One of the most notable homes on one of the nicest stretches of road in Alamitos Heights is a flawless Paul Tay-designed Mid-Century Modern house at 651 Ultimo Ave., listed at $1.895 million.
Is it worth the price? If you’re willing to accept that Cliff May mid-mod homes in the city’s East End are selling for near that price, then, yes, this four-bedroom, four-and-a-half-bath Tay model can be said to be underpriced. Along with mid-mod homes designed by such stellar architects as Richard Neutra and Ed Killingsworth, a Tay home is what Cliff May homeowners hope to one day trade up to.
A USC graduate, Tay worked for the Modernist architect George Montierth in his office in the Ocean Center building in the early 1950s. Montierth designed several residences and other buildings in Downtown, Los Cerritos, Bixby Knolls and Naples, including the home at 15 The Colonnade in Naples, which went on the market in October at a price of $10.6 million.
Tay went on his own in 1956, opening a studio in Long Beach (though born in Pomona in 1924, Tay’s grandparents settled in Long Beach in 1901) and designed several residences here, as well as the Burnett Library at 560 E. Hill St.
The home’s current owners are Jim and Lou Anne Bynum. Lou Anne had a 25-year career at Long Beach City College, culminating in her nearly two-year role as Interim Superintendent-President following the firing of Reagan Romali in 2020. She was also a harbor commissioner for nearly six years from 2014 to 2020.
Neither she nor her husband knew about the home’s architect—a grievous omission by the agent who sold it—when they bought it in 2003 for $809,000, she said. “I just liked it. I liked the bones of the house as soon as I saw it. If I’d known it was a Paul Tay I think I would have done things differently with the house,” she said.
Happily, the Bynums didn’t do anything wrong with the house. It’s of substantial strong construction and retains the trademark sharp horizontal lines, the bright natural or painted wood-beam ceilings, the insistent integration of the outdoors with the indoors through the extravagant use of glass and windows. It remains an excellent specimen of Tay’s work that he accomplished locally before he moved north to Mendocino in 1971, where he lived until his death in 2021 at 97.
“We hardscaped the front and back,” said Bynum. “It’s a beautiful house and I hate giving it up.” Her husband’s deteriorating health prompted the couple to sell the house in order to move to Laguna Beach or Dana Point to live near their son’s family and two granddaughters.
“I always swore I’d never move to Orange County,” she sighed. “I love this house, I love this block; it’s got character, diversity in architecture, the neighbors are incredible. So now we’re going to sell it and make a profit and move to a shack down in Laguna or somewhere,” she laughed—although it’s not funny how little you can get on the coast in Orange County with just a million dollars worth of equity rattling around in your handbag.
The house’s interior lives up to the promise of its view from the street. The living areas feature high, light wood ceilings and half-paneling; skylights bring in natural illumination and fireplaces add coziness to whatever passes in Long Beach for cold evening nights.
Extensive use of glass allows nature to make its appearance in almost every room, with windows in the upstairs stretching from wall to wall. You’ll want to set up an Amazon subscription for Windex.
The backyard and covered patio are spacious and built for entertainment. Handsome pavers lead to eating and drinking areas, including a barbecue and bar as well as a hot tub, all set amid palms, birds of paradise and other tropical flora.
Off the garage out back is a casita that Jim had used as an office, and would be perfect for that use as well as for a guest room or studio. It comes with a half-bath.
It has been a great home for the Bynums for nearly two decades, and while they’ll surely enjoy the company of their Orange County family, and not to forecast doom or dissatisfaction, but their next home is unlikely to be as nice as this one on Ultimo.
This Cliff May Rancho wasn’t for sale—until someone offered almost $2 million
