Mediterranean-Style Villa Is Fit for a Diva
An opera singer who sang soprano with the Chicago Grand Opera Company and appeared on the international stage came to California and liked it so much that she had this Hollywood Hills house built in 1923 to reflect her impressions of Mediterranean villas.
The grand staircase and balcony over the entrance are replicas of features found in the palace at Fontainebleau outside Paris
But parts of that vision have changed over time. A Roman indoor plunge pool, where many parties were held during the ‘20s, was covered by a new kitchen built during the 1980s, and a guest house was sold separately some years ago.
Despite the changes, the house still has much of its original look, which not only appealed to the diva but also attracted such tenants as actress Pola Negri, who lived there for a short time with actor Rudolph Valentino.
About this house: The sellers, who have owned this home since 1985, are listing the house because they plan to move to Europe.
Asking price: $1,195,000.
Size: Four bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms in 4,260 square feet on a 14,180-square-foot lot.
Features: The home has a two-story living room and a library, den and master suite with a marble bathroom. The home also has a roof deck, office/gym and city-to-ocean views. On the lower level, where roomy servants’ quarters have ample windows and ventilation, there is a maid’s quarters, an office and a separate entrance. The terraced gardens have lawns and stone walls, and there are three garages in the same style of architecture as the house.
Where: The house was built in a neighborhood named Holly Spring Heights, a few blocks north of Hollywood Boulevard near Cahuenga Boulevard. A 1923 ad for the development loosely referred to the area as “the Riviera of California” and boasted having “all modern utilities, such as electricity, gas, water, sewers and telephones.” The neighborhood is now known as the Hollywood Dell, a pocket of period homes.
Contact: Brett Lawyer, Prudential California, John Aaroe Division, Beverly Hills; (310) 777-283.
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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.
