It is not very often that a lakeside residence hits the market in the Los Angeles area, but a gorgeous Pasadena Craftsman with just such a setting has come up for lease! And it’s a filming location to boot, with a resume teeming with the names of several big-name stars, including Will Ferrell and Kristen Wiig who called the place home in the 2015 Lifetime movie “A Deadly Adoption.”
Offered at $16,320 a month, the 5,100-square-foot property sits on the northern edge of Johnston Lake at 1260 La Loma Rd. in Crown City’s San Rafael neighborhood. Nancy Valentine of Deasy Penner Podley holds the listing.
A true hidden gem, most Los Angeles and Pasadena denizens have likely never heard of Johnston Lake. Named in honor of Alexander Campbell-Johnston, who purchased the three-acre basin as well as the 2,300 acres surrounding it in 1883, the lake sits tucked away from prying eyes behind oleander hedges and tall oak and sycamore trees. Off-limits to the public, it is currently managed by the Brookmere Association, a private group of 18 homeowners who live along the waterfront.
Whoever signs the lease on the Craftsman will not only secure themselves spectacular digs but highly-coveted lake access via the home’s 20-foot boat dock, not to mention use of the adjacent community pool, pool house and park area, as well. Such grand living doesn’t come cheap, though. The lessee is responsible for Brookmere’s $575 quarterly dues, along with the monthly rent. But you get what you pay for, as they say.
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Image Credit: Kevin Edge Grand through and through, the property was custom-designed by local Pasadena architect Doug Ewing, who is said to “artfully transmit the feeling of place and history in his buildings.” Indeed, though completed in 2007, the residence boasts all the hallmarks of the classic Arts & Crafts style, including impeccable wood detailing at virtually every turn. The living room, with its 18-foot beamed ceilings, built-in shelving covering the entire back wall and rock fireplace, sits as the centerpiece of the home.
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Image Credit: Kevin Edge The adjoining eat-in kitchen features bar seating, a sprawling center island, plenty of cabinet space and a large range. Other living areas include a formal dining room, entrance foyer and a den with a private patio.
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Image Credit: Kevin Edge There are four bedrooms on the premises (three en-suite) and five baths. The owners’ suite, which the listing notes “rivals any six-star hotel,” features a “huge” walk-in closet, a tiled fireplace and a bath with a tub, separate shower and dual sinks.
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Image Credit: Kevin Edge The bucolic 0.60-acre lot is chock full of serene vistas, including a whopping seven patios, a grassy expanse and pergolas dotted throughout. There is also a detached guest house with its own kitchen situated in the backyard.
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Image Credit: Kevin Edge The home’s real draw, though, is its waterfront, a stunning setting the likes of which isn’t often seen in L.A. As such, it is no surprise that Hollywood came a-calling!
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Image Credit: Kevin Edge The Craftsman appeared extensively throughout “A Deadly Adoption.” Never heard of the film? You aren’t alone. The thriller (streaming now on Tubi) wasn’t exactly a hit. Even leading man Ferrell doesn’t dispute the critics, announcing at an ATX Television Festival screening, “If you’re sitting in this audience thinking, ‘This is the worst thing I’ve ever seen,’ I can’t argue with you.”
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Image Credit: Kevin Edge The cautionary tale centers around Robert (Ferrell) and Sarah Benson (Wiig), a wealthy couple who live an idyllic life with their young daughter, Sully (Alyvia Alyn Lind), in Storm Lake, a fictional locale described as a “little dream town.” Their picturesque existence is shattered when Sarah is rendered infertile during a tragic accident and subsequently takes in a pregnant woman, Bridgette Gibson (Jessica Lowndes), whose baby she and Robert intend to adopt. Bridgette’s intentions are much more sinister, though, as should be expected from a Lifetime movie, and she winds up wreaking havoc on their lives.
The project was shrouded in mystery from the start, with outlets like The Hollywood Reporter calling it a “top secret” production. When details of the thriller were leaked to the media in early April 2015 (with many figuring the announcement of Wiig and Ferrell’s participation in a Lifetime movie nothing more than an April Fools’ joke), Ferrell went so far as to announce that he and Wiig had decided to “forego the project entirely,” which was an odd statement being that filming had already taken place! The flick finally debuted in late June to very little fanfare.
Nevertheless, Ferrell remains proud, grandly deeming “A Deadly Adoption” his “little tribute to Andy Kaufman” and “one of my favorite things I’ve ever made.” Neil Genzlinger of The New York Times was less generous, opining “The movie wasn’t very good even by Lifetime standards, which are not exactly lofty.” Ah well, at least the backdrop is pretty!
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Image Credit: Kevin Edge The bulk of the film’s incredibly short 15-day shoot took place at 1260 La Loma. When Bridgette first arrives at the property and takes in the setting, she tells Sarah, “I thought houses like this only exist in the movies.” Really bad Lifetime movies, apparently!
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Image Credit: Kevin Edge The thriller made use of both the exterior and interior of the home, including several bedrooms, the kitchen, the den and the living room.
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Image Credit: Kevin Edge Even one of the bathrooms got the star treatment, appearing in the scene in which Sully (spoiler!) discovers that Bridgette’s baby bump is a fake.
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Image Credit: MarVista Entertaiment The park area adjacent to Johnson Lake was also used for the scenes involving the local Storm Lake farmers market where Sarah regularly peddled her gluten-free goods.
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Image Credit: CBS Media Ventures Other productions that have made use of the Craftsman include “Medium,” in which it portrayed the home of Gabrielle Cafferty (Marisa Coughlan) and her supposedly reincarnated husband, Joel Tiernan (Max Casella), in the season five episode “Soul Survivor.”
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Image Credit: 20th Television It briefly popped up as the residence of Dr. Cal Lightman (Tim Roth) and his daughter, Emily (Hayley McFarland), in the “Lie to Me” pilot, though aside from the view out the front door, very little of the property is visible.
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Image Credit: RDF Rights In the season three episode of “Celebrity Rehab” titled “Family Weekend,” Dr. Drew Pinsky takes his patients to the home, which he claims is the “Johnston Lake Retreat Center” (so much for “reality” tv!)
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Image Credit: CBS Media Ventures And the backyard appears in exterior shots of the residence belonging to John (Goran Visnjic) and Molly Woods (Halle Berry) in the pilot episode of “Extant,” titled “Re-Entry.” The rest of the Woods’ house, though, including the rear façade and all interiors, was nothing more than a studio fabrication created by production designer Cabot McMullen on Stage 3 at Culver Studios.
Until next time, Happy Stalking! 🙂
Stalk It: Will Ferrell and Kristen Wiig’s house from “A Deadly Adoption” is located at 1260 La Loma Rd. in Pasadena. Disclaimer: Please remember this is a private home. Do not trespass or bother the residents or the property in any way.