It's located in St. Louis Park, but this modern, multimillion-dollar abode has a Hollywood Hills vibe, thanks to its unusual design — two self-contained cube-shaped houses with glass walls, connected by a California-cool glass breezeway.
The first house was built in 2006, when Twin Cities architect Charles Stinson collaborated with Streeter & Associates on a contemporary dwelling with "the feeling of an urban condo lifted up for skyline and lake views," he said.
A couple from Europe fell in love with the loft-like design and bought the home, but told Stinson they needed more room for friends and family to come for extended visits.
So Stinson designed Phase 2, a three-level guest house with a new in-ground swimming pool that parallels the 75-foot-long glass walkway linking the two cubes.
The home's geometric composition is signature Stinson with sleek horizontal roof lines and expanses of glass. Total square footage for the two cubes combined is 6,665 square feet, which includes four bedrooms and five bathrooms, on more than half an acre. The property is on the market for $4.495 million.
"The materials are fresh and modern, but warm with the colored limestone block," he said.
Light streams in through full-height windows on the lake side and transom and glass strips on the street side.
Inside are two sleek Italian Valcucine kitchens, one in each cube. Venetian plaster walls against white oak flooring define the lounging areas.
The guest house's one bedroom is lofted on the second floor for treetop and Cedar Lake vistas. A lower-level wine room holds hundreds of bottles and is adjacent to a fitness studio.
Multiple outdoor spaces include a private courtyard, patios and a gas fireplace at one end of the swimming pool.
So owners don't feel like they're living in a fishbowl, landscape design by Coen + Partners ensured that there's plenty of privacy from France Avenue, the neighbors and lake walkers.
"We took this very urban site and created a retreat within the city," said Stinson.
Bruce Birkeland, of Coldwell Banker Burnet, 612-414-3957, has the listing.
