Gore Vidal’s Hollywood Hills Estate just hit the market for $5,695,000. Clearly the above photos are not from the MLS, but rather photos I took on my iphone while attending Gore’s memorial service at the home a couple of years ago. I never intended to share these photos, but now that the home has hit the market, I find it fascinating to see the current incarnation of the home. I will also say that I felt very lucky to be invited to the memorial, even though I never had the pleasure of meeting him.

Each piece of furniture had a story, like the chair shown above from the set of Ben Hur. The walls previously soft yellow, cast a yellow glow in each of my photos, nearly impossible to color correct. From what his family members told me, that’s the way everyones photos in the house turned out. Now, the home has been white washed to look clean and modern. All of the furniture has been put into storage, for possible auction at a later time, and the home beautifully staged. I recently renovated a property in Palm Springs, and did the same thing with my rental property there, going from soft white to Ultra Pure White. It’s clean. It’s fresh. And it’s blank canvas for anyone coming in who might want to put their own stamp on the home.

This Mediterranean villa was built in 1929 and measures in at 4,782 square feet, with five bedrooms and four bathrooms, as well as a self contained guest house. Original architectural details include terra-cotta floor tiles, hand-carved fireplaces, scrolled wrought iron accents and thick plaster walls. The two story foyer features an exposed beam ceiling, a paneled library with glass fronted bookcases as well as a separate den with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. Up on the hillside behind the garage and guesthouse, is a secluded swimming pool surrounded with trees.

The home is quite extraordinary, and loaded with history. I hope the next occupants of the home will embrace its richness, and not erase it, as so often happens in Los Angeles.

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