Positioned for privacy
Who needs a guarded encampment for privacy when there’s Beverly Crest? Popularly known as the Crests, the quiet hillside enclave is unobtrusively tucked between Coldwater Canyon and Trousdale Estates and has been known to attract a few well-known residents. Welcome to unassuming, old-time Hollywood.
Beginnings
The burgeoning entertainment industry in the early 1920s sparked a development boom, as actors and entertainment-industry workers sought homes away from downtown L.A. and Hollywood. So they headed west, where Beverly Hills had been recently born, and to the canyon areas north of Sunset Boulevard.
Developer George Read started buying land in Benedict and Coldwater canyons in 1923, amid the hunting lodges that dotted that landscape, said Marc Wanamaker, a historical consultant to the movie industry and lifelong Beverly Crest resident. Read then began carving out a number of streets from the hills, creating a series of crests.
He dubbed the neighborhood Beverly Crest; the narrow lanes were named Lloydcrest, Readcrest, Cerrocrest, Claircrest, Gilcrest, Lindacrest, Ridgecrest, Waynecrest and of course, Beverlycrest, among others. More recently, residents shortened the locality’s name to “the Crests.”
New construction in the 1950s and ‘60s attracted such stars as Rock Hudson and Ann-Margret. Today Paul Allen, Microsoft Corp. co-founder, lives there.
Drawing card
There’s little more alluring than drop-dead views of the ocean, a rustic canyon and city lights. The central location also “allows us to get city and hillside living all wrapped up in one,” said attorney and real estate broker Ron Galperin, who also serves as president of the Crests Neighborhood Assn.
The community, within walking distance to Beverly Hills’ famed retail district, shares that city’s ZIP Code, but is part of the city of Los Angeles.
Insider’s viewpoint
Michael Schiller, 94, didn’t care much about celebrities or ocean views when he bought his 2,000-square-foot, two-bedroom home in 1955. He says he did get a thrill, however, when he bumped into famed violinist Jascha Heifetz at their mutual polling place many years ago. Mainly, Schiller said, he wanted a quiet, comfortable home for his wife and himself, and got it in the neighborhood that then had plenty of wide-open spaces.
Roberta Weintraub, former president of the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education, bought her 3,700-square-foot, three-bedroom Beverly Crest home in 1995 precisely because of its “spectacular mountain and city views.”
“I never will sell!” Weintraub said. “We threw away our suitcases a long time ago.”
Good news, bad news
Most Angelenos are unaware of this upscale throwback to early Hollywood, so for the most part it has kept its tucked-away character and privacy.
Many of the homes have been remodeled but still maintain their architectural integrity. And then there are some that haven’t -- a sore point among residents who bemoan the mansionization. Additionally, the 18-foot-wide streets can become unnavigable during long stretches of construction.
Housing stock
The Crests are made up of about 185 single-family residences. Although some estates are hidden behind gates, most of the homes abut the street.
Recently, three homes were listed for sale, from $3.6 million for a three-bedroom, to $3.98 million for a four-bedroom, said Niki Rosenfeld, a Sotheby’s International Realty agent in Sherman Oaks.
Report card
Most students attend private schools, agents say. The neighborhood, however, is part of the Los Angeles Unified School District. Student scores on the 2006 Base Academic Performance Index Report were 732 out of a possible 1,000 at West Hollywood Elementary School; 673 at Emerson Middle School; and 636 at University High School.
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Sources: api.cde.ca.gov; Jeff Hyland of Hilton & Hyland, Beverly Hills; Tom Dunlap of Prudential John Aaroe Realtors.