1024 Armada Drive

Pasadena CA 91103

5307 sq. ft.

13873 sq. ft.

Single-Family

Last sold for $4,600,000

JB An Fung, last sold this property on 09 October 2026 after 42 days on market.

Overview

The Gell-Mann Residence: William E. Blurock Architect. Set gently into the tree-lined edge of the Arroyo Seco, this two-story mid-century modern residence was built in 1956 and designed by California modernist architect William E. Blurock, FAIA, whose career shaped landmark civic and educational buildings across the state and around the world. Believed to be one of only a few private homes he ever designed, this striking mid-century residence is quietly tucked behind mature landscaping within Pasadena's storied, National Register-listed Prospect Historic District.The five-bedroom, five-bathroom home is anchored by an aspirational reverse floor plan that lifts the main gathering spaces to the upper level, where soaring living-room ceilings, a copper-clad fireplace, and a bespoke mid-century light fixture stretching the entire length of the living room wash the interiors in a welcoming, warm light. Custom millwork and walls clad in walnut and maple lend a natural richness to the residence. Walls of glass and a second-story balcony frame sweeping views of the Rose Bowl and surrounding canyons. A dramatic open-plan stairway becomes a sculptural centerpiece for the home, animated by inset colored-glass panels and highlighted by an architectural railing wrapped in wood and cork flooring.Below, the floor plan opens around a serene zen-style garden and an expansive pool, with a private pool house/guest studio completing a resort-like retreat built for modern California living. Flagstone, stucco and a subdued facade let the house belong effortlessly among the district's Craftsman and period-revival landmarks.The home carries a remarkable provenance as the longtime residence of Nobel Prize-winning physicist Murray Gell-Mann, who lived here during his most creative years at Caltech. The scientist who named the "quark" and reorganized our understanding of the building blocks of matter found his home in a house designed, quite literally, to lift its inhabitants toward the light and the view.More than a home, this is a rare convergence of California modernism, landscape, craftsmanship and intellectual history. Square footage was measured by PlantLab LA: House only-6006, Garage-454, Studio-153. Buyers to verify all permitted and possibly unpermitted spaces. The residence is ready to write its next chapter.

Features

5 bedrooms

5 bathrooms

5 carspaces

5307 sq. ft. floor area

13873 sq. ft. lot size

Single-Family

Estimated Value

Based on this property and similar 5 bedroom single-family properties sold in Pasadena over the last 12 months, the estimated median property value of 1024 Armada Drive is $2.83m.

Median value

$2.83m

Estimated value range

$1.15m - $6.75m

Median days on market

Estimated value trend

-2%

decrease over the last 12 months

Average days on market is based on recent, comparable sales in Pasadena. It is only an indication of the time a property is actively listed and should not be relied upon as an accurate representation of how soon a property will be sold.