Like her preservation-minded mother Jill Tavelman, Lily Collins is proving herself to be something of an architecture connoisseur. Shortly after the successful actress (“Emily in Paris,” “To the Bone,” “Rules Don’t Apply”) sold a John Elgin Woolf-designed, Regency-style estate in Beverly Hills, records indicate she moved to Pasadena, stealthily acquiring Case Study House #10 from fellow actress Kristen Wiig (“Bridesmaids,” “Wonder Woman 1984”).
Although the deal actually went down last year, it slipped under the radar for months because it was inked off-market and without public fanfare. And because the transfer was off-market, we don’t know the extent of any changes Wiig made to the home during her stay, though she did considerably upgrade the property’s landscaping with the installation of new trees and a dense hedge wall surrounding the entire perimeter.
In any case, Wiig’s investments seem to have paid off — she bought the place for $3 million in late 2017, and flipped it to Collins and husband Charlie McDowell for just under $4 million. And she got to live in a piece of architecture history for a few years, so there’s that.
Originally built in 1947, the house was designed by father-son duo Kemper Nomland and Kemper Nomland Jr. for the influential Case Study program, which was sponsored by Arts and Architecture Magazine. The only Case Study house constructed in Pasadena, the main structure includes three bedrooms and 2.5 baths in about 3,400 square feet; out back, there’s also a detached guesthouse with another bedroom and bath. In recent years, the entire mini-compound was majorly renovated by former owners, who equipped the place with contemporary fixtures and amenities.
Inside, a freestanding fireplace divides bisects the otherwise combined living and dining rooms, and the eat-in kitchen opens to a family room. Most of the public rooms sport walls of glass sliders that flood the house with natural light and make that covetable indoor/outdoor lifestyle a breeze. Outside, there are terraced gardens and multiple patios, plus a newer swimming pool and spa installed circa 2014.
One of Collins’ nearest new Pasadena neighbors is the musician Grimes — perhaps better-known to the general public as Elon Musk’s on-off girlfriend — whose own Pasadena home is just a couple blocks away. Also in the immediate vicinity are lavish estates owned by Oscar de la Hoya, Meryl Streep, Mandy Moore and billionaire Ron Burkle.
