A Landmark Auction
The event: An open house and rare peek inside the landmark “Villa Gucci,” the $9.9-million mansion in Laguna Beach recently bought by Duane and Kelly Roberts. The couple hosted a party Sunday for supporters of the Olive Crest Children’s Foundation.
Laguna Riviera: The Robertses greeted guests in the marble entryway of their French Riviera-style villa. Party-goers fanned out about the property, admiring an ocean view and a gazebo built in the 1920s for Charlie Chaplin.
Chaplin’s house on the property was torn down to make way for the 12,000-square-foot mansion built in 1990 by Gucci watch designer Severin Wunderman. Among the villa’s amenities: a cozy pub imported from England, a desk of Napoleon Bonaparte and rare 19th century European antiques.
“I’ve had more people come up to me today and say they feel they’re in Europe,” Kelly Roberts said. While touring the home, guests sipped Dom Perignon and sampled gourmet appetizers prepared by Gary Palm, chef at the Mission Inn in Riverside.
A piece of paradise: “I love gardens and I love flowers,” said Duane Roberts, owner of the historic Mission Inn. It was the villa’s ocean view and lush grounds that convinced him to move from Murrieta to the high-profile property, he said. The villa’s gardens feature more than $1 million in landscaping, including 135 rose shrubs and 79 fruit trees, a set of 17th century iron gates from England, antique statuary and hundreds of potted herbs and plants.
Home of their own: Olive Crest Home & Services for Abused Children operates residential homes, a foster family agency and specialized education programs for abused, neglected and abandoned children. Orange psychologist Don Verleur and his wife, Lois, realized the need for Olive Crest after their own home became a place of respite for a child who “needed stabilization,” Don Verleur said.
Since the first home was established in 1973, Olive Crest has grown to more than 20 residential homes in Orange, Los Angeles and Riverside counties.
Quote: “Most of these [abused] kids are on the move. They don’t have structure or a significant other,” Verleur said. “Our goal is to give these children a permanent home.”
Faces: Cabell and Marilynn Cobbs, co-chairs of Oliver Crest’s upcoming Black & White Ball; Chuck Dreyer; Vikki Vargas; David and Diana Casey; Lloyd and Laura Copenbarger; Steve and Holly Pizula; Mario and Susan Mercurio; Richard and Donna Toral; Tom and Martha McCall; Clay and Judy Musacchia; and Darrel and Marsha Anderson.
Bottom line: During a live auction, guests bid on opportunities to underwrite the costs of the Black & White Ball, raising $70,000 to cover everything from programs to decorations.
The Robert McCormick Tribune Foundation matched that amount, raising underwriting proceeds to $140,000.
What’s ahead: “Through the Eyes of a Child,” the Black & White Ball honoring Ben Vereen and starring singer Rita Coolidge, March 28 at the Disneyland Hotel. Tickets are $200 each. Information: (714) 543-5437.