The Pasadena home Rapor reflects the modernist spirit of late architect Conrad Buff III, who built it in 1977. The current owners gave The Los Angeles Times a tour of this wonderful piece of architectural history. Buff was a partner of Buff, Straub & Hensman, which was responsible for distinctive California architecture, including two Case Study houses.

Rapor's first impression -- a stolidity, size and strength that belies its modest 1,600 square feet -- is typical of the later work of Buff & Hensman, says architectural historian John English.

"Often from the outside they can appear windowless and maybe not that inviting," he says. "But you can't read them from the outside; the house is designed to unfold itself and increase your experience of it as you walk into it."

The stained-glass doors lead up a cavernous flight of stairs. At the top, the sense of symmetry and order is immediately inviting: two sunbathed patios flank the walkway, facing east toward the morning sun and the mountains. One deck is for sunbathing; the other is a sitting area with a glass table that, typical of Buff's ingenuity, also functions as a skylight to the art studio below.

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