The Stanislawski family’s connection to Johnston Lake in Pasadena, California, dates to 1921.
That’s when Lisa Stanislawski’s grandparents enjoyed a waterside picnic — a date that was memorialized with a photo. Lisa came across the picture years later, shortly after she moved to Pasadena, and that’s all the convincing that was necessary: She set her sights on making a home on the lake.
After marrying, the Stanislawskis purchased their first house in 1989. It was close to the lake, but not close enough. The real prize, what they called their dream home, was next door.
It was eight years before they could call the property home, though. That’s when their elderly neighbor moved and sold the home to the Stanislawskis, by then a family of five.
“When she announced that she was moving into an assisted living facility, we let her know that we would be interested in buying her house,” Lisa Stanislawski said in a statement. “The only downside was that she wouldn’t let us in to see it. From the little facts we could pry out of our three young girls from their visits to the house, we decided to purchase it as is, sight unseen.”
Now, almost 30 years later, the family is moving on from their Pasadena retreat. The more than 4,500-square-foot residence hit the market at the end of November with a $6.8 million price tag.
More than just the Stanislawski family history, the property at 1260 La Loma Road offers rare access to the lake and brings with it a storied architectural past as well as Hollywood connections.
“It puts the wow factor to another level,” Nancy Valentine, the listing agent representing the property, told Homes.com in an interview.
Turning a dilapidated ranch into a cozy retreat with the help of Douglas Ewing
The four-bedroom, four-and-a-half-bathroom ranch sits on a little over half an acre of lakefront land that includes 80 feet of water frontage and a 30-foot dock.
Inside, stone fireplaces complement soaring ceilings and lake views, according to Valentine.
“When you walk into the home, and you turn into the great room, and you have this basically wall of glass with French doors,” she said. “You see the lake with the animals on it. It's such a serene setting. No one expects it in Pasadena, including people who've lived there all their lives.”
But it wasn’t always that pleasant, Stanislawski said.
“When we finally gained access to the house, we were both overwhelmed by the view and underwhelmed by the house,” she explained. “The foliage had overgrown to the point that the front of the house wasn’t visible from the street, and the backyard was nothing but ivy.”
It took a few years — and some door knocking — for the family to decide what they wanted to do with the dilapidated home.
The family wanted to reimagine the home in a style that "would complement the neighborhood, be a nod to historical Pasadena and take full advantage of the lake,” Stanislawski said.
She and her husband spent their time researching other properties nearby, going so far as to knock on neighbors’ doors to ask who had designed their homes. Eventually, the Stanislawskis decided on an architect: Douglas Ewing.
“Once we knew his name, we realized that he had to be our architect,” Stanislawski said of Ewing, who is known for his work with high-profile celebrities, including Ralph Lauren. “Once Doug saw the property, he jumped at the chance to design the house you see today.”
By 2007, all that was left of the original property was one wall; the rest of the house had been reimagined and rebuilt by Ewing. And it was more than just the design that he influenced, according to Valentine.
Each fireplace features “actual boulders” that Ewing “individually chose” and “individually placed,” she said.
“His architectural style is also a wonderful combination of craftsman, which tends to be darker homes with smaller windows, with a progressive style, where we have a lot of clear story windows high up so that there's always natural light coming from above,” she added.
A restoration that attracted attention from Pasadena — and Hollywood
It's not just the Stanislawskis who were drawn by the property, too. The extensive renovations at the home attracted the attention of neighbors and, eventually, scouts looking for movie sets.
The home's design and unique setting on the lake allowed it to double as a home set in a different area, Valentine said.
"This could be anywhere," she added. "That gave an opportunity that was so unusual."
The home has been featured in a slew of movies, shows and commercials, including Will Ferrell and Kristin Wiig's 2015 thriller comedy, "A Deadly Adoption," as well as Steven Spielberg's sci-fi series "Extant" that starred Halle Berry.
While that gave the Stanislawskis the unexpected opportunity to rub elbows with celebrities and film crews, it hasn't been a huge part of the conversation with prospective homebuyers and their agents since the home was listed, Valentine said. Instead, there has been more interest in the home's location, access to the lake, and, somewhat unusually, its single-story design.
"In this area, homes that are single level go extremely quickly, because there are a lot of Pasadenians who've lived there all their lives," Valentine explained. " Maybe they have a great big home with two stories, but now they would like something on a single level. So that also really adds to the value of this home."