Selznick’s Mountain Retreat Burns : Fire: Renowned for parties in Hollywood’s Golden Age, the late producer’s mansion is destroyed when fireplace flames eat through mortar.
A rustic 1920s-era mansion believed to have been built for “Gone With the Wind” producer David O. Selznick burned to the ground Sunday in the tiny San Bernardino Mountains community of Running Springs, where residents mourned the loss of their link to Hollywood’s heady early days.
The 18-bedroom, 14-bathroom estate--the site of legendary parties for movie stars who once sought seclusion in the rugged terrain 80 miles east of Los Angeles--was destroyed when flames from one of the home’s three fireplaces ate through the mortar and ignited the massive wood structure, fire officials said.
For the record:
12:00 a.m. Dec. 12, 1991 For the Record
Los Angeles Times Thursday December 12, 1991 Home Edition Part A Page 3 Column 1 Metro Desk 2 inches; 49 words Type of Material: Correction
Selznick mansion--In a Nov. 25 story about a 1920s-era mansion in Running Springs that burned down, The Times incorrectly reported that the structure had been built for the late film producer David O. Selznick. While Selznick frequently visited and entertained there, the home was owned by his late brother Myron Selznick, a Hollywood talent agent.
Damage was put at $1.5 million, but longtime neighbors said the house symbolized something that was irreplaceable.
“In its heyday, all the big movie stars came up here--it was terribly exciting,” said Joan Moseley, president of the local chamber of commerce and publisher of the Alpenhorn, the town’s weekly newspaper. “People are just shattered by the loss.”
The home, which had been vacant except for several live-in caretakers, was the stuff of legend in this tight-knit community 5,000 feet above the urban sprawl. Half hunting lodge, half castle, it was said to have a wall where the rich and famous scrawled their names every time they came up for a weekend retreat.
“The guest book of those present at some of the Selznick parties in the early 1930s read like a ‘Who’s Who’ of the Hollywood entertainment industry,” wrote John W. Robinson in his book, “The San Bernardinos.”
A grand piano, a gift from Cole Porter, once graced the grounds, say local historians. A spiral staircase led from the billiard room to the master bedroom. There were shaded tennis courts and a large, kidney-shaped swimming pool out back. A library of several hundred first-edition books, many signed by the authors, was lost in the blaze. So were the beds, made from rough-hewn logs.
The three-story, 15,000-square-foot structure--known as “Hill-Haven”--had its own generator so the lights never went out even when power lines went down. There was also a reservoir that provided guests with a constant supply of fresh water.
Just down the road, Oscar-winning actor Walter Huston had built a palatial home of his own in the early 1930s--now a boarding school for troubled teen-agers, according to Robinson’s book and residents.
Moseley, who had a reporter working on a history of the Selznick home before the blaze erupted, said guests used to flit back and forth between the two estates.
“They could party and who would they disturb?” Moseley said. “They must have had a ball.”
The house was built in 1924, local fire officials said. A group of developers has been in the process of purchasing the structure and the surrounding 39 acres, which fire officials said is being held in probate by the Bank of California.
The house was built for the movie mogul by Selznick’s brother, Myron, who died in 1944, according to Greg Mesna, one of the investors buying the property. Selznick, who died in 1965, willed the house to a niece, who died about 2 1/2 years ago, he said.
Mesna said there are plans to build about half a dozen luxury homes on the grounds. His family was to have lived in the mansion as part of the multimillion-dollar deal.
“It’s kind of a bummer,” said Mesna, who runs a Running Springs heating business. “There’s nothing like it, that’s for sure.”
News of the fire spread quickly through the town of 2,900, which depends on skiers, boaters, fishermen and campers for its livelihood.
“It’s something we’re all going to miss,” said Shirley Hickson, a former honorary mayor.
At Lloyd’s Restaurant, itself a local landmark for nearly 40 years, firefighters gathered for breakfast after the early-morning blaze.
“Everybody’s sick to death over it,” said Joe Reed, a paramedic.
About 75 firefighters from 19 engine companies responded to the fire, which erupted shortly after 3 a.m. By the time it was under control at 6:30 a.m., only the chimneys and stone facade were standing.
“It was a raging inferno,” said Ray Bierschbach, a neighbor.
No injuries were reported, although San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputies arrested two of the live-in caretakers on suspicion of being under the influence of a controlled substance. Officers said the arrests were not related to the blaze.
