30 DIGS.NET | 9.4.2020
M
A
R
K
E
T
he iconic Kaffirboom coral trees that stretch over the
residential streets of the northern end of Santa Monica
telegraph the area's unerring elegance and quiet grace. e
streets that radiate out from here host some of the city's
most coveted properties with residents taking full advantage of their
walkability: shopping along Montana Avenue, grabbing coffee at the
Brentwood Country Mart or produce at the city's most famous farm-
ers' market. ere's a Whole Foods and an Erewhon nearby, and the
brisk ocean breezes keep the air refreshing. It's in this environment
that one finds the home at 266 20th Street.
Set back from the corner, this Old World home, with its sand-col-
ored exterior and red-tiled roof, is a perfect example of Spanish
Colonial Revival style. Built for Helen Grasselli in 1929, the
four-bedroom, four-bath house was designed by Frank E. Bivens, a
prolific Santa Monica investor, developer, builder and architect. Gras-
selli's nephew was famed race car driver Phil Hill; she encouraged his
obsession with cars—the two bonded over her custom Pierce Arrow—
and he moved into the spacious abode as a teenager and stayed to raise
his own family. Hill made two tweaks to the home to showcase his
obsessions: He enlarged the modest two-car garage to house nine of
S W E E T D I G S | 2 6 6 2 0 T H S T R E E T
T
M
A
R
K
E
T
