Pioneering Black architect Paul R. Williams — a favorite of Golden Age Hollywood elite and other assorted jetsetters — designed this stately 1930s manor for opera singer-actress Grace Moore and her husband, Spanish actor Valentín Parera. But the couple ultimately became disenchanted with Hollywood, fled the city and never actually lived in the Brentwood house — legendary actor Tyone Power and his French wife Annabella were its first occupants, having bought the place soon after it was built, according to the Paul R. Williams Project. One of two Williams-designed houses owned by Power, the actor apparently loved the Brentwood digs so much that he commissioned the architect to design him a custom Bel Air residence in the late 1940s.
This property was eventually sold to a non-famous family, who held onto the place for decades. In recent years, the Georgian Colonial Revival mansion was leased out to Michael S. Smith, Barack Obama’s White House decorator, and his husband James Costos, the former U.S. Ambassador to Spain and Andorra. And this June, records reveal the estate was finally sold for $10.1 million to veteran CAA agent Josh Lieberman and his wife Maryam.
Sited just a quick skip north of Sunset Boulevard, the elegant house rests on a sprawling 1-acre parcel behind hedges and gates. While the place is perfectly livable, it could assuredly use some sensitive upgrades — the vast lawn is patchy, there’s no pool and the gardens are looking a bit unkempt. Inside, there are seven bedrooms and 6.5 baths in about 5,500 square feet of living space, including a detached two-bedroom guesthouse. David Offer of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties handled both sides of the transaction.
A fountain serves as the focal point of a spacious motorcourt, with a columned portico entrance leading the way to tall double front doors. A wallpapered foyer offers a delicately curved staircase; steps descend to a light-filled living room with original French doors and a large bay window. There’s also a formal chandelier-topped dining room, handsome wood-paneled study with built-in bookshelves and a fireplace, and an oval bar encased in leopard print wallpaper.