The modest origins of a $29 million house
The house overlooks The Strand and the ocean. Photo When The Strand house on the corner of 10th Street went on sale in July for $28.9 million, it appeared to be a new record for real estate prices in the area. Although the price reflects today’s market, the three-story house, built in the early 1920s, is a symbol of old Manhattan Beach. Joe Owen, 73, lived in the house from the age of 13 to about 22, when he got married. His mother and stepfather, both LAPD officers, bought the four-bedroom, two-bathroom house in 1955 for $35,000. “All the policemen turned it into a party house,” said Owen. Despite the house’s popularity, the couple was investigated by the police, who were suspicious because of the high price of the house. Owen said he didn’t know how his parents were able to afford it, but noted that they lived without furniture “for several years.” “We had mattresses on the floor,” he said. The surrounding area looked a lot different then. “There were a lot of little beach houses up and down The Strand,” he said. “A few big houses around — not anything like now.” In the mid 1960s, his stepfather, Charles Owen, built a large addition behind the house with several apartments that…
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