Glory of Old Hollywood Endures
A replica of a 17th century villa built for a duke in Florence, Italy, this house reeks of old Hollywood. Built in the early 1920s at a cost of $500,000, it was the home in those early days of screen legend Norma Talmadge.
Owned by a retired UCLA professor since he bought it at an auction in 1969, the mansion now houses thousands of his books, but otherwise, little has changed since Talmadge lived there. “It is all original,” the listing agent said, “but it does need some restoration work.”
The home has a 28-foot-high foyer with a Baccarat crystal chandelier, a Rococo dome fresco ceiling, stained-glass windows and a terrazzo floor. The 20-foot-high ceiling in the living room has decoratively painted wood beams, and a ballroom features gold-leaf columns, a gold inlaid ceiling and an outside balcony.
Among the remarkable sights are four gigantic fireplaces, three guarded by statues resembling the lion that is the symbol for MGM.
About the home: Talmadge isn’t the only Hollywood luminary who has lived in the house. Others were Jimi Hendrix, Ralph Bellamy and Rod McKuen. Many more have partied there, and some have made movies in the house. The house also has been featured in a number of TV shows.
Asking price: $3.6 million
Size: Six bedrooms and 6.5 bathrooms in close to 10,000 square feet, on just less than half an acre; three bedroom suites in the main house, a maid’s and cook’s quarters in the full-size basement, and a guest apartment above the detached three-car garage.
Features: The estate also has a library and a solarium.
Where: Los Feliz
Contact: Nevianna Hristova, DBL Los Feliz, (323) 665-1700, Ext. 138, or (323) 665-8857
To submit a candidate for Home of the Week, please send color interior and exterior photos (copies only, please; we cannot return the pictures) and a brief description of the house, including what makes the property unusual, to Ruth Ryon, Real Estate Section, Los Angeles Times, 202 W. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012; or e-mail homeoftheweek@ latimes.com.
