1954 Pinehurst Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90068
Asking Price: $1,698,000
3 bedrooms / 2 baths
Join us at the Open House this Sunday, November 18th 1-4pm!
One of the original homes of the Hollywood Hills, this captivating 1912 craftsman bungalow was once owned by Mrs. Rudolph Valentino herself, silent film actress Jean Acker. The home was constructed by C.S. Albright, the noted architect behind many of Hollywoodland’s very first houses. And now for some juicy Hollywoodland history: Jean Acker married the screen legend Rudolph Valentino, but on the eve of their wedding night she locked him out of their hotel room. Their marriage was never consummated and they lived apart for several years but remained married in name only. According to some, their marriage was a “lavender marriage,” meant to conceal the fact that both actors were gay or bisexual and living secret lives.
It perhaps on a film set Jean met the next owners of the property. Owned by Leonid Snegoff and Madge Mullen Snegoff since the early 1930s until the 1990s. The Snegoffs were a true Hollywood family. Leonid is known best for small supporting parts in B pictures including The Forbidden Woman, Barricade, Klondike Fury, but also appeared in studio pictures Anna Karenina starring Greta Garbo, Seventh Heaven starring James Stewart, and For Whom the Belle Tolls, which starred Gary Cooper and Ingrid Bergman. Leonid’s wife Madge Mullen was an early jazz and ragtime piano player. She performed at popular Hollywood hotspots like Café Trocadero, Mocambo and the legendary Cocoanut Grove throughout the 1930s and 1940s. You can hear her play piano in “You Didn’t Have to Tell Me” and a rare recorded solo performance of “You Were Meant for Me.” The home remained in the Snegoff family after Madge and Leonid’s deaths. Their son Gregory Snegoff inherited the home and lived there with his wife Lisa Michelson. Gregory is a voice actor and writer known for Robotech and The Adventures of Dynamo Duck. Michelson was even more renowned for her voice over work in popular films, Kiki’s Delivery Service and My Neighbor Totoro.
And if that’s not enough for you Hollywood house history buffs, Reza Aslan and his wife Amanda Fortini purchased the home in 2000s. Both Aslan and Fortini are accomplished authors. Aslan is a public intellectual and religious studies scholar who has written three best selling books on religion. Aslan is well known for his appearances on The Daily Show with John Stewart, NPR, The Colbert Report, and Real Time with Bill Maher. In 2015, Aslan joined popular HBO series The Leftovers as a consulting producer for both its second and third seasons. Amanda Fortini is one of my favorite writers and journalists. Her work has appeared all over the place and her essays have been widely anthologized, including in Best American Political Writing and Best of Slate, and she was nominated for a James Beard Foundation Journalism Award. You can read some of her work in The New Yorker here.
Okay, now let’s take a look at this creative and inspiring space, shall we? You are first greeted by this large and wonderful wood deck on the second level of the home. It’s a great spot to both relax and entertain and with a pair of French doors indoor/outdoor access is easy.
Inside, the home is warm and sophisticated. The home boasts original floors, windows, hardware, and a decorative brick fireplace.
The living room has a row of skylights that flood the space in natural light.
The cook’s kitchen has a Viking range, farmhouse sink, custom Cabinetry, marble counters, and top-of-the-line appliances.
And, yes, it’s eat in.
And if dining al fresco isn’t on the menu on certain evenings there’s this lovely and charming formal dining room. Wonderful woodwork on this beauty.
The first bedroom has a row of wall-to-wall windows on two sides, closet space, and an exposed wood beamed ceiling.
The second bedroom is a bit larger and has an alcove perfect for a desk or chaise, plus a separate entrance makes this room ideal for overnight guests.
The first bath is clean, stylish, and classic.
All of downstairs contains the impressive master suite.
The suite is simply gorgeous.
The oversized master bathroom has double sinks and a separate shower and soaking tub.
“Luxurious” is thrown around a lot in real estate, but this is the truly the kind of en suite bath you want to move into.
And that’s not all. The master suite also has an adjoining room that could serve as a studio, office or nursery.
The master suite also has private access to a secluded and romantic outdoor spa.
Outdoor space includes 3 patios in total, and a lushly landscaped backyard, and a waterfall feature.
And if that’s not enough outdoor space for you, 1954 Pinehurst also comes with a key to a private neighborhood park just up the street.
It’s a cabin-like retreat located on a sleepy Hollywood Hills cul-de-sac street, far enough away from Hollywood for plenty of peace and quiet but near enough for convenient nightlife, awesome dining, films, and shopping.
And did I mention this is my latest listing? I’d love to take you to go see it.
Call me. If you would like to view 1954 Pinehurst Avenue, call me today at (937) 243-2349 or email me at tatiana.tensen@sothebyshomes.com.
