The Boathouses are a group of twelve small houses in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles, California.
The houses were designed by architect Harry Gesner and built in 1959 by Norwegian boatbuilders using tools such as axes and adzes.
Developer Ronald Buck asked Gesner to work with the unusually narrow, steep lots, which had been subdivided in 1911 and had lain vacant ever since.
Gesner chose to design and build them like boats, going to the extreme of bringing in boatbuilders with tools more suited to boats than houses, leading to their unique appearance.
[1][2][3] The uphill sides of the houses face the street with a one-story elevation fronted by a carport that serves as the main entrance.