Old Hollywood Lives on in Beachwood Canyon
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Harry Styles name-checks the Beachwood Café in the song “Falling” on his new album, Thin Line, and he’s known to frequent the surrounding neighborhood. The Café is nestled in the heart of Beachwood Canyon — the world-famous Hollywood sign was erected in 1923 to promote the neighborhood — and now there’s a spot in the Canyon for you, at the landmark Chateau Beachwood. Designed in 1937 by architect Walter C. King, the Chateau is a charming, 10-unit French Normandy revival complex located between Franklin Village and the iconic Two Stone Gates entrance to .
The Chateau has deep Hollywood street cred to burn. Reportedly built by Warner Bros. to house the actresses it had under contract during the golden age of the studio system, the Chateau is said to have once been home to Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich. Marilyn Monroe was also there for a while – it was one of 43 residences she occupied during her brief life of 36 years – and Anne Heche and John Cusack have reportedly both called it home. Sean Penn and Madonna are said to have lived at the Chateau in the early 90s, but probably not at the same time; their four-year marriage ended in 1989.
Converted to condominiums in 1989, the Chateau rarely has a vacancy, and the roughly 1,300-square-foot, two-story unit on offer is a two-bedroom, one-and-a-half-bath townhome that’s had much of its original architectural detailing ripped out and replaced with new flooring, a modern kitchen, and ceramic tile work. Listed with Connie Blankenship at Douglas Elliman and priced at $829,000, the unit is filled with natural light and gorgeous southern exposures.
With the cozy intimacy of a village, the Canyon has always been a magnet for creative people and, as a resident of Chateau Beachwood, you’re bound to run into someone interesting. Artist Barbara Kruger has had a home there for years; Moby once lived in a fabled castle on a high ridge above the Canyon; and platinum selling singer Halsey’s former house in the historic neighborhood is up for grabs at close to $2.6 million .
