When Taylor Swift purchased and renovated a Beverly Hills mansion designed for movie magnate Samuel Goldwyn, she assumed the job of preservationist. If she’s searching for a new endeavor, a century-old Goldwyn estate recently went up for sale, seeking $3.495 million.
Built for the Polish-born producer in 1916, the Spanish-style mansion is located in the Hollywood foothills of Runyon Canyon, a little-known but illustrious artist community with a long history. Listing agent Ingrid Sacerio of the Agency, who advertised the property last week, claims that it was Goldwyn’s first house. Goldwyn went on to purchase two other properties in Los Angeles, completing the so-called “Goldwyn trifecta.”
The two other homes include an Italianate mansion built a couple blocks away by Los Angeles developer E.F. Fuller (it sold in 2022 for $6.4 million), and the grand Georgian Revival mansion in Beverly Hills that Swift bought in 2016 for $25 million before launching a campaign to have it officially landmarked. She still owns the home.
In case Swift (or anybody else) wants to show off their conservation prowess, the Hollywood property already has original architectural features including the internal doors, windows, and hardwood floors. Surrounding the manicured grounds are a triptych sculpture from the 1928 “Cleopatra” movie set, as well as many artifacts and fountains.
Sacerio added that it has a fortunate history as well: shortly after relocating, Goldwyn co-founded MGM and started helming critically acclaimed films of the 1930s and 1940s, such as “Wuthering Heights,” “Stella Dallas,” and “Little Foxes,” as well as successful musicals like “Guys and Dolls,” which starred Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra, and “Porgy and Bess.”
The neighborhood “attracted silent movie stars in the past,” according to seller Shel Pink, an artist, author of the book “Slow Beauty” about self-care, and the creator of the SpaRitual beauty product line. Together with the musician Ran Pink, she bought the house in 2015. “There were rumors that someone who hosted daylong parties lived in one of the houses across the street.”‘
Pink said the history of the neighborhood was a significant draw. “Everyone knows about the music scene in Laurel Canyon but not about this little enclave in Runyon Canyon, which has attracted writers like Joan Didion, who rented here in the 1970s, and other creative types over the decades.”
She was also drawn to the house’s Old Hollywood history and its location on the hill. “We are slightly above but not so high that we have to drive down steep, winding roads, so it’s super accessible,” Pink said.
The 3,398-square-foot residence sits on a corner lot and features four bedrooms and three bathrooms. A separate studio with its own entrance is adjacent to the two-car garage at the rear of the property.
Upstairs, the primary bedroom now incorporates what was once a neighboring sunroom with a vaulted ceiling and semi-circle, or half-sun, windows; a previous owner added a ceiling-mounted curtain that Pink says can be drawn to block out the morning sun or to keep the sleeping area cool during the day. Two more bedrooms (one en-suite) are on this level.
Currently utilized as a den, the ground floor’s fourth bedroom features a walk-in closet. A dedicated office faces the dining area, which opens into the kitchen and living room on opposite sides. All of these spaces are surrounded by large windows and glass doors, which provide an abundance of natural light into the space, according to Pink.
The entire property is encircled by a thick fence, which is further secured by two gates that were added by the previous owner, according to Pink: one that leads into the porch outside the front door and the other that has two doors and is located along the street.
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