More than a century ago, developers in Los Angeles erected an unmissable hillside sign for a new neighborhood known as Hollywoodland. And while things have changed in the past century, including shortening the sign to say Hollywood, the first house built in the development is still standing — and it’s for sale.
The property is known as the Beaton House, named for the builder, according to listing agent Bryn Schneider of Compass. After it was built, the house was owned by Alfred Gilks, a cinematographer behind films including “An American in Paris,” Schneider said.
The house stayed in his family for three generations until Schneider’s brother and sister-in-law bought it from Gilks’ estate in 2021.
“Two families have really ever owned this house,” Schneider said in an interview. “Which speaks to the love that was had in the house, and just you know how special it is.”
The now five-bedroom, three-bathroom house was built in 1924 but has since been renovated, Homes.com data showed.
The house is listed for $2.99 million, but there’s also an option to rent for $18,900 a month, according to Homes.com. That rent payment is slightly more expensive than a monthly mortgage payment, which shakes out to be about $18,600 after a 20% down payment of $598,000.
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Natural light
Beyond its storied past, the house’s design and location set it apart from others in the area, Schneider said, describing “the abundance of natural light” as her favorite feature.
“I wish I had set up like a camera to catch people's reaction when they walk into the house,” she said. “You just can't capture it until you're really in the house, and everybody's jaw drops when they walk in.”
She also said the extra bedrooms in the house offered a variety of options to prospective buyers. Her brother and sister-in-law, for example, have used one of the rooms as a play area for their two kids. But there’s potential for other uses, too.
“We’ve envisioned somebody in the music industry,” Schneider said. “There's a bedroom on the first floor that I actually spoke to somebody in the music industry that was thinking about having that as their office, because it can be accessed from the outside, and so nobody would have to walk through their house.”
The house could also be a good fit for someone in the Los Angeles area temporarily, maybe to film something, she said. “If they want something true to that Hollywood feel, this is a great option for them.”
And the house will also give its next resident access to the area’s close community.
“Everybody knows each other and it’s like a family within itself,” she said.
The neighborhood is also walking distance to a number of places to run errands, as well as the Beachwood Cafe, which gained attention after it was name-dropped in a Harry Styles song. Ultimately, though, the next buyer will be someone who values the property’s past, according to Schneider.
“It’s a special buyer,” she said. “I don't want to say it's just for a family or just for a retiree, but it's somebody who really has a love for a Spanish house and the history there, and wants to be able to maintain that.”
Dec. 12 update: A decision was made to take this property off the market during the holidays, according to listing agent Bryn Schneider. The listing will go back up in the new year, but no timeline was available at the time this update was published.