cit y neighborhood
expresses the clarit y of vision of architect Edward Ogosta
W R I T T E N B Y J E N N T H O R N T O N
"I grew up in an environment where something contemporary was very exotic,"
says Los Angeles architect Edward Ogosta, referencing his upbringing in
suburban Palos Verdes. "Everyone just drove into their garage and shut the
door. I didn't know anybody." Now it's quite the opposite. e Harvard-trained
architect and founder of Los Angeles-based Edward Ogosta Architecture is a
master of the modern form who resides in a uniquely friendly neighborhood in
Culver City. "It's the first place I've lived in my life where I know pretty much
everyone who lives on my street," he says. "We have dinners together. It's a
unique place. e character is very small-town. ere's a sort of intimacy and
modesty that I like."
Indeed he must. In an era when it's all about scaling up and moving on,
Ogosta has owned the same house, in the same neighborhood, for more than
a decade—a three-bedroom, one-bath bungalow built in 1944 that was more
than sufficient for the architect, his wife and their dog. "It's a small house, 1,050
square feet, but it had a good floor plan and everything we needed for a long
time," says Ogosta. "en we had a daughter and, well, at that point a one-
bathroom house that was probably fine for the 1940s wasn't a practical solution."
So Ogosta designed one—the simple, rectangle-shaped Rear Window
House. Set behind the original bungalow, the 450-square-foot expansion
was thoughtfully planned to include a master suite, master bath and a library.
Separated from the existing architecture by pavers, the new structure keeps
PHOTOGRAPHS:
BY
STEVE
KING,
COURTESY
OF
EDWARD
OGOSTA
ARCHITECTURE
