The 1970s-style “conversation pit” — a sunken or recessed living area, often with built-in cushioned seating — is no doubt a bold design move. Who doesn’t remember seeing Don Draper’s sleek Manhattan ...

Modernist architect Harry Gesner designed this 1960 Hollywood Hills five-bedroom with a terrazzo-flanked pit facing a steel-clad fireplace. Once the home of Liza Minnelli and Christina Aguilera, it ...