In 1960, Harold Levitt and Ernest Le Due remodeled the L.A. house of Mr. and Mrs. Martin Horrells

In suburban houses built thirty or forty years ago front porches and first floor windows faced the street because the outlook was pleasant, cars and passersby were few. Today, these houses (and some new ones, alas) need a screen to give them privacy from constant traffic. A fine solution, if your building code allows it, is a front wall and gate. They will shield the front door and windows and the land between can be a delightful entrance court, an area serving as a buffer to the street. These are what architects Harold Levitt and Ernest Le Duc added to the Martin Horrells' Los Angeles house, and they are wholly congenial to the style of the house.

The search for extra space is the compelling factor behind most remodeling. Yet in many houses space in the basement goes begging because there is a bugaboo that basements are damp, dark and undesirable. Today, however, an air conditioner, a fan and dehumidifier can cope with moisture and mustiness. And good lighting, new wall and floor surfacing materials, built-ins and a free hand with bright paint can create a basement room that is ideal for romping youngsters or teenagers. In Mr. and Mrs. Frank Taylor's big 1887 house in Greenwich, Connecticut, architect Spencer Johnson applied some of these devices in a playroom for four young boys. From what had once been a basement kitchen, then a dingy, pipe-festooned cellar, he fashioned a gay room that is fun for the children and saves wear and tear on the living rooms upstairs.

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source: House and Garden Magazine | April 1960