Silver Lake has one of the richest concentrations of modern architecture in Los Angeles, set around a reservoir between Hollywood and Downtown. Missig Team at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties has represented buyers and sellers here, from the award-winning Tilt-Shift House to a Streamline Moderne duplex that is a Historic-Cultural Monument.
For more than two decades, we have sold homes throughout Silver Lake and Echo Park, from early 1900s Craftsman cottages to new construction, and from single-family homes to income properties. Our clients come back to us. Many of these homes we have sold more than once, often helping the same client buy and, years later, sell. Phil Missig came to real estate from fashion, photography and an interest in architecture and design, and in a neighborhood like this one, that eye matters.
Silver Lake Real Estate
Architecture and the pockets of Silver Lake
Few Los Angeles neighborhoods hold as much modernist history in so few blocks. Richard Neutra built his VDL Research House on Silver Lake Boulevard, and a cluster of his homes known as the Neutra Colony lines Silver Lake Boulevard and Neutra Place. R.M. Schindler built more than a dozen works here, including the How House on Silver Ridge Avenue, and John Lautner's Silvertop crowns Micheltorena Street. Gregory Ain, Raphael Soriano, Harwell Hamilton Harris and William Kesling all built here too, and the hills mix their work with 1920s Spanish homes, Craftsman bungalows and bold contemporary design.
Silver Lake also has deep roots in film. William Selig opened one of the first permanent film studios in Los Angeles in Edendale in 1909, Mack Sennett followed in 1912, and Walt Disney's first studio stood at Hyperion Avenue and Griffith Park Boulevard. Laurel and Hardy hauled a piano up the Music Box Stairs, which climb from Vendome Street to Descanso Drive.
The reservoir and the Meadow
The heart of the neighborhood. A 2.25-mile path circles the Silver Lake and Ivanhoe reservoirs, past the Meadow, the dog park and the Neutra Colony on the east shore.
Moreno Highlands
Hillside streets on the west side of the reservoir, developed in the 1920s and named for silent film star Antonio Moreno, whose 1923 Crestmount estate still stands. Spanish and period homes, many with reservoir views.
Ivanhoe
The streets north of the reservoir, laid out in the 1880s, with names like Herkimer, Rowena, Kenilworth and Locksley taken from Walter Scott's novel. Home to Ivanhoe Elementary and Gregory Ain's Avenel Cooperative Housing.
The Silver Lake hills
The winding streets above Sunset and Hyperion, including Micheltorena, Silver Ridge and Redcliff, home to much of the neighborhood's modern architecture and its public stairways.
Silver Lake Heights and Mixville
The northeast side toward Glendale Boulevard and Fletcher Drive. Silver Lake Heights opened around 1921, and Mixville takes its name from cowboy star Tom Mix's 1917 backlot.
Sunset Junction and Silver Lake Village
The walkable shopping and dining hubs along Sunset Boulevard, where Sunset meets Santa Monica Boulevard.
Edendale, toward Echo Park
The southeast side where West Coast filmmaking began, with William Kesling's Streamline Moderne homes, the Music Box Stairs, and many Craftsman homes and small income properties.
Silver Lake spans the 90026 and 90039 ZIP codes, within the City of Los Angeles.
A selection of homes we have represented in Silver Lake
The Tilt-Shift House, 1542 N Easterly Terrace. Aaron Neubert FAIA, 2017. Three stacked, shifted volumes with skylights and walls of glass, near William Kesling's Vanderpool and Wilson houses. Winner of a 2018 AIA Los Angeles Residential Architecture Citation Award. We represented the buyer, and later the seller. View the home
2528-2530 Kenilworth Avenue. A 1930 Spanish Mediterranean duplex in the Moreno Highlands, steps from the reservoir. We represented the buyer, and later the seller. View the home
1322-1324 Waterloo Street. A Craftsman duplex at the crest of the hill between Silver Lake and Echo Park, with views to the Hollywood Sign. We represented the buyer, and later the seller. View the property
The Walter Daniels Duplex, 3447-3449 Descanso Drive. A Streamline Moderne duplex and Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument, described in the city's survey as a rare example of the style. We represented the buyer, and later the seller. View the home
3601-3609 Ellsworth Street. Three stand-alone Modern Spanish bungalows on a corner lot. We represented the buyer, and on the later sale we represented both the seller and the buyer. View the property
2150 Elsinore Street. A 1913 Craftsman fourplex near Sunset Boulevard on the Silver Lake and Echo Park border, with four renovated one-bedroom units, each with its own laundry, plus hardwood floors, mahogany panels, built-ins and city views from the upper units. We represented the buyer, and later the seller, when it sold at full price. View the property
Most of our Silver Lake sales are single-family homes, and many of them we have sold more than once for the same clients. Other Silver Lake streets where we have represented buyers and sellers include Angelus, Apex, Benton Way, Brier, Descanso, Earl Court, Griffith Park Boulevard, Ivan Hill, Kenilworth, Manzanita, Micheltorena, Newell, Parkman, Riverside Place, Silver Ridge and Waterloo.
See our full architectural and mid-century portfolio.
Buying in Silver Lake
Silver Lake ranges from hillside single-family homes to duplexes and small income properties, and each has its own checklist. These are the points we walk every Silver Lake buyer through.
Age and condition. Many Silver Lake homes date to the 1910s through the 1930s. Plan for foundation, sewer line and electrical inspections, and ask what original detail survives.
Permits and history. Older homes have often grown over the decades. We compare what was built against what was permitted.
Hillside lots. Many streets climb steeply. Look at foundations, retaining walls and how water moves in a storm.
Fire insurance. Parts of the Silver Lake hills are in a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone. Get insurance quotes before you remove contingencies.
Parking and access. Hill streets are narrow and stairs are common. Check how guests and deliveries reach the house.
Room to add. Many lots can take an accessory dwelling unit. We check zoning and lot layout early.
Duplexes and income properties. Most rental units in Los Angeles buildings with two or more units built before October 1978 fall under the city's Rent Stabilization Ordinance. Review leases and rents before you make an offer. Owner-occupied two to four unit properties can be financed with residential loans, often on better terms than investment loans.
Frequently asked questions
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Missig Team at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties represents buyers and sellers in Silver Lake, including the award-winning Tilt-Shift House by Aaron Neubert and the Walter Daniels Duplex, a Historic-Cultural Monument. The team has sold homes across Silver Lake and Echo Park for more than two decades and is led by Phil Missig, with 25 years at BHHS California Properties.
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Silver Lake is mainly in 90026 and 90039, within the City of Los Angeles.
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Silver Lake's pockets include Moreno Highlands, Ivanhoe, Silver Lake Heights, Mixville, Sunset Junction, Silver Lake Village and Edendale, along with the reservoir and the Meadow at its center.
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For its reservoir, its concentration of modern architecture by Neutra, Schindler and Lautner, and its film history. Some of the first film studios in Los Angeles opened in Edendale, and Walt Disney's first studio stood on Hyperion Avenue.
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LAUSD elementary schools in Silver Lake include Ivanhoe, Micheltorena Street, Allesandro and Clifford Street. Boundaries vary by street, so confirm the school for a specific address.
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Modernist homes by Richard Neutra, R.M. Schindler, John Lautner and William Kesling, alongside 1920s Spanish homes, Craftsman duplexes and contemporary design.
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Mostly single-family homes, from 1910s Craftsman cottages and 1920s Spanish houses to mid-century and contemporary architecture, along with duplexes and small income properties.
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Yes. Silver Lake has many duplexes and small multi-unit buildings, often from the 1920s and 1930s. Missig Team has sold many of them over the past two decades.
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Most rental units in Los Angeles buildings with two or more units built before October 1978 fall under the city's Rent Stabilization Ordinance. Buyers should confirm a property's status before making an offer.
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The two neighborhoods border each other. Silver Lake centers on its reservoir and modern architecture, while Echo Park sits closer to Downtown around Echo Park Lake.
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Yes. Silver Lake is entirely within the City of Los Angeles. For sales closing on or after July 1, 2026, it adds 4% on sales above $5.4 million and 5.5% at $10.9 million or more.
Buying or selling in Silver Lake? Whether it's a hillside home, an architectural landmark or a duplex, we’d be glad to talk. Call Phil at 310.844.6434 or email Missig Team at info@missigteam.com.