The Art of Marketing Architecture In the hands of David Mossler, Michael Deasy, and Crosby Doe, the marketing of exceptional architectural properties has become a powerful tool. Since joining forces in the early 1980s, the partners of the Beverly Hills real estate company have excelled at running ads that marry provocative copy with Julius Shulman’s iconic architectural photography. “Our listings from the last 20 years are a compendium of every great architect who has practiced in L.A.,” says Deasy. The partners cater to connoisseurs of art and architecture, but they also take great pride in knowing that they have been instrumental in educating the public about historic preservation and restoration, especially in Southern California, with its strong diversity of buildings and styles and equally strong reputation for tearing down anything over 20 years old. “We try to bring in the correct buyer for a property, someone who understands and will restore it,” says Deasy. “Sellers always tell us that money isn’t as important as preserving the asset.”
Each partner brings a distinct sensibility. Mossler is the traditionalist who prefers the work of Paul Williams and Craig Ellwood. Crosby Doe gravitates to Richard Neutra and Harwell Hamilton Harris. Deasy favors Irving Gill and Rudolph Schindler. “Our properties are unique,” says Mossler. “Fine architecture, like fine wine, improves with age, and its resale price should carry a premium.”