Holmby Hills is a
neighborhood
A neighbourhood (British English, Irish English, Australian English and Canadian English) or neighborhood (American English; see spelling differences) is a geographically localised community within a larger city, town, suburb or rural area, ...
on the Westside of
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
, United States.
The neighborhood was developed in the early twentieth century by the Janss Investment Company, which developed the rest of Westwood as well as other Los Angeles neighborhoods. With the expansion of
Sunset Boulevard
Sunset Boulevard is a boulevard in the central and western part of Los Angeles, California, that stretches from the Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades east to Figueroa Street in Downtown Los Angeles. It is a major thoroughfare in t ...
, Holmby Hills was split into northern and southern sections, each lying within a different community plan area designated by the City of Los Angeles: The portion south of Sunset Boulevard extends south to Club View Dr and east to
Beverly Glen Boulevard
Beverly Glen Boulevard is one of five major routes that connect the Westside of Los Angeles to the San Fernando Valley (the other four are the San Diego (405) Freeway, Sepulveda Boulevard, Laurel Canyon Boulevard, and Coldwater Canyon Avenue.
It ...
and west of the
Los Angeles Country Club
The Los Angeles Country Club is a golf and country club on the west coast of the United States, located in Los Angeles, California.
History
In the fall of 1897, a group of Los Angeles residents organized the Los Angeles Golf Club, and a lot wa ...
; it is located within the
Westwood Community Plan Area, but certain characteristics such as the absence of sidewalks and the presence of historic street lamps that are unique to Holmby Hills help to distinguish it from the remainder of Westwood. The portion north of Sunset is the area east of Beverly Glen Boulevard and west of the city limits of
Beverly Hills
Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Bev ...
, with Greendale Drive and Brooklawn Drive as its northernmost streets; it is located within the
Bel Air–
Beverly Crest
Beverly Crest is a neighborhood in the Santa Monica Mountains, in the Westside area of the city of Los Angeles, California.
History
Developer George Read purchased the 80-acre area in 1923. After the streets were paved and underground utilities ...
Community Plan Area, though it is historically distinct from the neighborhoods of both Bel Air and Beverly Crest, as it was developed concurrently with Westwood.
Geography
Holmby Hills, Bel Air, and Beverly Hills form the "
Platinum Triangle" of
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
. It is bordered by the city of
Beverly Hills
Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Bev ...
on the east,
Wilshire Boulevard
Wilshire Boulevard is a prominent boulevard in the Los Angeles area of Southern California, extending from Ocean Avenue in the city of Santa Monica east to Grand Avenue in the Financial District of downtown Los Angeles. One of the principal ...
on the south,
Westwood on the west, and
Bel Air on the north.
[Spitz, H. May (September 05, 2004)]
"A grander scale of life left intact"
''Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
''.
In an effort to decrease traffic in the neighborhood,
speed bump
Speed bumps (also called traffic thresholds, speed breakers or sleeping policemen) are the common name for a class of traffic calming devices that use vertical deflection to slow motor-vehicle traffic in order to improve safety conditions. Varia ...
s have been installed on several key streets.
History
The first European on the land that present-day Holmby Hills,
Bel Air,
Westwood, and
UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...
now occupy was the
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...
soldier Maximo Alanis, who was the grantee of the
Rancho San Jose de Buenos Ayres
Rancho or Ranchos may refer to:
Settlements and communities
*Rancho, Aruba, former fishing village and neighbourhood of Oranjestad
* Ranchos of California, 19th century land grants in Alta California
** List of California Ranchos
* Ranchos, Buenos ...
from a
Mexican land grant
The Spanish and Mexican governments made many concessions and land grants in Alta California (now known as California) and Baja California from 1775 to 1846. The Spanish Concessions of land were made to retired soldiers as an inducement for ...
issued by
Alta California
Alta California ('Upper California'), also known as ('New California') among other names, was a province of New Spain, formally established in 1804. Along with the Baja California peninsula, it had previously comprised the province of , but ...
Governor
Manuel Micheltorena
Joseph Manuel María Joaquin Micheltorena y Llano (8 June 1804 – 7 September 1853) was a brigadier general of the Mexican Army, adjutant-general of the same, governor, commandant-general and inspector of the department of Las Californias, then ...
in 1843.
In 1859, he sold it to
Benjamin Davis Wilson
Benjamin Davis Wilson (December 1, 1811 – March 11, 1878), commonly known as Don Benito Wilson,Excerpt: ''"Wilson, now known as Don Benito, became a Californio – that group of Mexicans and Angols who thought of themselves as Californians rathe ...
, of early
Pasadena
Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district.
Its ...
development, the second
Mayor of Los Angeles
The mayor of the City of Los Angeles is the official head and chief executive officer of Los Angeles. The officeholder is elected for a four-year term and is term limit, limited to serving no more than two terms. (Under the Constitution of Califo ...
, and namesake for
Mount Wilson in the
San Gabriel Mountains
The San Gabriel Mountains ( es, Sierra de San Gabriel) are a mountain range located in northern Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County and western San Bernardino County, California, United States. The mountain range is part of the Tr ...
. In 1884, Wilson sold Rancho San Jose de Buenos Ayres, at 2,000 acres (8 km
2), to the nephew of leading pioneer
William Wolfskill
William Wolfskill (1798–1866) was an American-Mexican pioneer, cowboy, and agronomist in Los Angeles, California beginning in the 1830s. He had earned money for land in a decade as a fur trapper near Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he had become a ...
, businessman John W. Wolfskill, son of Mathus (Mathius) Wolfskill, William's younger brother. He paid $10 an acre and built a ranch house, near the present-day
Mormon
Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into several ...
Los Angeles Temple.
The development of Holmby Hills began when
Arthur Letts Sr.
Arthur Letts Sr. (June 17, 1862 – May 18, 1923) was an immigrant from England who made his fortune in Los Angeles, California, in the early years of the 20th century. He built his wealth by transforming a small, bankrupt dry goods store in Downto ...
, purchased of the original Wolfskill ranch at $100 an acre.
He called the development "Holmby Hills," which was loosely derived from the name of his birthplace, a small hamlet in England called
Holdenby
Holdenby is an English village and civil parish about north-west of Northampton in West Northamptonshire. The parish population measured by the 2011 census was 170. The village name means "Halfdan's/Haldan's farm/settlement".
Prominent building ...
, and it was also the name of his estate in
Hollywood
Hollywood usually refers to:
* Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California
* Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States
Hollywood may also refer to:
Places United States
* Hollywood District (disambiguation)
* Hollywood, ...
.
Letts died suddenly in 1923, before he could realize his vision.
His son-in-law,
Harold Janss, took over the project.
Zoning for the community, which straddles Sunset Boulevard, was designed to accommodate lot sizes up to .
The streets were named after places in
Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...
: Devon Avenue after
Devon
Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...
, the county in southwestern England; Charing Cross Road after
Charing Cross
Charing Cross ( ) is a junction in Westminster, London, England, where six routes meet. Clockwise from north these are: the east side of Trafalgar Square leading to St Martin's Place and then Charing Cross Road; the Strand leading to the City; ...
junction in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
; Conway Avenue after
Conwy
Conwy (, ), previously known in English as Conway, is a walled market town, community and the administrative centre of Conwy County Borough in North Wales. The walled town and castle stand on the west bank of the River Conwy, facing Deganwy on ...
in
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
, etc.
In the 1920s, English-style streetlamps were added specifically for the neighborhood.
After the
Wall Street Crash of 1929
The Wall Street Crash of 1929, also known as the Great Crash, was a major American stock market crash that occurred in the autumn of 1929. It started in September and ended late in October, when share prices on the New York Stock Exchange colla ...
, grand mansions were constructed.
In 2012, residents tried to be annexed into the city of
Beverly Hills
Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Bev ...
, to make sure their potholes would be repaired, but this was rejected by
John A. Mirisch, then Beverly Hills city councillor and later mayor.
According to the Holmby Hills Homeowners Association website: "In the 1920s, Sunset Boulevard was a two-lane country road, known as Beverly Boulevard. It was renamed when it was opened through to the Pacific Ocean. When Sunset Boulevard was expanded into a four-lane thoroughfare, Holmby Hills was, for all practical purposes, split into north and south sections."
The northern section is served by th
Holmby Hills Homeowners Association while the southern section is served by th
Holmby Westwood Property Owners Association which it shares with the rest of the northern Westwood area east of UCLA. However, "
2013, the Holmby Hills Homeowners Association Board has decided to reach out to the homeowners south of Sunset (and east of Beverly Glen) to grow the Association with new members also residing in Holmby Hills having similar interests."
In 2000, Holmby Hills was ranked by Higley 1000 as
the richest urban neighborhood in the United States. The 2017 report, however, redrew and expanded the neighborhood's boundaries, causing its ranking to slip.
Community
The neighborhood is home to two parks:
Holmby Park
Holmby Park is a public park in Holmby Hills, Los Angeles, California.
Location
The park is located in Holmby Hills, Los Angeles, California. It is surrounded by Club View Drive, Beverly Glen Boulevard, Comstock Avenue, and the Los Angeles Count ...
and
De Neve Square Park
De Neve Square Park is an urban pocket park located in the neighborhood of Holmby Hills in West Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California. .
The former, Holmby Park, includes two playgrounds, a nine-hole putting green called the
Armand Hammer
Armand Hammer (May 21, 1898 – December 10, 1990) was an American business manager and owner, most closely associated with Occidental Petroleum, a company he ran from 1957 until his death. Called "Lenin's chosen capitalist" by the press, ...
Golf Course, and a classic lawn bowling, home to the Holmby Park Lawn Bowling Club started in 1927.
It is located next to the
Los Angeles Country Club
The Los Angeles Country Club is a golf and country club on the west coast of the United States, located in Los Angeles, California.
History
In the fall of 1897, a group of Los Angeles residents organized the Los Angeles Golf Club, and a lot wa ...
.
The
Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation The Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation is a non-profit arts foundation located on North Carolwood Drive in the Holmby Hills district of Los Angeles, California. Modern and contemporary artwork in the Frederick R. Weisman collection are displayed i ...
, an art gallery named after
Frederick R. Weisman, is located on North Carolwood Street. It includes works by many noted artists, including impressionists, post impressionist, surrealist, and many more, up through today.
Education
Primary and secondary schools
Public schools
Residents are zoned to the following
Los Angeles Unified School District
Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is a public school district in Los Angeles, California, United States. It is the largest public school system in California in terms of number of students and the 2nd largest public school district in ...
schools: Warner Avenue Elementary School,
Emerson Middle School Emerson Middle School may refer to the following schools in the United States:
* Emerson Community Charter School, formerly formerly Ralph Waldo Emerson Middle School, Los Angeles
* Emerson Middle School (Illinois)
*Emerson High School (Union City, ...
, and
University High School.
Colleges and universities
Holmby Hills is several blocks east of the
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...
(UCLA).
Private schools
The only school located within Holmby Hills is the Middle School (grades 7–9) component of the independent
Harvard-Westlake School
Harvard-Westlake School is an independent, co-educational university preparatory day school consisting of two campuses located in Los Angeles, California, with approximately 1,600 students enrolled in grades seven through twelve. Its two predec ...
. The campus was originally occupied by Westlake School for Girls, which moved from its original site near downtown L.A. to the Holmby Hills campus in 1927. Harvard-Westlake was created in 1989 when Westlake merged with the Harvard School for Boys.
Notable people
*
Nicolas Berggruen
Nicolas Berggruen (; born 10 August 1961) is a US-based billionaire investor and philanthropist. Born in Paris, France, he is a dual American and German citizen.Jeremy Kahn (October 25, 2011)''Bloomberg'' He is the founder and president of Berggru ...
purchased a 20,000 square-foot home in 2017
*The son of
Arthur Letts
Arthur Letts Sr. (June 17, 1862 – May 18, 1923) was an immigrant from England who made his fortune in Los Angeles, California, in the early years of the 20th century. He built his wealth by transforming a small, bankrupt dry goods store in Downto ...
(1862–1923) lived in a mansion designed by architect
Arthur Rolland Kelly
Arthur Rolland Kelly (1878–1959) was an American architect, primarily in the Los Angeles, California area. Arthur designed approximately five hundred homes and other buildings.
Biography Early life
Born of Irish parents, who emigrated from D ...
located at 10236 Charing Cross Road.
[Beale, Lauren (March 27, 2010)]
Streets of gold: L.A.'s most desirable addresses
''Los Angeles Times''. The residence became known as the
Playboy Mansion
The Playboy Mansion, also known as the Playboy Mansion West, is the former home of ''Playboy'' magazine founder Hugh Hefner who lived there from 1974 until his death in 2017. Barbi Benton convinced Hefner to buy the home located in Holmby Hills ...
when
Hugh Hefner
Hugh Marston Hefner (April 9, 1926 – September 27, 2017) was an American magazine publisher. He was the founder and editor-in-chief of ''Playboy'' magazine, a publication with revealing photographs and articles which provoked charges of obsc ...
purchased it.
*
Fanny Brice
Fania Borach (October 29, 1891 – May 29, 1951), known professionally as Fanny Brice or Fannie Brice, was an American comedienne, illustrated song model, singer, and theater and film actress who made many stage, radio, and film appearances. S ...
(1891–1951) resided in a house built in 1938 on North Faring Road, designed by architect
John Elgin Woolf
John Elgin Woolf (1908 in Atlanta – 1980 in Beverly Hills, California), was an American architect noted for the Hollywood homes he created with partner and adopted son Robert Koch Woolf.
Career
After receiving his bachelor's degree in architec ...
(1908–1980).
[Brennan, Morgan (August 28, 2013)]
"Luxury Home Rehab: Inside The $65 Million Fanny Brice Estate"
''Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...
''. Richard and Lauren King later purchased it for $15 million, and they set out to renovate it.
Instead, they demolished it and rebuilt a Georgian-style mansion in its place in 2006.
They listed the new property in 2013.
*
Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey DeForest Bogart (; December 25, 1899 – January 14, 1957), nicknamed Bogie, was an American film and stage actor. His performances in Classical Hollywood cinema films made him an American cultural icon. In 1999, the American Film In ...
(1899–1957) and wife,
Lauren Bacall
Lauren Bacall (; born Betty Joan Perske; September 16, 1924 – August 12, 2014) was an American actress. She was named the 20th-greatest female star of classic Hollywood cinema by the American Film Institute and received an Academy Honorary Aw ...
(1924-2014) lived at 232 South Mapleton Drive in a house previously owned by
Hedy Lamarr
Hedy Lamarr (; born Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler; November 9, 1914 January 19, 2000) was an Austrian-born American film actress and inventor. A film star during Hollywood's golden age, Lamarr has been described as one of the greatest movie actresse ...
(1914–2000).
*
Walt Disney
Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...
(1901–1966) lived on North Carolwood Street.
In 2001, his house was demolished because of the presence of
asbestos
Asbestos () is a naturally occurring fibrous silicate mineral. There are six types, all of which are composed of long and thin fibrous crystals, each fibre being composed of many microscopic "fibrils" that can be released into the atmosphere b ...
and replaced by The Carolwood Estate, owned by investor Gabriel Brener.
The Carolwood Estate has eight bedrooms, seventeen bathrooms, a wine cellar, a custom movie room, three bars, a library, a gym, two safe rooms, a pool with a pool house, a tennis court, and a putting green.
*
Barbara Stanwyck
Barbara Stanwyck (; born Ruby Catherine Stevens; July 16, 1907 – January 20, 1990) was an American actress, model and dancer. A stage, film, and television star, during her 60-year professional career she was known for her strong, realistic sc ...
(1907–1990) and
Robert Taylor (1911–1969) lived at 423 North Faring Road.
*
Bugsy Siegel
Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel (February 28, 1906 – June 20, 1947) was an American mobster who was a driving force behind the development of the Las Vegas Strip. Siegel was not only influential within the Jewish Mob, but along with his childhood frie ...
(1906–1947) built a house in Holmby Hills, but he never lived in it.
However,
Max Factor Sr., founder of
Max Factor
Max Factor is a line of cosmetics from Coty, Inc. It was founded in 1909 as Max Factor & Company by Max Factor, Sr., Maksymilian Faktorowicz.
Max Factor specialized in movie make-up. Until its 1973 sale for US$500 million (approximately $ billio ...
, did. Later, producer
Bud Yorkin
Alan David "Bud" Yorkin (February 22, 1926 – August 18, 2015) was an American film and television producer, director, screenwriter, and actor.
Biography
Yorkin was born in Washington, Pennsylvania, to Jewish parents. He earned a degree ...
and his wife
Cynthia Sikes
Cynthia Sikes Yorkin (born January 2, 1954) is an American actress known for her work on '' St. Elsewhere'' and ''Blade Runner 2049.''
Life and career
Cynthia Sikes was born Cynthia Lee Sikes in Coffeyville, Kansas, in 1954. Early in her caree ...
lived in the same house, but they sold it in 2010.
*
Jack Benny
Jack Benny (born Benjamin Kubelsky, February 14, 1894 – December 26, 1974) was an American entertainer who evolved from a modest success playing violin on the vaudeville circuit to one of the leading entertainers of the twentieth century with ...
(1894–1974) and his wife
Mary Livingstone
Mary Livingstone (born Sadya Marcowitz, later known as Sadie Marks; June 25, 1905–June 30, 1983) was an American radio comedienne and actress. She was the wife and radio partner of comedian Jack Benny.
Enlisted casually to perform on her h ...
(1905–1983) lived at 10231 Charing Cross Road.
It was then sold to two businessmen consecutively, and listed again in 2011.
*
Armand Hammer
Armand Hammer (May 21, 1898 – December 10, 1990) was an American business manager and owner, most closely associated with Occidental Petroleum, a company he ran from 1957 until his death. Called "Lenin's chosen capitalist" by the press, ...
(1898–1990), founder of
Occidental Petroleum
Occidental Petroleum Corporation (often abbreviated Oxy in reference to its ticker symbol and logo) is an American company engaged in hydrocarbon exploration in the United States, and the Middle East as well as petrochemical manufacturing in the ...
, lived one block from Holmby Park.
*
Irene Dunne
Irene Dunne (born Irene Marie Dunn; December 20, 1898 – September 4, 1990) was an American actress who appeared in films during the Golden Age of Hollywood. She is best known for her comedic roles, though she performed in films of other gen ...
(1898–1990) lived at 461 North Faring Road.
*
Gary Cooper
Gary Cooper (born Frank James Cooper; May 7, 1901May 13, 1961) was an American actor known for his strong, quiet screen persona and understated acting style. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice and had a further three nominations, a ...
(1901–1961) lived in a 5,721 square-foot, four-bedroom, four-and-a-half-bathroom house designed by architect
A. Quincy Jones in 1955.
It was later owned by
David Bohnett
David C. Bohnett (born April 2, 1956) is an American philanthropist and technology entrepreneur. He is the founder and chairman of the David Bohnett Foundation, a non-profit, grant-making organization devoted to improving society through social ...
, co-founder of
GeoCities
Yahoo! GeoCities was a web hosting service that allowed users to create and publish websites for free and to browse user-created websites by their theme or interest. GeoCities was started in November 1994 by David Bohnett and John Rezner, and w ...
, who listed it in 2010.
*
Lloyd Bridges
Lloyd Vernet Bridges Jr. (January 15, 1913 – March 10, 1998) was an American film, stage and television actor who starred in a number of television series and appeared in more than 150 feature films. He was the father of four children, includi ...
(1913–1998) and his wife,
Dorothy Bridges
Dorothy Louise Bridges (née Simpson; September 19, 1915 – February 16, 2009) was an American actress and poet. Bridges was the matriarch of an acting family, which included her husband, Lloyd Bridges, two of their three sons, Beau Bridge ...
(1915–2009), raised their children, actors
Jeff Bridges
Jeffrey Leon Bridges (born December 4, 1949) is an American actor. He has received various accolades throughout his career spanning over seven decades, including an Academy Award and two Golden Globe Awards.
Bridges comes from a prominent a ...
and
Beau Bridges
Lloyd Vernet "Beau" Bridges III (born December 9, 1941) is an American actor and director. He is a three-time Emmy, two-time Golden Globe and one-time Grammy Award winner, as well as a two-time Screen Actors Guild Award nominee. Bridges was a ...
, in the neighborhood.
*
Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...
(1903–1977) lived at 594 South Mapleton Drive.
*
Joan Bennett
Joan Geraldine Bennett (February 27, 1910 – December 7, 1990) was an American stage, film, and television actress. She came from a show-business family, one of three acting sisters. Beginning her career on the stage, Bennett appeared in more t ...
(1910–1990) lived in a
Provençal-style mansion in Holmby Hills designed by architect
Wallace Neff
Edwin Wallace Neff (January 28, 1895 – June 8, 1982) was an architect based in Southern California and was largely responsible for developing the region's distinct architectural style referred to as "California" style. Neff was a student of ...
for fifteen years.
*
Jean Harlow
Jean Harlow (born Harlean Harlow Carpenter; March 3, 1911 – June 7, 1937) was an American actress. Known for her portrayal of "bad girl" characters, she was the leading sex symbol of the early 1930s and one of the defining figures of the ...
(1911–1937) lived at 1535 Club View Drive.
*
Alan Ladd
Alan Walbridge Ladd (September 3, 1913 – January 29, 1964) was an American actor and film producer. Ladd found success in film in the 1940s and early 1950s, particularly in films noir and Westerns. He was often paired with Veronica Lake ...
(1913–1964) lived in a 9,200-square-foot, one-story, five-bedroom, seven-bathroom house designed by architect
Wallace Neff
Edwin Wallace Neff (January 28, 1895 – June 8, 1982) was an architect based in Southern California and was largely responsible for developing the region's distinct architectural style referred to as "California" style. Neff was a student of ...
. It was later owned by businessman Gerard Sullivan from 1990 to 2012.
*
Sidney Sheldon
Sidney Sheldon (February 11, 1917 – January 30, 2007) was an American writer. He was prominent in the 1930s, first working on Broadway plays, and then in motion pictures, notably writing the successful comedy ''The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer ...
(1917–2007) lived in a house designed by architect
Paul Williams in Holmby Hills.
It is now the private residence of
Max Azria
Max Azria (January 1, 1949 – May 6, 2019) was a Tunisian-Jewish-born American fashion designer who founded the contemporary women's clothing brand BCBG MAX AZRIA. Azria was also the designer, chairman and CEO of the BCBG Max Azria Group,Musta ...
(born 1949).
*
Aaron Spelling
Aaron Spelling (April 22, 1923 June 23, 2006) was an American film and television producer and occasional actor. His productions included the TV series ''Family'' (1976–1980), '' Charlie's Angels'' (1976–1981), ''The Love Boat'' (1977–1986 ...
(1923–2006) and his wife
Candy Spelling
Carole Gene "Candy" Spelling (née Marer; born September 20, 1945) is an American author, theater producer, and philanthropist. She was married to Aaron Spelling from 1968 until his death in 2006.
Early life and education
Carole Gene Marer was b ...
as well as their two children
Tori Spelling
Victoria Davey Spelling (born May 16, 1973) is an American actress and author. Her first major role was Donna Martin on ''Beverly Hills, 90210'', beginning in 1990. She has appeared in made for television films, including ''A Friend to Die For' ...
and
Randy Spelling
Randall Gene Spelling (born October 9, 1978) is an American life coach and former actor. He is the brother of Tori Spelling and the son of Candy and Aaron Spelling.
Early life
Spelling was born in Los Angeles. He has an older sister, actress a ...
lived in
The Manor located at 594 South Mapleton Drive.
It was sold to
Petra Ecclestone
Petra Ecclestone (born 19 December 1988) is a British heiress, model, fashion designer and socialite.
Early life
Ecclestone was born in London as the younger daughter of former Armani model Slavica Radić and English Formula One billionaire ...
for $85 million in 2011.
*
Jayne Mansfield
Jayne Mansfield (born Vera Jayne Palmer; April 19, 1933 – June 29, 1967) was an American actress, singer, nightclub entertainer, and ''Playboy'' Playmate. A sex symbol of the 1950s and early 1960s while under contract at 20th Century Fox, Man ...
(1933–1967) lived at the
Pink Palace located at 10100 Sunset Boulevard.
It later became the home of
Engelbert Humperdinck, but was demolished in 2002.
*
Ernest Carroll Moore
Ernest Carroll Moore (1871–1955) was an Americans, American educator. He co-founded the University of California, Southern Branch, in Los Angeles, California.
Biography
Early life
Moore was born in 1871 in Youngstown, Ohio. He graduated from O ...
(1871–1955) lived on Woodruff Avenue.
*
Claudette Colbert
Claudette Colbert ( ; born Émilie Claudette Chauchoin; September 13, 1903July 30, 1996) was an American actress. Colbert began her career in Broadway productions during the late 1920s and progressed to films with the advent of talking pictures ...
(1935–1963) 615 North Faring Road.
*
Barbra Streisand
Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers List ...
lived on North Carolwood Drive, as did
Clark Gable
William Clark Gable (February 1, 1901November 16, 1960) was an American film actor, often referred to as "The King of Hollywood". He had roles in more than 60 motion pictures in multiple genres during a career that lasted 37 years, three decades ...
(1901–1960), and
Gregory Peck
Eldred Gregory Peck (April 5, 1916 – June 12, 2003) was an American actor and one of the most popular film stars from the 1940s to the 1970s. In 1999, the American Film Institute named Peck the 12th-greatest male star of Classic Hollywood ...
(1916–2003).
*
Sean Combs
Sean Combs (born Sean John Combs; November 4, 1969), also known by his stage names Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, Puffy, or Diddy, is an American rapper, actor, record producer, and record executive. Born in New York City, he worked as a talent directo ...
(born 1969), founder of Bad Boy Entertainment, as well as rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, record executive, actor and entrepreneur
*
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...
(1915–1998) lived on North Carolwood Drive in the late 1940s.
His house was later owned by
Brad Grey
Brad Alan Grey (December 29, 1957 – May 14, 2017) was an American television and film producer. He co-founded Brillstein-Grey Entertainment (now Brillstein Entertainment Partners), and afterwards became the chairman and CEO of Paramount Pictur ...
, CEO of
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...
, who demolished it in August 2012 to sell it as an empty lot for a new construction.
*In 1989,
Casey Kasem
Kemal Amin "Casey" Kasem (April 27, 1932 – June 15, 2014) was an American disc jockey, actor, and radio personality, who created and hosted several radio countdown programs, notably '' American Top 40''. He was the first actor to voice Nor ...
purchased a home built in 1954 and located at 138 North Mapleton Drive, previously owned by developer
Abraham M. Lurie
Abraham M. Lurie (1923 – June 29, 2010) was an American real estate developer who was behind the development of much of Marina del Rey.[Jean Kasem
Jean Thompson Kasem (born May 21, 1954) is a former American actress. She is the widow of radio personality and actor Casey Kasem.
Early life
Jean Thompson was one of five children born to Irene Celia Thompson and Herbert Owens Thompson Sr. (d ...]
.
In 2013, he listed it for $43 million.
*In 2009,
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...
(1958–2009)
died
Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...
in a rented mansion in Holmby Hills.
[Lauren Beale]
Michael Jackson's last home sells for $18.1 million
''Los Angeles Times'', November 02, 2012 The house, designed by architect
Richard Landry
Richard Landry (born 1957) is a Canadian architect. Known as the "King of the Megamansion," he has designed many private residences for corporate moguls and celebrities in Los Angeles County, California.
Early life and education
Richard Landry gr ...
, belonged to Hubert Guez, CEO of the clothing line
Ed Hardy
Don Ed Hardy (born 1945) is an American tattoo artist known for his tattoos, strong influence on the development of modern tattoo styles, and his eponymous apparel and accessories brand.
Early life
Hardy was born on January 5, 1945, in Des Moin ...
and his wife Roxane.
Steven Mayer, a senior managing director at Cerberus Capital Management, purchased it for $18.1 million in 2012.
*
W. Howard Lester
W. Howard Lester (August 14, 1935 – November 15, 2010) was an American businessman who took over Williams-Sonoma, Inc. in 1976 and acquired Pottery Barn in 1986, building a major catalog retailer that had more than 600 stores and annual sales ...
, former CEO of
Williams-Sonoma, Inc.
Williams-Sonoma, Inc. is an American publicly traded consumer retail company that sells kitchenware and home furnishings. It is headquartered in San Francisco, California, United States. The company has 625 brick and mortar stores and distribute ...
, lived in an 18,000-square-foot seven-bedroom, thirteen bathroom mansion with a wine cellar, a billiards room and a gym in Holmby Hills from 2004 to his death in 2010; the house was listed for sale in 2012.
*
Jon Feltheimer
Jon Feltheimer (born September 2, 1951) is the Chief Executive Officer of Lions Gate Entertainment and has held that position since 2000. Feltheimer has led Lionsgate to grow into the leading Canadian independent filmed entertainment studio.
B ...
lived in a 6,400-square-foot, five-bedroom, five-and-a-half-bathroom house built in 1927 in Holmby Hills from 2009 to 2011.
*
Neil Diamond
Neil Leslie Diamond (born January 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. He has sold more than 130 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling musicians of all time. He has had ten No. 1 singles on the Hot 100 and Adul ...
lived at 161 South Mapleton Drive.
*
Donald Bren
Donald Leroy Bren (born May 11, 1932) is an American businessman. He is chairman and owner of the Irvine Company, a US real estate development corporation. With a net worth of $16.2 billion, he ranks number 112 on the 2022 Forbes Billionaires L ...
lives in Holmby Hills.
*
Bradley Bell
Bradley Phillip Bell (born June 29, 1964) is an American television writer and producer. Bell is an eight-time Daytime Emmy Award winner and is executive producer and head writer for ''The Bold and the Beautiful'', an American soap opera.
Ea ...
and wife
Colleen Bell
Colleen Bradley Bell (born January 30, 1967) is an American television producer known for her work on the soap opera ''The Bold and the Beautiful'' and for her involvement in various social issues. She was appointed Director of the California Fil ...
resides in Holmby Hills with children.
*
David I. Saperstein and his ex-wife Suzanne Saperstein built
Fleur de Lys
The fleur-de-lis, also spelled fleur-de-lys (plural ''fleurs-de-lis'' or ''fleurs-de-lys''), is a lily (in French, and mean 'flower' and 'lily' respectively) that is used as a decorative design or symbol.
The fleur-de-lis has been used in the ...
in 2002. It was designed by architect Richardson Robertson III. After their divorce, the mansion spent many years on the market, with many rumors floating regarding its sale. The property eventually sold in March 2014 for $88.3 million to an anonymous buyer
*
Jeremy Renner
Jeremy Lee Renner (born January 7, 1971) is an American actor and musician. He began his career by appearing in independent films such as '' Dahmer'' (2002) and ''Neo Ned'' (2005), then supporting roles in bigger films, such as ''S.W.A.T.'' (2 ...
and Kristoffer Winters purchased an art deco-style mansion called The Reserve in Holmby Hills for US$7 million in 2010 and renovated it with the help of architect Phillip Vertoch.
They then sold it for US$24 million in 2013.
*
Kylie Jenner
Kylie Kristen Jenner (born August 10, 1997) is an American media personality, socialite, and businesswoman. She starred in the E! reality television series ''Keeping Up with the Kardashians'' from 2007 to 2021 and is the founder and owner of ...
bought a $36.5 million mansion in Holmby Hills.
See also
*
List of largest houses in the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area
This List of largest houses in the Los Angeles metropolitan area includes 19 single-family residences that are known to equal or exceed of livable space within the main house. The official square footage of the largest houses in Los Angeles and th ...
*
Westside (Los Angeles County)
The Los Angeles Westside is an urban region in western Los Angeles County, California. It has no official definition, but sources like ''LA Weekly'' and the Mapping L.A. survey of the ''Los Angeles Times'' place the region on the western side of t ...
References
{{Authority control
1843 establishments in Alta California
Populated places established in 1843
Neighborhoods in Los Angeles
Populated places in the Santa Monica Mountains
Beverly Crest, Los Angeles
Westside (Los Angeles County)
Westwood, Los Angeles