GRASS-TOPPED GARAGE

“There aren’t too many home-owners in Los Angeles who landscape the roof of their garage with grass and trees. The businessman who built this high-toned stable for his herd of cars literally moved the earth to build a 3,500-square-foot underground automobile environment. But, then, not everyone owns thoroughbreds like a Super-Charged 1938 Bugatti Type 57C, a 1902 Daracq, or a red 1972 Ferrari Daytona.

It took two years to excavate a hole where a paddle tennis court once stood and then build this subterranean garage at the end of a long, sloping driveway. The nouveau-Colonial space, designed by architect Kip Kelly, comes complete with pilasters and columns like those in the main house. The chamber is equipped with amenities such as a cocktail bar, a video-viewing area, a high-tech sound system, copper tubing to heat the floor, and a full-sized chrome turntable for the vehicles. The owner wants his friends to enjoy the collection too—the garage easily accommodates sit-down dinners for 150.”

Featured in:

L.A. Inside Out—The Architecture and Interiors of America’s Most Colorful City

By Paddy Calistro and Betty Goodwin