The thing that you notice immediately about the house is the white spiral staircase. Grand and presentational, it looks primed for the descent of some Hollywood goddess. But so far, the only glamor that has come to the custom-built, five-bedroom house in Golden Valley's Tyrol Hills neighborhood has been homespun.

"I'm afraid the most [buzzy] thing we've had go on there is probably the taking of prom photographs," owner Steve Brown said. "They lined up on the stairs and looked nice."

The staircase allows views of the whole house on all three levels. There's the airy dining room and master suite on the main level. On the upper level, are three bedrooms that look out to a deck. The lower level, Brown's favorite, includes rec and exercise rooms as well as a fifth bedroom.

The house has ample light throughout, with big windows, vaulted ceilings and maple and stone finishes.

Brown and his wife, Mary Abbey, bought the A-frame structure from the original owners in 2006, remodeling it before moving in a year later. Designed in the mid-1970s by Cunningham Architects, the house looked like something that you would more likely see on a hilltop in California than on a cul-de-sac in Golden Valley.

It had a huge stone fireplace that overpowered the family room. The new owners took that out. They also opened up the galley kitchen. Now it has an entertainment center and gas fireplace, plus updated bathrooms and flooring.

A custom-built, five-bedroom house in Golden Valley’s Tyrol Hills neighborhood is listed at $1.025 million.

Brown and Abbey also redid the patio and the pool, site of many a playdate for their children. Their other memories there include seeing deer in the backyard and all the other touches of nature that nearby Wirth Park provides, while being near the pulse of everything else.

"The house itself, and the pool, attracted us," said Brown, who worked in IT at Thrivent. "We love that we can walk out to Wirth Park and that we're just five minutes from Target Field or downtown."

Brown and Abbey are downsizing and selling the house, which is listed at $1.025 million. They will be leaving maple custom built-ins, the reconditioned pool and patio and the quiet for a simpler life elsewhere.

"The house has a lot of character and charm," said real estate agent Jacqueline Day, Edina Realty. She pointed to a functional built-in phone booth in the balcony, the kind high rollers might have used on a show like "Dynasty" or "Dallas."

"And it works," Day said of the phone. "So very cool."

Jacqueline Day, 763-522-9000, Edina Realty, has the listing.