Estate that was used in O.J. Simpson FX series and a favorite of pols is for sale
Politicians may miss this Beverly Hills estate even more than its seller will.
The 1923 property has seen considerable political star power since Democratic rainmaker and the home’s owner, Daphna Edwards Ziman, launched then-Sen. John Kerry’s 2004 presidential campaign within its walls.
Now Ziman, who calls Hillary Clinton a “mentor and dear friend,” is selling the seven-bedroom, seven-bathroom home for $40 million.
“If we were fortunate to live in a beautiful home, we thought it was important to also give it to the people, through causes,” said Ziman, who in 2010 divorced real estate mogul Richard Ziman.
In this home, politicians have been well informed and well read.
Ziman built a “special library for politicians” to use during visits, presumably stocked with history books. That and other renovations were launched in 1996, when the Zimans bought the estate for about $5 million.
The home has hosted fundraisers for Kerry, Al Gore, the Clintons and other political luminaries — and events for the D.C.-based Bipartisan Policy Center. Total guests have topped 80,000.
The property has taken other star turns. It doubled as O.J. Simpson’s digs in the FX series “The People v. O.J. Simpson,” which used the living room, bedroom, screening room, garden and den, which was transformed into the star athlete’s trophy room.
Warner Bros. co-founder Harry Warner owned the estate in 1946, records show, but it’s unclear for how long. The main estate’s build date is also uncertain, but the Tudor revival design is unmistakable. A trio of peaked towers greets visitors, the edifice graced with insets of herringbone brick.
The 12,254-square-foot property is undeniably grand, but, in truth, the home resembles an oversized cottage, drawing warmth and charm from French country motifs — no doubt a riff on the property’s cottage-like guesthouse.
The uncommon street-to-street lot spans Rexford and Woodland drives, with entrances on both roads. The architect positioned the estate to open generously to the backyard, laid with terraces, a rock pond, five waterfalls and lighted tennis court.
“There are a lot of different living spaces in this home,” said co-lister Joyce Rey of Coldwell Banker Previews International. “The wood detail and the carvings are wonderful.”
The Zimans poured nearly $12 million into the acre-plus property upon purchase. The 1996 renovations copied the existing design and included a three-story addition that houses a living suite, gym, bar, game room and 50-seat screening room.
Trendy granite kitchen countertops and finishes were ripped out, and false ceilings were demolished, exposing soaring heights crossed with palatial wood beams.
“It took over three years to bring the home back to its glory,” said Israeli-born Ziman, founder of the cable television network, Cinemoi. Sourcing the original look from a box of photos, Ziman recreated hand-painted tiles that now cover kitchen surfaces.
“I was aware we needed to be very respectful of the original design — the exact finishes, the feeling,” said Westlake Village-based architect John Anthony Lewis, who worked on the addition.
The screening room is hung with George Hurrell prints of artists signed to Warner Bros. in the 1940s. Silk, antique-gold curtains, which originally hung in a downtown Los Angeles theater, cloak windows during screenings.
Ziman further graced the home with leaded windows bought in Italy, wood beams from a church in England and a 16th century fireplace purchased at auction from the Palace of Versailles.
Jade Mills of Coldwell Banker is the co-listing agent.
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