The former 15-bedroom, 15-bath Canfield-Moreno Estate, now known as Paramour Estate overlooking Silver Lake in East Los Angeles, CA |
SILVER LAKE, LOS ANGELES, CA -- In the early 1900s, Southern California became the glamour capital of the world, where some of the world’s most famous movie stars, directors and producers tried to outdo each other with their ritzy mansions.
Mary Pickford |
There was the Louis B. Mayer Estate in Bel Air; a number of mansions designed by Wallace Neff for the biggest celebrities including Charlie Chaplain, Fredric March and Harpo Marx; and the most famous home of all: Pickfair for Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks.
Daisy Canfield |
But according to the tabloids of the era, the most beautiful home of them all was the Canfield-Moreno Estate, now known as Paramour Estate. It is now on the open market for the first time, priced at $39.995 million.
Cher |
Rachel McAdams |
And what she wanted most was the grandest home in Los Angeles. Daisy hired the most famous architect of the time to design and build a monument-mansion where she could overlook Hollywood from the highest ridge in the Los Angeles basin.
Christina Ricci |
Sally Forster Jones |
Daisy’s
first marriage was to Jay M. Danziger, who was connected to the Mexican
Petrol Oil Company. After their divorce, she married silent film star Antonio
Moreno in 1923.
Charlie Chaplin |
Together
they built their mansion overlooking Silver Lake; the home went by various
names throughout the years from Crestmount, to the Danziger Mansion, to the
Canfield-Moreno Mansion, and finally the Paramour Estate.
Douglas Fairbanks |
In
addition to their home, Daisy also used the property as a boarding school and
academy that educated young-orphaned girls.
Fredric March |
But in 1933, only days after her abrupt separation from Moreno, Daisy’s life came to a tragic end, returning home from a party, when her chauffeur-driven car plunged off a 300-foot cliff along Mulholland Drive.
Harpo Marx |
The home continued to operate as a boarding
school, while Moreno stayed in the home until 1948. In 1953, the home was
deeded to the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception Order, who also
used it as a school.
Wallace Neff |
In
1998, designer Dana Hollister purchased the home, renamed it Paramour,
and funded a restoration from onsite film shoots, weddings and social events.
Antonio Moreno |
Perched on over 4.3 acres, the four-story, walled, 22,000-square-foot home with 15 bedrooms and 15 baths is not anyone’s regular ho-hum mansion.
Tony Curtis |
Created
by Robert D. Farquhar, the architect to the stars who also did the
Owlwood Estate - once owned by both Tony Curtis and Cher,
Paramour played host to lavish celebrity parties and was ultimately dubbed by
the tabloids as "The Most Beautiful Home in Hollywood."
Robert D. Farquar (Courtesy photo Santa Monica History Museum) |
Features include ceiling beams painted to
match the colors in the home’s fabrics, a bar front covered in zebra skin, a
grand ballroom with a 25-foot-high ceiling, gilded mirrors, bold colors,
crystal chandeliers, a myriad of places to dine, marble-hand-tiled pool,
sunroom, lower-level staff quarters, and 360-degree views that stretch from the
Pacific Ocean to the San Gabriel Mountains.
Chris Pine |
There
are four guest cottages, two guest suites, lush landscaping with rose gardens,
and parking for 50 cars. According to the seller, “Antique and vintage
lighting, furniture, and décor are not included in the sale, but may be
available at an additional cost."
Pauly Shore |
James Franco |
The
listing agent for the Paramour estate is Sally Forster Jones of Compass,
Los Angeles.
Photo
credits: Simon Berlyn and Neue Focus
Source: www.compass.com
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Genelle C. Brown
Content Manager, Media Division
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