| Samuel-Novarro House | |
|---|---|
 Samuel-Novarro House West Facade | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Art Deco |
| Location | 5609 Valley Oak Dr., Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California |
| Completed | 1928 |
| Governing body | Private |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Lloyd Wright |
Samuel-Novarro House, also known as the Samuel-Novarro Residence, is a historic Mayan Revival single-family dwelling designed by Lloyd Wright in 1928. It is located at 5609 Valley Oak Dr. in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles.[1] It is Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument #130.[2]
History
Lloyd Wright designed the 2,700-square-foot,[3] three-bedroom, three-bathroom home for Ramon Novarro's manager, Louis Samuel, in 1928[1] on a 13,267-square-foot hillside lot.[4] When Novarro discovered that Samuel had embezzled funds from him in order to pay for the house, Novarro assumed ownership of it in 1931.[5][1] He lived there until the late 1930s; in his tenure there, he commissioned Wright to expand the interior as well as the garden, adding a bedroom, music room, and bedroom suite.[6] He also conscripted famed art director Cedric Gibbons to design the interiors in an Art Deco style.[3]
After Novarro vacated, a number of other Hollywood elite occupied the space, including Leonard Bernstein, Jerome Robbins, Betty Comden, and Adolph Green, who rented the home together in 1944 while working on On the Town.[7] Later, restaurateur Michael Chow, producer Charles D. Kasher, and actress Diane Keaton, as well as actress Christina Ricci along with boyfriend actor Adam Goldberg, lived in the house;[3] Keaton purchased the home for $1.5 million in 1988, extensively renovating it and/or restoring it per architect Josh Schweitzer, and eventually selling it in the mid-1990s.[7][8]
In 2005, Christina Ricci purchased the home for $2.979 million, only to sell it a year later for approximately $2,827,500 after she and Goldberg split.[9][8][10][11]
In 2014, the home was sold for $3.8 million,[11] then listed again in 2016 for $4,295,000.[10]
In 2019, the residence was on the market once more, with an asking price of $4.3 million.[6]
References
- ^ a b c "Samuel-Novarro Residence | Los Angeles Conservancy". www.laconservancy.org.
- ^ https://planning.lacity.org/odocument/24f6fce7-f73d-4bca-87bc-c77ed3fc5d4f/Historical_Cultural_Monuments_List.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ^ a b c Stamp, Elizabeth (10 December 2018). "Frank Lloyd Wright Jr's 1928 Samuel-Novarro House Returns to Market". Architectural Digest.
- ^ "Mid Century Modern Homes and Architecture for Sale in Los Angeles, CA". Best LA Neighborhoods. December 2, 2018.
- ^ Chiland, Elijah (December 4, 2018). "Fantastic Lloyd Wright house in Los Feliz Oaks is back on the market". Curbed LA.
- ^ a b Lagdameo, Jennifer Baum (13 February 2019). "Lloyd Wright's Iconic Samuel-Novarro House Lists For $4.3M". Dwell.
- ^ a b Andre Soares (10 December 2002). Beyond Paradise: The Life of Ramon Novarro. St. Martin's Press. pp. 304–. ISBN 978-0-312-28231-8.
- ^ a b "Lloyd Wright's Celeb-Magnet Samuel-Novarro House in Los Feliz". Curbed LA. November 2, 2011.
- ^ Gluck, Marissa (May 3, 2006). "Sold! Samuel Navarro House Off the Market". Curbed LA.
- ^ a b David, Mark (October 10, 2016). "Dale Launer Lists Celeb-Pedigreed Samuel-Novarro House in Los Angeles".
- ^ a b "Lloyd Wright-designed Samuel-Novarro House sells in Hollywood Hills". Los Angeles Times. December 2, 2014.