Frank Sinatra’s California hideaway Villa Maggio is back on sale for $4.25 million.
Named after the star’s 1954 Oscar winning performance as Private Angelo Maggio in From Here to Eternity, the ten-acre property hidden away in the mountains above the Coachella Valley played host to Rat Pack parties in the 1970s.
Celebrities were flown in, landing on its private helipad, where they could then enjoy the nine bedroom, 12.5 bathroom estate.
The home – just a few hours from Las Vegas in Palm Desert – provided a much needed retreat for the Grammy award winning singer wanting to escape the trappings of fame.
And the property would still be recognizable by Sinatra today.
Realtor Markus Canter said: ‘The current owners did not re-decorate — they have restored, renovated, and maintained the property just as Frank had built it.’
Hidden away in the mountains above the Coachella Valley in California is the exclusive party retreat where Frank Sinatra lived during the Seventies, using his private helicopter to fly guests in for parties with the Rat Pack
Now the ten-acre property, which is named after Sinatra’s character Angelo Maggio from Oscar-winning 1953 film From Here to Eternity, has gone on the market for $4.25 million
While the My Way singer had a say in the specifics of the design, architect Ross Patton as responsible for the chalet-style look of the place and its clashing, eclectic interior which was hugely popular in late Sixties America
While Sinatra had other retreats, notably in Manhattan and Palm Springs, Villa Maggio was the most secluded
Built at 4,300ft above sea level, the housing complex has multiple viewing decks allowing guests to soak in the beauty of the San Bernadino mountains, and is also close to the San Bernadino National Forest
Construction on the getaway began in 1967, but was not completed until 1970 when Sinatra went into temporary retirement amid falling record sales and dampening critical reviews, especially around concept album Watertown, which he released that year along with Frankie Valli of the Four Seasons.
Commissioned in 1967 by Sinatra, the estate cost $1.9 million to build and boasted a kitchen designed by the star.
Architect Ross Patton completed the project in 1970 and the singer lived in the home for 12 years before donating it to Loyola Marymount University.
He spent time there with fellow Rat Pack members Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop, along with selected guests.
Sinatra, who was raised in Hoboken, New Jersey, also had homes on New York’s Upper East Side and in Palm Springs. He died aged 82 in 1998 in Los Angeles.
Sinatra lived at the villa on and off for 12 years while taking time off from writing music, spending time there with fellow Rat Pack members Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop, along with selected guests
After more than a decade in the property, Sinatra donated it to Loyola Marymount University, which then sold it for $1.4million in 1989. It has sine passed through a string of celebrity owners, before reappearing on the market
A huge fan of cooking, Sinatra designed the kitchen at Villa Maggio himself, and helped to select fixtures and fittings for the retreat’s three bed, six bathroom main house, three bed and five bath guest house, as well as its poolhouse
As well as its luxury bedrooms and exclusive fittings, the main lodge is made of wood and local stone, with five stone fireplaces and hardwood floors
Built on a hilltop the home was last on sale in 2015 when it was taken off the market.
It has seven stone fireplaces in the main house, two kitchens, dining and living rooms, a den plus the private helipad used to ferry in Sinatra’s famous friends.
Split over two properties the main house has five bedrooms and 5.5 bathrooms; its self sufficient guest house has three bedrooms and five bathrooms.
The home also has a one bedroom pool house with two saunas, a pool, plenty of outdoor space, a lighted tennis court, a helipad and parking for up to 24 cars.
It has wood paneling in most rooms across the 3,880-square-foot main residence.
Listed by St James and Canter the sprawling property is described as a ‘private, secluded, mid-century mountain retreat perched high above Palm Desert’.
Sinatra also helped to select fixtures and fittings for the retreat.
But while the My Way singer had a say in the specifics of the design, architect Patton was responsible for the chalet-style look of the place and its clashing, eclectic interior which was hugely popular in late Sixties America.
Built at 4,300ft above sea level, the housing complex has multiple viewing decks allowing guests to soak in the beauty of the San Bernadino mountains, and is also close to the San Bernadino National Forest.
Hidden away in the mountains above the Coachella Valley in California is the exclusive party retreat where Frank Sinatra lived during the Seventies, using his private helicopter to fly guests in for parties with the Rat Pack
Celebrities were flown into the ten acre estate, landing at its private helipad, where they could then enjoy the nine bedroom, 12.5 bathroom estate
The home – just a few hours from Las Vegas in Palm Desert – provided a much needed retreat for the Grammy award winning singer wanting to escape the trappings of fame
The realtors call the home ‘one of Sinatra’s favorite residences’, adding: ‘The surrounding 360-degree sunrise-sunset mountain-valley lights views provide a timeless, surreal backdrop.’
Realtor Markus Canter told Palm Springs Life in 2016: ‘There were some epic parties there with a ‘who’s who’ list of celebrities, sports figures, high society, and dignitaries.’
Canter added: ‘No one seems to know why Frank gave Villa Maggio to Loyola Marymount University but, as a result, the University gave Sinatra a doctorate degree.’