Around nine years ago, retired investment banker and CFO John Gillespie and his wife, journalist and author Susan Orlean, doled out $2.1 million for a Hollywood Hills home created by Austria-born architect R.M. Schindler, with later additions by Josef Van der Kar and Leroy Miller. Built in 1946 and owned by the same family for seven decades, the midcentury gem was, unfortunately, in dire need of a makeover after years of wear and neglect.

“When we saw this house, we could tell that it was a very special piece of architecture, but it was like a woman dressed in a very dowdy outfit,” said Orlean in an Open Space video. “You sensed that she was beautiful, but it was hard to see beyond the sort of frowzy outfit she was in. There were beige carpets throughout the house. There was gray paint on all the walls. We had no idea what was beneath the gray walls. My first thought when we looked at the house was, ‘We’re going to have to pick a better paint color because the color was really dreary.’”

“We were daunted by the sheer number of things that needed to be worked on,” added Gillespie, “but even with the gray paint, carpeting, and everything else, you could tell how loved the house had been, and it just needed work to bring out its charm.”

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The couple, who previously owned another Schindler-designed property nearby, subsequently undertook a five-year, multimillion-dollar renovation in collaboration with architects Barbara Bestor and Jeff Fink, who removed the gunmetal gray paint on the walls and on the tongue-and-groove ceilings to uncover the original mahogany and Douglas fir underneath. They also replaced the carpeting with red oak floors and installed 15-foot caissons to stabilize the crumbling foundation.

Now the stylishly redone residence, which was designated as Historic-Cultural Monument No. 860 by the city of Los Angeles in 2007, has returned to the market. The asking price is a dash under $7 million, with Cooper Mount and Hanna Ginsberg of Carolwood Estates sharing the listing.

Known as the Kallis House—after Mischa Kallis, the fine artist and film art director who commissioned the structure and then sold it to his cousin, concert pianist Jacqueline Sharlin, and her husband, William, in 1960—the striking butterfly-roof abode is embedded into a steeply sloping parcel spanning over a third of an acre and offers four bedrooms and three bathrooms in roughly 3,500 square feet. The split-level living space is filled with slanted walls, built-in furnishings, and large windows overlooking views stretching from the Cahuenga Pass to the San Gabriel Mountains beyond.

A detached street-side garage and a vertical split stake-sided wall hide the house tucked down below from prying eyes, and the main living area is anchored by a towering Brutalist-like stone fireplace. A galley-style kitchen comes with a Wolf range, a breakfast banquette, and access to a brick terrace shaded by live oak trees, while a spacious dining area can seat up to a dozen people.

RELATED: This 1940s R.M. Schindler Home in Hollywood Hills Is Back on the Market for $3.3 Million

Secluded in a separate wing is a window-lined primary suite, which sports a fireside sitting area opening to a deck and a bath with dual vanities and a glass-encased steam shower. There’s also an office, as well as climatized basement storage, plus outdoor amenities encompassing a pool and spa, a fire pit conversation area, and a bocce court.

The couple, who sold Schindler’s Roxy Roth House in Studio City for $2 million in 2018, have decided to part ways with the Kallis House because they are planning to spend more time in New York, where Gillespie has grandchildren, per The Wall Street Journal. They are also currently renovating a home in Santa Barbara.

Click here for more photos of the Hollywood Hills residence.