Fit for a Hollywood king
Hollywood’s early movie moguls, like today’s, thought big when it came to their castles.
In 1923, Harry Warner, the eldest of the four brothers who established Warner Bros. studios, commissioned this 14-room Georgian Colonial-style house in Hancock Park, which was becoming the address for many of Los Angeles’ moneyed denizens.
Warner didn’t keep the place too long, however. He sold it after a few years to help finance one of the industry’s first talking pictures, “The Jazz Singer” (1927), starring Al Jolson.
The stately home was designed by A. Burnside Sturges and included the bells and whistles befitting a studio chief, including a screening room in the basement. The property was bestowed a Windsor Square-Hancock Park Historical Society Landmark Award in June.
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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 Diane Wedner, Real Estate, Los Angeles Times, 202 W. 1st St., L.A., CA 90012. Questions may be sent to homeoftheweek@latimes.com.
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Flickers of a bygone era
Location: Hancock Park neighborhood of Los Angeles
Asking price: $4.55 million
Previously sold: For $40,000 in December 1949; it was listed for sale in September 2005 for $4,595,000.
Size: There are seven bedrooms and 5 1/2 bathrooms in 5,555 square feet. The lot is 29,400 square feet.
About this home: After Gerry Kimbrough moved into the home of her husband, Arthur, in 1976 -- he bought it in 1949 -- she started a remodeling project that she says is remarkable more for what she didn’t do than for what she did. Determined to maintain the integrity of the original design, she kept the home’s cathedral ceilings and large windows and refurbished the hardwood floors. She augmented the decorative black marble of the living room fireplace and foyer with lighter marble, which she also installed in the grand staircase. She updated the kitchen but kept the original kitchen cabinets and turned the antique icebox in the pantry into a storage unit. The Warners’ basement water heater, a permanent fixture, was painted with an “Art Deco feel.” The remodeled basement, which today is a bonus room, has marble floors and remnants of Warner’s movie projection booth. Kimbrough added decorative touches to the dining room but kept the chandelier her husband installed after he bought the house. She remodeled the pool and deck and added lighting and fountains to the backyard.
Additional features: The home has formal living and dining rooms, a family room and a sitting room in the master suite. The estate has two maids’ rooms, a detached guest house with full kitchen and bathroom, and a tennis court.
Around the neighborhood: Twenty-one single-family homes sold in the 90020 ZIP Code through August this year, according to MDA DataQuick. The median price was $2,302,500. From January through December 2007, 30 homes sold and the median price was $1,497,500. There are 18 single-family homes listed for sale in Hancock Park. The least expensive, at $2,348,000, has four bedrooms and four bathrooms in 4,361 square feet. The most expensive, at $17.5 million, has eight bedrooms and 10 1/2 bathrooms in 14,071 square feet.
Listing agent: John Yarborough and Rob Lane, Hilton & Hyland Realty, (310) 345-4121
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ON THE MARKET: L.A. LOFTS
510 S. Hewitt St., Unit 513, Los Angeles 90013
Listed for: $527,000
Size: The 1,310-square-foot unit has an open plan and one bathroom.
Features: The single-story Barker Block loft has hardwood and tile floors, central heating and air conditioning, a city view, one parking space and a built-in dishwasher, disposal, microwave oven, range and oven. There are diverse retail stores and a rooftop pool. The building is in the heart of the Arts District.
Monthly homeowners association fee: $415.96
MLS ID: 08-308105
About this area: In the 90013 ZIP Code, 16 new homes or condominiums were sold in August at a median sale price of $500,000, according to MDA DataQuick.
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943 N. Hill St., Los Angeles 90012
Listed for: $895,000
Size: The storefront loft has a 1,200-square-foot gallery space, two bedrooms and 1 1/2 bathrooms in 1,200 square feet and a full basement.
Features: In Chinatown, on the street side of the Chung King Road art scene, this mixed-use space has a loft-style apartment upstairs; an art gallery at street level with tall ceilings, a back office and private mezzanine, and a basement presently being used as a ceramics studio.
MLS ID: 08-309501
About this area: In the 90012 ZIP Code, six existing condominiums were sold in August at a median price of $500,000, according to MDA DataQuick.
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849 S. Broadway, Unit 1002, Los Angeles 90014
Listed for: $699,000
Size: There is one bedroom and one bathroom in 1,476 square feet.
Features: The single-story loft in the 147-unit Eastern Columbia building has central heating and air conditioning, a city view, one parking space and a built-in dishwasher, microwave, range, oven and refrigerator. There is an inside laundry area and a heated pool.
Monthly homeowners association fee: $583
MLS ID: 08-297849
About this area: In the 90014 ZIP Code, four existing condos were sold in August at a median price of $303,000, according to MDA DataQuick.
-- Lauren Beale
Source: Realtor.com