Classic with star appeal
The Windsor Estate, located in the heart of Los Angeles’ Mid-Wilshire district, is home to decades of Hollywood history.
Once owned by actor John Barrymore and his third wife, Dolores Costello, the classic Mediterranean Revival-style house was built in 1918 with stucco walls, Spanish tile roof and hand-blown stained glass windows.
The two-story house was designed by Frank Meline, architect for the Fox Theater in Hollywood. It sits at a quiet corner of Windsor Square, a neighborhood that developer James P. Martin helped build in the early 20th century. Martin, the home’s original owner, sold the property in 1922 for $110,000.
Subsequent residents include famed opera baritone Lawrence Tibbitt and attorney, socialite and philanthropist Odell McConnell, who founded the Odell McConnell Law Center at Pepperdine University.
The arched front doorway opens up to an opulent grand entry foyer with hand-carved mahogany paneling, a staircase with a velvet banister and gilded railing, and two 19th century crystal chandeliers.
Several rooms, including the rear parlor, retain the original color palette, with celadon green walls and gold leaf trim. The parlor is almost an exact replica of the law library at Pepperdine, with coffered ceilings and a Batchelder tile floor. McConnell was said to have used this room as his personal law library when he lived in the Windsor Estate from 1950 until his death in 1993.
The current owner bought the home in 2005 and spent a year restoring much of it to its original state, including refurbishing the formal dining room with silk taffeta curtains in cornice boxes, and replicating the original crystal chandelier.
Every room in the house leads to an outdoor patio, balcony, eating area or garden. Upstairs, the master suite, which opens up to a balcony, has walk-in closets and a new bathroom. The upstairs guest bedroom has original light fixtures and wallpaper.
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To submit a candidate for Home of the Week, send high-resolution color photos with caption and credit information on a CD and a detailed description of the house to Lauren Beale, Real Estate, Los Angeles Times, 202 W. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012. Questions may be sent to homeoftheweek@latimes.com.
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BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX
Windsor Estate
Location: 454 S. Windsor Blvd., Los Angeles, 90020
Asking price: $6,495,000
Previously sold: For $4,995,000 in July 2005.
Size: There are six bedrooms and 6 1/2 bathrooms in 6,276 square feet. The lot is 27,000 square feet.
Additional features: The house has a pool, Jacuzzi, breakfast bar, cabana, lanai guest house, outdoor kitchen and bar, two-car garage and original koi pond.
Around the neighborhood: Through October, 22 single-family homes have sold this year in the 90020 ZIP Code, according to MDA DataQuick. The median sale price was $2,302,500. There were 15 single-family homes listed for sale in 90020 last week on Realtor.com, priced from $200,000 to $17.5 million.
Listing agents: Diana Knox, Coldwell Banker, (323) 460-5473. Rick Cunningham, Keller Williams-Santa Monica, (310) 770-4777. Betsy Malloy, Coldwell Banker, (323) 806-0203.
