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| Marilyn Monroe |
LOS ANGELES, CA -- Southern California’s star-studded home,
Farralone, was built for Chase Bank heiress-and-socialite Dora Hutchinson.
It was a longtime home
for Frank Sinatra and, according to legend, was the site of JFK's
affair with Marilyn Monroe, cites TopTenRealEstateDeals.com.
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| Frank Sinatra |
It has been a film site
for many films and television shows including Mad Men, Californication and Dreamgirls.
Recently restored, updated and renamed “Byrdview,” it is
for sale at $21.5 million.
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| William Pereira |
In
1949, Dora hired futuristic-architect William Pereira to design
Farralone. He was one of the most famous and prolific architects of the time.
He had also been a
film-set designer, director and producer for several 1940's movies, winning an
Oscar for his special effects photography work on Cecille B. De Mille's Reap the
Wild Wind in 1942.
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| Frank Gehry |
He later
became a professor of architecture at the University of Southern California,
where one of his students was Frank Gehry.
In his career,
Pereira worked on over 400 projects including the 1933 Chicago World's Fair,
Washington D.C.'s Kennedy Center, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and his
most famous, the Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco.
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| Lucille Ball |
In 1963,
Pereira made the cover of Time magazine for his work on the city master plan for Irvine,
California.
Located on 4.3 acres in the Chatsworth
neighborhood, Farralone is perched on a hilltop with 360-degree views over Los
Angeles, mountains and the surrounding 3,000 acres of nature preserve.
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| Ava Gardner |
Gated and unable to be
seen from the road, flooding it with light and capturing the views in all
directions.
Also included is a
bar, formal dining area, a den-office, large chef’s kitchen with island,
breakfast nook with view and top-of-the-line appliances, a number of fireplaces,
and endless entertainment areas both inside and out.
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| President John F. Kennedy |
Its private location away from prying eyes
and long-gated access at the bottom of the pinnacle make the house extremely
attractive to celebrities hoping for a true getaway.
Hutchinson’s
guest lists contained the Who’s Who of Hollywood, including Lucille Ball,
Ava Gardner, Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack.
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| Sammy Davis Jr. |
When the excitement
of the celebrity party scene started to wear thin, Dora moved back to her
native New York City and rented the home to Sinatra, who stayed for almost ten
years.
Sinatra started a whole new era of
entertaining for Farralone, taking it from elegant to a slightly rowdy boy’s
club vibe with his Rat Pack and political buddies.
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| Mariah Carey |
Everyone who was
anyone passed through Farralone’s doors, grounds and pool throughout Sinatra’s
tenure.
Marilyn Monroe
was one of the regular guests, and as legend goes, the property’s guest house
with its private pool was the venue for her scandalous affair with John F.
Kennedy.
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| Usher and Rihanna |
In more recent
times, the property has been a filming backdrop for films, music videos,
television sitcoms and fashion advertising.
The house and grounds have been seen in
films such as Swordfish, Dreamgirls, Transformers and Bewitched.
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| Craig Knizek |
It has also starred in television
series Mad
Men and Californication and in music videos by Mariah Carey, Usher
and Rihanna.
Now priced at
$21.5 million, the listing agent is Craig Knizek of The Agency, Beverly
Hills.
Contact:
Genelle C. Brown
Content Manager, Media Division
TopTenRealEstateDeals.com
Phone: 336-459-3728
Twitter: @toptenrealestat
facebook.com/toptenrealestat
Photo credit: Scott Everts/Fox/Agency
Sources: TopTenRealEstateDeals.com and
www.theagencyre.com
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-WLWBsIsL0
Video Credit:
Sean Evans, @evvo1991 backtothemovies.com/
