First published in the Nov. 4 print issue of the Pasadena Outlook.
Nestled on a tranquil private cul-de-sac just steps from the prestigious Langham Huntington Hotel lies a unique estate property with two amazing turnkey structures.
One is an exquisite 12,300 square-foot residence designed by two of America’s top architects, Myron Hunt (Huntington Library, Langham Huntington Hotel, Rose Bowl Stadium, Hollywood Bowl) and Gordon Kaufmann (Caltech’s Athenaeum and Hollywood Palladium), and the other structure is a 20,500 square-foot entertainment gallery designed by noted architects Ladd and Kelsey (Norton Simon Museum).
“[My clients] took seven years to remodel the house,” said realtor Darrell Done of Coldwell Banker Global Luxury, who is co-listing the estate with Carol Chua. “They didn’t even move in for the first four years, so everything has been redone. It is a 1917 house with 21st century technology.”
Over a period of seven years, commencing in 2010, the current owners have, with no expense spared, meticulously restored and renovated the property, preserving its architectural integrity and historical significance. The end result is a completely updated “trophy estate” with unparalleled indoor and outdoor entertaining facilities, ranging from an intimate dinner party to an event for more than 400 guests. This is the only known estate in the country consisting of a totally restored, historically important home combined with a commercial-grade museum, set on 2.45 acres of gated park-like grounds, according to literature about the home. “It is most definitely a trophy house and a trophy museum sited on trophy grounds in a trophy location. Current zoning would never permit the construction of an estate of this size and configuration.”
“In the main house there are six bedrooms,” Done said. “There’s an apartment in the gallery so that has one bedroom and in total there are 17 bathrooms, but actually there’s commercial grade bathrooms.”
Originally built in 1917 by Peter Hall, considered to be the finest builder of his time, the exemplary residence showcases an elegant living room, formal dining room, library, pub room, six spacious bedrooms including a master suite, 12 bathrooms, six fireplaces, three laundry rooms, plus a 2,700 square-foot basement with a refrigerated wine room and vault. The adjoining entertainment gallery, built in 1973, boasts a 46-seat movie theater, an authentic Tiki bar, game arcade, card room, gym, lounges, conference rooms, screening atrium, five bathrooms, and a guest apartment with a fireplace and catering kitchen. It is a lavish extension of the exceptional personal residence. A private underground passage, served by commercial elevators, connects the two buildings.
“So you have a 46-seat theatre,” Done said. “It was designed by the same company that does professional IPIC and Gold Class theaters. He spent over a million dollars just on this room. Everything in the [Tiki bar] room was custom made, including all of the Tiki gods, the lights and so forth.
“The ground level, the entrance, is actually above us, so you have a 38-foot atrium with a skylight here,” Done added, pointing out features of the home. “They used this for parties. There is a karaoke screen that drops down and a projector, so if you wanted to do karaoke, they have a karaoke machine. They could also use it for presentations or family photos or anything like that.
“It’s a unique house because it was built in 1917 and designed by Myron Hunt for an oil magnate. One of the previous owners had an extensive art collection. She was negotiating with the city to build a museum. They were also negotiating with Norton Simon. [The city] chose Norton Simon; she was so upset she forced them to allow her to build her own museum designed by the same people that built the Norton Simon Museum.”
And the stunning estate awaits the right buyer … for a price of $48 million.
