An Award-Winning La Jolla Home Opens Its Doors for a Special Event

Step inside a beautifully restored 1961 La Jolla home in a house tour event coming up on August 10, 2024. The historically designated Liebner/Gand residence has garnered a La Jolla Jewel Award 2022 and People in Preservation Award 2022 as a result of its gorgeous preservation. Ke

On August 10, see how homeowners Joan and Gary Gand have restored the home, and purchase VIP tickets to hear Atomic Ranch Editor Jickie Torres interview the Gands on the restoration process. VIP attendees will also receive a copy of Atomic Ranch: Remodeled Marvels.

About the La Jolla Home

Seen from a neighbor’s house, this view of the Liebner/Gand home shows how seamlessly the home is integrated into its coastal hillside location. The home has the effect of looking unassuming from the front exterior but extends rather impressively over the lot’s downward slope thanks to its cantilevered design.

The 1961 La Jolla home was built by civil engineer Robert Liebner for him and his wife, Becky. By the time the house was built, however, the couple divorced. Becky bought the house from Robert and married William Ivans and lived there for the remainder of her life.

exterior side view of cantilevered 1961 La Jolla home — This exterior side view of the home showcases the cantilevered design that extends out over the site’s downward slope towards the Pacific.

Operation Restoration for the La Jolla Home

Joan and Gary Gand were delighted when their realtor, Keith York of Modern San Diego, found the listing for the La Jolla home for sale for the first time. They fell in love with the hidden gem, and beginning in May 2019, the couple began restoring the home. Like many Mid Century Modern homes, the previous homeowners’ 90s renovations detracted from the La Jolla home’s original spirit. The Gands worked to refresh the home from the inside out from matching the wood stain to the original color to undoing 90s renovations in the kitchen and bathroom to be more period authentic.

restored living room of 1961 La Jolla home — The fireplace was one of the details that made current homeowners Joan and Gary fall in love with the home. In their restorations, they stripped the carpet in the living room and installed parquet floors for a more period authentic flooring option.

renovated kitchen in restored 1961 La Jolla home — The kitchen had suffered a 90s renovation, and the Gands brought 60s touches back with sliding cabinet doors and bright backsplash tile.

renovated bathroom with terrazzo shower and tub — A 90s renovation had left the master bathroom dominated by black. Joan and Gary brightened it up and brought back period authentic materials by choosing to renovate the surfaces with terrazzo.

See the results of their careful attention to detail and hear more of what went into the Gands’ two years of restoration work on August 10. Reserve your VIP ticket today, and we are pleased to say that 20% of all ticket sales will be donated to the La Jolla Historical Society. In the meantime, you get a taste of the Gand’s restoration process by visiting their blog.

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