Estate fit for Eastern ‘prince’
El Fureidis looks like it was meant for royalty, and it practically was.
The Montecito estate was built in the early 20th century for J. Waldron Gillespie -- the scion of a wealthy New York family -- by Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue, a famed architect noted for combining Gothic and Spanish Colonial designs with modern architectural sensibilities.
Gillespie accompanied Goodhue on a yearlong trip to Europe and what was then Persia for inspiration for the home and its gardens, which were completed in 1906. The result was a Mediterranean villa with one of the finest examples of a Persian garden outside of Iran.
About this house: The home is touted for its striking architecture, intricate floor patterns, antique brass doors and beautiful tile work, but the Persian water garden provides its own artistic drama. A series of terraced pools reflect the compound’s white walls, iron windows and surrounding foliage.
Breaking from the East Coast tradition of landscaping with broad, sweeping lawns and flower beds, Gillespie instead planted more than 125 varieties of palm trees.
The columned southern facade of the home features a bas-relief frieze depicting King Arthur’s Knights of the Round Table. It was crafted by American architectural sculptor Lee Lawrie, known for, among other prominent works, the statue of Atlas at New York City’s Rockefeller Center.
The house was originally constructed of reinforced concrete on a steel frame but was recently remodeled from the ground up by the current owners. Designer Barbara Lockhart maintained the integrity of the original aesthetic; the home now has new electrical wiring, copper plumbing and central heating and air conditioning.
Size: The house is 10,000 square feet; the lot is 10.39 acres.
Features: The villa with ocean views has five bedrooms; five bathrooms; three powder rooms; a conversation room with a blue-tile fountain and an 18-foot-high central dome decorated with a gold-leaf floral design; a library with a faux-stone fireplace; a staircase gallery with antique Moorish tile wainscoting and tile murals; a Henry Wadsworth Moore mural in the dining room that depicts Alexander the Great conquering Persepolis; a central patio with atrium and built-in barbecue; and a two-bedroom staff cottage.
Asking price: $29.5 million
Where: Montecito
Listing agent: Harry Kolb, Sotheby’s International Realty, (805) 565-8633.
To submit a candidate for Home of the Week, send color photos with caption info on a CD and a description of the house to Real Estate, L.A. Times, 202 W. 1st St., L.A., CA 90012.
