It’s been some time since we’ve discussed a house on LA’s Eastside, the part of our fine city that includes trendy (and historically hipster) communities like Silver Lake, Echo Park, and Los Feliz. Though oft-overlooked by snooty Westside homebuyers, flocks of wealthy creative types — and celebrities in general — have migrated out yonder toward the rising sun. And over the past few years, Eastside prices have soared — probably more dramatically so than any neighborhood out west, in fact.
So for your viewing pleasure today, here’s a treasured ol’ estate set high in the hills above Beachwood Canyon. Does Beachwood count as an Eastside neighborhood? We’re not sure. But close enough.
The Spanish-style property was owned for decades by the Aldous Huxley family, he the late, great author most famous for his watershed dystopian novel Brave New World. Our Mr. Huxley passed way back in 1963, but his much younger widow Laura continued to reside in the house until her 2007 death.
(A bit of trivia: Mr. Huxley died in this house. In the final hours of his life, unable to speak, the cancer-stricken writer scrawled out a note to his wife asking for an LSD injection. The late Mrs. Huxley obliged and her husband “tripped” his way out of this world, so to speak. What a way to go, right?)
Anyway, the Spanish-style casa fell into disrepair during the latter years of the Widow Huxley’s lifetime. In May 2008, shortly after her death, it was sold for just $1,950,000 to a woman named Rosemary Macedo, who sunk lots of money into renovations and endowed the ol’ gurl with a new lease on life.
Over the summer (2018), Ms. Macedo put the redone property up for sale with a $4.5 million ask. Buyers flocked to the home and it entered escrow within five days, quickly selling for $4,300,000. The all-cash purchaser, interestingly enough, is very obviously actress Zelda Williams — she purchased the abode through the same corporate entity that owns her nearby “starter” house. (More on that other pad later).
Miss Williams is a very young lass (she’s still in her 20s), the only daughter of the late iconic comedian Robin Williams. As most of y’all probably know, Mr. Williams tragically took his own life back in 2014, leaving an estate conservatively valued at $100 million to be divided between his third wife and his three adult children from prior marriages.
Our gurl Miss Williams is a product of her father’s second marriage to former nanny Marsha Garces and has been acting since she was a mere 5 years old. Since then, she’s amassed dozens of film and TV credits. Fun fact: one of Miss Williams’ favorite pastimes is playing video games, appropriate for a gal named after The Legend of Zelda.
The two-story Beachwood abode isn’t really large enough to qualify as a mansion, but it does sport 4 beds and 4.5 baths in a healthy 4,066-square-feet of living space. Plus there’s a detached two-car garage and wee garden shed. Perhaps the most valuable feature of the property, however, is the ultra-private .67-acre double lot. Miss Williams has essentially no neighbors near her secluded promontory. Another cool facet is that the house is one of the closest in LA to the famed Hollywood Sign — Miss Williams could literally hike from her backyard up to the popular tourist destination.
Of course, the estate is protected by tall gates and hedges plus an elaborate security system.
Gleaming hardwood floors run throughout the home, and the double-height living room sports huge windows and French doors that flood the place with light. Plus there’s an oversized fireplace for chilly nights. Elsewhere is a formal dining room and another dining area on the huge brick terrace outside.
The kitchen isn’t particularly big, nor does it have the high-end appliances Yolanda is used to seeing in $4.3 million properties. But it does have a center island with bar-style seating, a stainless fridge and range, plus a lovely balcony with views of the Hollywood Hills. Imagine setting up a little table and chair out there, and drinking your cappuccino every morning while admiring that view.
Upstairs is the master suite, which has another private (covered) balcony. The all-new master bath has dual vanities and a glassy shower.
Though the hillside property is steeply sloped, the backyard has been nicely terraced into an outdoor amphitheater with multi-level seating tiers. Your gurl would imaging those seating areas could be converted into tiers of formal gardens, should Miss Williams decide to do so.
On the estate’s upper pad is a classy rectangular swimming pool surrounded by a cement terrace, and the property is also blessed with a sprawling lawn and mature palm trees. The westward views make for postcard-perfect sunsets, and the hilltop home also has sightlines to the Griffith Observatory and the Downtown LA skyline.
In a move that should come as little shock to anyone, and as was first outed by Our Mama at Variety, Miss Williams has already placed her old “starter” residence up for sale with an asking price of $3,200,000, nearly double the $1.876 she paid in 2011. The 1928 Spanish-style pad is located in the nearby Bronson Canyon neighborhood, less than 10 minutes by car away from the new place.
The three-story structure has 5 beds and 5 baths in a spacious 3,400-square-feet of living space. According to the MLS, the property is already in escrow and looking for backup offers. Like what you see? You may still have a chance, so get on it.
Listing agent: Jeff Yarbrough, Keller Williams
Zelda Williams’ agent: Sarah Jackson, Compass
