Michael Govan and Katherine Ross are seated at the dining table in their nearly completed home in Los Angeles’s Baldwin Hills neighborhood. Designed in 1958 by mid-century California architect Ray Kappe, the house sits on a hillside like a bird in flight, with floor-to-ceiling windows offering sweeping views of the city—from the Getty Center to the Hollywood Sign and the soon-to-open Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. The house still lacks running water and kitchen appliances. They spent much of the previous night hanging artwork, including a piece by their neighbor Todd Gray, which they borrowed just the day before. “In most neighborhoods, you might borrow a cup of milk when you move in,” Govan remarks, “but in Los Angeles, you can count on finding an artist willing to lend a work of art.” That afternoon, their furniture arrived, including a digital baby grand player piano that they both intend to learn to play. For the first time, the couple is pausing to take in their spectacular view.

A great view is essential wherever Govan and Ross live—whether it’s their home in Amagansett overlooking the dunes, their mobile home in Malibu’s Point Dume with ocean and mountain vistas, or here. “We always have a view,” Govan says. “Always—small house, big view.” Ross adds, “When we first saw this house, we came straight from the airport at sunset, and we both knew immediately it was the one.”

Since moving to Los Angeles twenty years ago, Govan and Ross have become key figures in the city’s cultural scene. Govan is the visionary director of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), where a dramatic and highly controversial new building—designed by Pritzker Prize-winning Swiss architect Peter Zumthor, his first U.S. commission—is set to open next April. Among the first installations will be a 27-foot-long work by Todd Gray created for the south entrance. The museum is just a 15-minute drive from their new home, visible from their bedroom window.

Ross, who spent 16 years at Sotheby’s, now works as a communications advisor for Prada and Miu Miu on art and culture initiatives. She also consults for the South Korean skincare line Poiret, helping launch it in the United States, and serves on the board of governors at Otis College of Art and Design. She has collaborated closely with Govan on all aspects of the new museum and chairs two of LACMA’s leadership committees, focusing on events, development, and cultivating high-level memberships.

Married for 22 years, Govan and Ross are constantly on the go—attending events, entertaining, or traveling. He flies his two-seater airplane or drives his tiny Mazda convertible; she tools around in her Audi S5 convertible. When they do slow down, it’s for walks on the beach in Malibu. He recently returned from trips to Paris and London, and she just got back from Milan. Amid their busy lives, they raised two daughters: 20-year-old Gabrielle and 30-year-old Ariana, Govan’s daughter from his first marriage.

When Ross picks me up in her convertible, she’s wearing a Miu Miu skirt and top. It’s a half-hour drive from the San Vicente Bungalows, where I’m staying, to Baldwin Hills—a neighborhood that blossomed in the 1950s and was known as the Black Beverly Hills, with past residents including Ray Charles, Ike and Tina Turner, Lenny Kravitz, and former LA mayor Tom Bradley. The couple had been searching for a home “forever” when Govan found this one five years ago, scrolling through Zillow on a flight back from Mexico. It has taken all this time to make it move-in ready.

The one-story, one-bedroom home is simple yet glamorous, a perfect backdrop for their lives. Walking in, the first thing that catches my eye isn’t the stunning view—it’s the Jorge Pardo floor. Before leading LACMA, when Govan was director of the Dia Art Foundation—a nonprofit known for championing ambitious art projects—he invited Pardo to create floors.for Dia’s site in Beacon, New York. Ever since then, he has dreamed of living in a house with a Pardo floor—and it’s easy to see why. Flowing seamlessly through every room, the floor is a true work of art, made up of 237,000 uniquely shaped and sized tiles in shades of pale to dark blue, with hints of green and orange-red. It spans 1,900 square feet like a vast canvas. “Every time I walk in, I feel happiness, color, and uplifting joy,” Ross says. “It’s a floor of endless possibilities.”

Govan joins us wearing a shiny silver silk Prada jacket he found on eBay, fresh from watching Werner Herzog’s Cave of Forgotten Dreams in IMAX. “When we bought this house, I asked Jorge to take a look,” he explains. “We wanted to keep things simple and clear.” Pardo describes his floor as “like the city, bubbling with energy.” And indeed, looking out at the complex sprawl of Los Angeles, the floor seems to capture that same spirit, reflecting the city lights at night.

FROM THE TOP
One of the house’s panoramic views features John Baldessari’s The News: Elderly Woman Slicing Apple with Middle-Aged Man Looking Over Her Shoulder from 2014.

Before they could begin any renovations, they had to stabilize the house, which was at risk of sliding down the hill. Oil and gas mining in the 1920s had left the ground unstable, and repairing the hillside was estimated to cost over a million dollars. They were advised to “run, not walk” away from the project. But a soil engineer Govan was working with on the LACMA building suggested replacing the contaminated soil instead—a much more affordable solution. Govan and Ross took the risk, and after nearly two years of work, it paid off.

Barbara Bestor, an expert on mid-century California architecture who had known Kappe, offered to oversee the restoration and interior design. She also brought in Ana Saavedra from Planted LA to handle the landscaping. Part of the appeal of the house was that the interior hadn’t been designed by Kappe—the original owners had done it themselves to save money. (It was one of Kappe’s earliest houses.) “What we had was a shell, like a blank canvas,” Govan says. The house feels like a spacious New York loft, but with a garden and a carport. The garden flows naturally into the living space, intimate in scale yet open to sweeping city views. Saavedra describes it as “a carefully curated collection of plants—a celebration of their silhouettes, textures, character, and color.”

“This will be our last house,” Govan declares. It marks a turning point for them. Their daughter Ariana works as a sales assistant at Hauser & Wirth in Los Angeles, and Gabrielle is a junior at Otis College of Art and Design. “We’re committed to Los Angeles,” Govan says. “We’re a much younger city than New York. Our institutions are still developing. Most major encyclopedic art museums are products of the 19th century and need updating. Los Angeles is the perfect place to try something new.”

We leave the house and spend the next hour touring the Zumthor building, which strikes me as a stunning blend of glass, concrete, and breathtaking views. A few days earlier, Govan had invited the public to a preview where saxophonist Kamasi Washington and 110 musicians performed throughout the galleries. “I wanted to open the building before any art was installed,” Govan tells me. That way, critics could focus on the architecture now and save their thoughts on the art for next April. (Christopher Knight, the LA Times art critic, has been a vocal critic of Govan and Zumthor’s new building.)

Finally, I head to the airport while Govan and Ross return home, where their friends—artist Tacita Dean and writer Evgenia Citkowitz—are coming over for dinner. They’ll be ordering takeout from Goop Kitchen. Tacita and Evgenia have both visited theBefore we began construction on the house, we all ordered the same takeout for dinner,” Ross says. Much has changed since then, though some things have stayed the same. Next time, hopefully, we’ll have running water.

Hair by Kelly Peach; makeup by Lilly Pollan.
Produced by Hyperion LA.

Frequently Asked Questions
Of course Here is a list of FAQs about Michael Govan Katherine Ross and their house search written in a natural conversational tone with direct answers

General Beginner Questions

Q1 Who is Michael Govan
A Michael Govan is the CEO and Wallis Annenberg Director of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art Hes a major figure in the art world

Q2 And who is Katherine Ross
A Katherine Ross is an art advisor and curator She is also Michael Govans wife

Q3 What is the story about them looking for a house
A The story is that they were searching for a new home with a great view During their search they didnt just find a regular house they discovered a property that is considered an architectural masterpiece

Q4 What is an architectural masterpiece in simple terms
A Its a building that is exceptionally welldesigned historically significant and created by a renowned architect Its more than just a house its a work of art

Advanced Detailed Questions

Q5 Do we know which specific house they discovered
A While the exact address is private it is widely reported to be the SheatsGoldstein Residence a famous Los Angeles home designed by architect John Lautner

Q6 Why is this house considered a masterpiece
A The house is famous for its organic futuristic design that blends into the hillside with sweeping views of Los Angeles through massive unconventional windows Its a landmark of modernist architecture

Q7 Did Michael Govan and Katherine Ross end up buying this house
A No they did not purchase it They discovered it during their search but the house was owned by the Goldstein family who were passionate about preserving it

Q8 What is the connection between an art museum director and architecture
A Architecture is a major form of artistic expression Directors like Govan have a deep appreciation for all visual arts including groundbreaking design and often apply that same curatorial eye to their personal lives

Practical Tips The Bigger Picture

Q9 Whats a key takeaway from this story for someone househunting
A It highlights the importance of looking beyond the basics Sometimes the most rewarding finds are unique properties with artistic