It isn’t often that a house possesses both a Hollywood pedigree and a prolific film resume, but such a property has just hit the market! Located at 880 La Loma Rd. in Pasadena’s prestigious Lower Arroyo neighborhood, the landmark manse is being offered by Sally Forster Jones and Joshua Smith of Compass for $8.495 million. The historic listing marks the first time the home has been available for sale in several decades!
The sprawling English Tudor Revival was the work of Sylvanus Marston and Garrett Van Pelt, prominent local architects who also designed Arden Villa from “National Lampoon’s Vacation,” the Gilmore mansion from “Gilmore Girls,” and the A.L. Garford House from “Twins.”
Constructed in 1916 for $25,000, the estate was commissioned by Samuel S. Hinds, a prominent lawyer who enjoyed acting in stage productions on the side and was one of the original founders of the esteemed Pasadena Playhouse. In 1929, Hinds was bankrupted by the stock market crash that led to the Great Depression, setting him on a late-in-life career trajectory that turned out to be quite fortuitous. Destitute at the age of 54, he abandoned the law to try his hand at show business. As he expressed to Picture Play magazine, “I thought it was a good time to change my profession. I decided I would become a movie actor. I had nothing to lose, for I had lost everything.” And it was not long before Hollywood came a-calling! Hinds went on to appear in over 200 films before his death in 1948, most notably portraying Pa Bailey, father of George Bailey (James Stewart), in the 1946 classic “It’s a Wonderful Life.”
His former mansion has been almost as prolific onscreen. Of the unique property, realtor Josh Smith said, “Sally and I have been through thousands of homes throughout our career, but the feeling you get when you walk into 880 La Loma is palpable. It’s truly a special place, you get that feeling the moment you walk through that gate.”
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Image Credit: Nils Timm Set far back from the road and secluded in almost total privacy, the impressive manse features eight bedrooms and seven baths spread across 7,479 square feet.
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Image Credit: Nils Timm Guests enter into a grand vaulted foyer focused around a showstopping carved staircase. Though the spaces’ ornate millwork is original, the decorative paint that adorns it was a recent addition. In 2017, the estate served as the Pasadena Showcase House of Design, an annual fundraiser put on by the Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts. Benefitting local music programs, the yearly project sees an area residence painstakingly reimagined top to bottom, room by room, with each space assigned to a different designer or artisan. The 25 designers brought in to work on the La Loma estate took great care to honor its historic architecture and original detailing.
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Image Credit: Nils Timm Before becoming the Showcase House, the central stairway boasted a mint green hue. Paul L’Esperance and Daelen Cory of L’Esperance Design reinvented the space, outfitting the woodwork with hand-painted fabric panels inspired by both the original 1916 stained glass window that frames the back of the staircase, as well as Carl Gustav Carus’ “Landscape with a Strand of Trees.” As quoted in the Showcase program, the duo sought to “bring the beauty of the gardens to the interior giving the illusion of looking through windows.”
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Image Credit: Nils Timm The kitchen was also completely revamped. Per Cozy Stylish Chic, before its facelift, the room boasted a 1950s look complete with green and yellow tiles. Phill Vonk of D Christjan Fine Cabinetry Design & Manufacturing worked his magic on the space, transforming it into an open, warm eat-in enclave with high-end appliances, a glass-fronted fridge that blends in with the cabinets, a built-in espresso machine, an oil-rubbed bronze hood and porcelain counters and flooring.
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Image Credit: Nils Timm The formal botanical-themed dining room gives off a very appropriate Old Hollywood vibe with its wood-paneled fireplace, black painted floors and beamed ceiling. The bright space is made complete by an adjacent rounded conservatory with French encaustic tile flooring and views of the gardens beyond.
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Image Credit: Nils Timm As part of the Showcase redesign, the spacious owners’ suite was adorned with a “seaside escape” theme and now features soft blue elements whispered throughout, as well as a drop-down flat screen tv and an adjoining sitting area. The azure hue continues into the spa-like bath which boasts a mirrored standalone tub, tiled wainscotting, a glass-walled walk-in shower and a decorative ceiling.
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Image Credit: Nils Timm Outside on the park-like 1.96-acre lot is a massive rolling lawn, a brook with a waterfall, a rock ledge pool, a loggia, a detached studio space and a standalone garage with upstairs guest quarters. It is a true gem of a property – with one of the most extensive film resumes of any house in the L.A. area.
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Image Credit: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures -
Image Credit: Nils Timm The estate’s most famous appearance is in the 1988 hit drama “Beaches” in which it portrays the supposed Atherton residence of Hillary Whitney Essex (Barbara Hershey).
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Image Credit: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures -
Image Credit: Nils Timm Both the interior and exterior of the pad appear extensively throughout the film.
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Image Credit: NBCUniversal The home’s film history far predates “Beaches,” though. In fact, when it belonged to Hinds, he leased it out for a garden party scene in the 1922 silent film “The Masquerader.” Other productions to feature the mansion include the season seven episode of “Columbo” titled “Try and Catch Me,” in which it played the home of murderous mystery writer Abigail Mitchell (Ruth Gordon).
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Image Credit: Sony Pictures Television The eponymous Alice (Natalie Gregory) lived there in the beloved 1985 made-for-television movie “Alice in Wonderland,” which featured an all-star cast.
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Image Credit: Sony Pictures Television That same year, it played the Connecticut residence of Mrs. Randolph (Helen Kleeb), where Tony Micelli (Tony Danza) gets a job, in the season one episode of “Who’s the Boss?” titled “Angela’s Ex: Part 2.”
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Image Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures The property appears in interior and backyard shots of the home belonging to Simon Worthington (John McMartin) in the 1987 comedy “Who’s That Girl.” (The residence used in scenes involving the front of the Worthington home is a similar-looking Tudor located a couple of miles away at 1050 Arden Rd.)
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Image Credit: Sony Pictures Television Aunt Frieda (Lainie Kazan) lives there in the season five episode of “The Nanny” titled “The Ex-Niles,” which aired in 1997.
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Image Credit: Myriad Pictures 880 La Loma pulls double duty in the 2002 comedy “National Lampoon’s Van Wilder.” Not only does the back of the mansion mask as the rear of the Delta Iota Kappa fraternity house, but the interior is used as the home of Gwen Pearson’s (Tara Reid) wealthy parents in the film.
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Image Credit: Lionsgate Television In 2009, the house popped up as Roger Sterling’s (John Slattery) ritzy country club, where Don (Jon Hamm) and Betty Draper (January Jones) attended a highly insensitive Kentucky Derby party, in the season three episode of “Mad Men” titled “My Old Kentucky Home.”
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Image Credit: NBCUniversal The manse humorously masquerades as the Turnbill Mansion, “one of the most beloved historical sites in Pawnee,” where Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) stages a protest, in the season two episode of “Parks and Recreation” titled “94 Meetings.”
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Image Credit: Lionsgate Films Laura (Rosemarie DeWitt) and Harry (Damon Gupton) celebrate their engagement there, with Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) tickling the ivories, in the 2016 musical “La La Land.”
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Image Credit: Amazon Studios And it also plays the home of Jane Hollander’s (Anna Camp) parents in the season one episode of “Good Girls Revolt” titled “The Newser,” which aired in 2016.
Until next time, Happy Stalking! 🙂
Stalk It: Hillary’s mansion from “Beaches” is located at 880 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.