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| John Barrymore's former home in Bella Vista, Beverly Hills, CA |
BELLA VISTA, BEVERLY
HILLS, CA -- -- Historically connected to America’s
first dalliance with opium and also the home of one of America’s most
controversial great actors, Bella Vista mansion is for sale with its
perfectly maintained opium den still in place, reached by a hand-carved ladder
above the master suite.
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| John Barrymore |
John Barrymore, who had been
expelled from more schools than he later had marriages, seemed to play with
life and surrounded himself with whatever exotica delighted him through his
alcohol and opium-induced imagination.
The mansion had
everything to feed his creativity from its stunning Pacific Ocean views to the
large aviary, now a guest room, and plenty of space for his bizarre collection
of shrunken heads.
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| Barrymore's "Upstairs" Secret Opium Den |
For actors who could
afford anything and especially an actor who had reached his pinnacle as one of
the greatest and most versatile stars of his time, it’s not surprising that
when opium began its popularity in the U.S. at the end of the 1800s, it was a
natural vice for Barrymore to join in.
He had started with alcohol as a teenager and
had no qualms when it came to recreational drugs.
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| Entrance to Bella Vista Mansion |
Inexpensive and easy
to get, the U.S. government took note of the huge shipments that arrived first
in San Francisco and eventually were distributed to all parts of the country.
Opium was the first
drug to be controlled in the country, which was likely the case by the time
Barrymore was old enough to create his fanciful opium den above his bedroom.
Today, the
Spanish-style home with its many red-tiled roofs and gardens with winding paths
through cultivated jungle is still dreamy.
Water trickles and
splashes over the home’s waterfall spilling into the pool that overlooks the
Los Angeles city skyline. When first offered for sale, the price included the
entire seven acres and a number of extra buildings.
Today it encompasses
one acre, 6,976 square feet of living area with a total of seven bedrooms and
eleven baths distributed between the main house, two guest houses and two
apartments.
Though updated to the
21st century in all the crucial places, the charm and allure are still quite
evident in the dramatic fireplaces, redwood log floor in the cigar lounge and
bar and one is never far away from the music of falling water from fountains or
the pool waterfall.
The master suite, one
of three bedrooms in the main house, has a wraparound veranda which also has
access to the opium den. Paneled walls, a wine cellar, decks, terraces, plenty
of tile, wrought iron and a fabulous painted ceiling in the main living room
are a few of the many elements that give the compound its character.
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| Tracy Tutor |
Now for sale is the
much-visited home by the Old Hollywood elite who stayed there and may have
found themselves draped across a magic carpet on the business end of an opium
pipe.
John Barrymore’s great
escape is now on the market, sans the shrunken heads. Priced at $16.995
million, the listing agents are Josh and Matt Altman and Tracy Tutor of
Douglas Elliman, Beverly Hills.
CONTACT:
Genelle C. Brown
Content Manager, Media Division
TopTenRealEstateDeals.com
Phone: 434-480-4504
Twitter: @toptenrealestat
facebook.com/toptenrealestat
TopTenRealEstateDeals.com
Phone: 434-480-4504
Twitter: @toptenrealestat
facebook.com/toptenrealestat
