Few places in Southern California inspire the \u201cif you know, you know\u201d reaction of San Marino. <\/p>\n
Tucked beside Pasadena but often overlooked by outsiders, the city has long been prized by architecture lovers, old-money families and entertainment executives seeking grand historic homes without the fanfare of Beverly Hills or Bel-Air.<\/p>\n
Now, one of its most spectacular estates has hit the market.<\/p>\n
The dwelling stuns in its design, which traced its roots to its origins. Cameron Carothers<\/p>\n
Restored touches also include wrought-iron details. Cameron Carothers<\/p>\n
Old-world charm unfolds at every turn. Cameron Carothers<\/p>\n
Listed for $10.5 million, this 1931 Italian-inspired villa occupies 1.75 acres overlooking San Marino\u2019s beloved 30-acre Lacy Park, combining old-world craftsmanship with one of the area\u2019s most coveted settings.<\/p>\n
\u201cSan Marino is one sort of last nugget of greatness that I don\u2019t think has been fully recognized,\u201d said George Penner of Compass, who holds the listing along with Greg Holcomb.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But more than location is the property\u2019s living history on full display.<\/p>\n
Built in 1931 by architect Edwin L. Westberg, the six-bedroom estate takes its inspiration from Florence\u2019s 14th-century Palazzo Davanzati.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The stately exterior. Cameron Carothers<\/p>\n
It\u2019s all perched in San Marino, a SoCal hidden gem. Cameron Carothers<\/p>\n
The current owners spent two decades painstakingly restoring the dwelling. Working with interior design firm Madeline Stuart Associates, they obtained Westberg\u2019s original architectural drawings from the Huntington Library, a world-renowned collection of rare books and printed materials, which, along with an art museum and botanical gardens, sits on a 130-acre expanse just 5 minutes away \u2014 and used them as the blueprint for an exhaustive restoration.<\/p>\n
According to Penner, the project recreated everything from the original tile patterns to the ironwork and carved wood details.<\/p>\n
Overall, the residence is full of gems.<\/p>\n
Large windows let light pour in. Cameron Carothers<\/p>\n
A cozy den with a fireplace and built-in shelves. Cameron Carothers<\/p>\n
A coffered ceiling hovers above the dining table. Cameron Carothers<\/p>\n
Hidden behind gates at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac, the home unfolds across grand public rooms, hand-forged ironwork, redwood coffered ceilings, intricate period tilework and oversized French doors that open to sweeping terraces overlooking the park.<\/p>\n
The setting, Penner said, is almost impossible to replicate today.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s extremely rare to be on such a small street that ultimately ends up as a cul-de-sac,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s very, very private and gets almost zero traffic whatsoever.\u201d<\/p>\n
The privacy extends well beyond the driveway. The property sits on a rare street-to-street lot perched above Lacy Park, giving owners direct pedestrian access to one of Southern California\u2019s most picturesque green spaces. \u201cPeople are unaware of how glorious this park is,\u201d Penner said. \u201cIt\u2019s like a garden at your back door.\u201d<\/p>\n
The sun-kissed kitchen. Cameron Carothers<\/p>\n
A secondary bedroom. Cameron Carothers<\/p>\n
The resort-style pool. Cameron Carothers<\/p>\n
The home\u2019s signature blend of authenticity and modern livability continues throughout the nearly century-old residence. <\/p>\n
A chef\u2019s kitchen anchors the main level alongside a sunporch, a formal dining room, a library, a family room and a living room with soaring ceilings. Upstairs, a wraparound gallery leads to a secluded primary suite with its own three-sided balcony, dual walk-in closets and vintage-inspired tiled bathroom, while four additional ensuite bedrooms occupy the opposite wing.<\/p>\n
A finished lower level houses a gym and flexible bonus space, while modern upgrades include four-zone HVAC, solar power, a security system with cameras and intercom, EV charging and plans for a future 800-square-foot accessory dwelling unit.<\/p>\n
Outside, the grounds are every bit as theatrical as the architecture. A stone terrace overlooks a resort-style swimming pool, and elsewhere on the property are mature oak trees and a rose garden.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For a city whose greatest luxury may be remaining a secret, this villa represents one of its grandest expressions.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Few places in Southern California inspire the \u201cif you know, you know\u201d reaction of San Marino. Tucked beside…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":390558,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[7,9,8,51941,13781,388,11853],"class_list":["post-390557","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-california","tag-california","tag-california-headlines","tag-california-news","tag-historic-buildings","tag-luxury-real-estate","tag-real-estate","tag-residential-real-estate"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/390557","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=390557"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/390557\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/390558"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=390557"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=390557"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=390557"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}