Unsold midcentury treasure in California goes for $8.8M

This hand-built home in Encinitas, California, with a view of Moonlight Beach, is getting ready to go on the market for the first time in its 60-year history in search of new owners.

The tiny property, which has a distinctive location atop a created cliff, has been owned by the same family since it was built in 1963.

The $8.8 million listing is held by Josh Altman, Matt Altman, and Jason Saks of Douglas Elliman and will reportedly be on the market early this week, according to The Post.

The property, which is now split into two apartments, has a main home with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, and laundry, as well as a one-bedroom guest unit on the top floor with its own kitchen, living area, and bathroom.

A private stairway leading to the beach and a lushly planted sanctuary with a five-hole putting green and three fire pits are among the outside highlights.

Ken Palmer, the current owner, recalled his childhood visits to the Southern California beachside retreat his grandfather built with the assistance of an award-winning architect 60 years ago in a statement to The Post. “I came down here every summer,” he said.

After his grandmother died away, Palmer, now 69, came down to care for his grandfather every other weekend and anytime a USC game was on. Palmer started assisting with the renovations when he was 10 years old.

He and his wife Wendy moved in permanently in 2010, following the death of his grandpa, and have since spent the years relishing the coastal retreat.

Palmer claimed that the inside “looks exactly as it did when we built it,” down to the ash pecan wood accents, which are no longer for sale due to preservation regulations.

Since homes must now build 40 feet away from the edge of the natural cliff due to zoning regulations, the entire Pacific-front land is really unusable today. However, the cliff under 430 Moonlight Lane was long ago removed, and a huge wall was constructed in its stead.

He notes that the home, which is perched atop the wall, is therefore around 40 feet in front of the cliff and 80 feet higher than the current height limit for new buildings.