CELEBRITY REAL ESTATE

Harry Chandler chose Los Feliz as the site for his 24-room estate

The two-story, red-brick home has eight bedrooms and four bathrooms. There’s also a pool and a one-bedroom guesthouse.

By Diane Wedner
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

September 7, 2008

Harry Chandler, a major 20th century mover and shaker, newspaper publisher and Los Angeles real estate mogul, was instrumental in the development of the San Fernando Valley and Hollywood. He also helped launch a number of L.A. landmarks, such as the Ambassador Hotel and the California Institute of Technology.

When it came to building his own home, the Los Angeles Times publisher — from 1917 until his death in 1944 — chose five acres in the Los Feliz area, the hilly terrain at the southern end of Griffith Park. Among the first notables to settle in the architecturally significant neighborhood (director Cecil B. DeMille bought a home there in 1914), Chandler chose a lot with unobstructed views of the parkland and burgeoning metropolis. Construction of his estate, which began in 1914, was completed in 1916. Chandler’s wife, Marian, lived there until her death in the 1950s.

The 24-room Georgian-style manor, noted for its grand-scale architecture, red-brick construction, high-pitched slate roof and massive brick chimneys, features a two-story entry hall as large as the lobby of an opera house or theater. One wing of the house was designated for guests and staff, the other for family members. The gated estate has views of Santa Catalina Island, Century City, Glendale, Griffith Park (including the observatory) and downtown L.A.

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