Terry Crews moved to Los Angeles when his short-lived NFL career ended in 1997, pursuing a lifelong dream of “making it” in the entertainment industry. Ever since, the Michigan native and his longtime wife Rebecca have frequently bunked up in L.A.’s leafy Pasadena suburb, and in the neighborhoods immediately surrounding the city.
Records show Crews once owned a modest house near Pasadena’s historic Bungalow Heaven pocket, though that property was sold off in 2003. At some point, the family moved into a rented Altadena home, though they most recently spent several years leasing a big mansion in the Kinneloa Mesa region of Pasadena. They’ve rented homes in other areas, too, including an estate in Santa Clarita — about 30 miles northwest of Pasadena — and a big mansion in affluent Greenwich, Connecticut.
Now it appears the “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” star is finally ready to buy another home, nearly 20 years after he sold his first Pasadena property. The Crewses have paid $5.6 million for an elegant estate in a particularly prime area of town, one equipped with a mansion-sized main house, detached guesthouse, large swimming pool and a full-size tennis court.
Despite all those amenities, it appears Crews still got quite a deal on the place. Originally offered at $6.9 million, the ask had been slashed to $5.9 million by the time it finally transferred. Last sold in 1996 for $1.4 million, the house was built in the early 1920s and designed by prolific architect Reginald Davis Johnson, who also designed Santa Barbara’s Biltmore Hotel and Pasadena’s Hale Solar Laboratory.
Crews, 53, recently released his memoir “Tough: My Journey to True Power.” Over the years, he’s starred in the “Everybody Hates Chris” sitcom, hosted “America’s Got Talent,” and appeared in the “Expendables” series. His eight-season turn on “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” made him a household name, though arguably his most iconic role is the breakout performance he gave in the raunchy cult classic film “White Chicks,” in which Crews serenaded a shocked Marlon Wayans with his own rendition of Vanessa Carlton’s “A Thousand Miles.”
Set well back from the street on a nearly-flat lot that spans 1.14 acres, the “Spanish-inspired” — per the listing — home features four bedrooms in about 5,300 square feet. Inside, terracotta-tile floors flow throughout many of the main living spaces, which are also flooded with natural light. Many charming details abound, including arched double doors and wood-burning fireplaces.
Somewhat unusually, the formal dining room contains two large chandeliers placed diagonally from one another, with both overlooking circular dining tables. Upstairs, the master suite includes polished hardwood floors and a sitting area. There’s also a private office nook in this suite, with views overlooking the front yard. Out back, balconies and various terraces overlook the pill-shaped swimming pool, which is surrounded by mature palm trees and a brilliantly green swath of grassy lawn.
There’s even an old-timey diving board, sure to impress children. Two patios flank the pool, providing ample space for sunbathers or an umbrella-covered shady respite from the San Gabriel Valley heat. Also on the premises is a two-bedroom guesthouse that’s attached to a three-car garage. And at the far rear of the property lies a full-size tennis court, nicely completing this sophisticated estate.
