Celeb R.E.: Exes Peter Facinelli and Jennie Garth Sell Paul Williams Designed Toluca Lake Home Previously Owned by Actors Tex and John Ritter

Image courtesy Berkshire Hathaway Home Services

Back on August 15, 2013, the always informative Lauren Beale from LA Times Hot Property revealed that newly divorced acting couple Peter Facinelli and Jennie Garth sold their Toluca Lake home for $3.99 million which was purchased by The Big Bang Theory co-creator Bill Prady on April 24, 2013

The home measures 6 Beds/6.75 Baths on 8,416 sqft on a total lot size of 9,691 sqft built in 1934. The home also includes an adjoining lot measuring 1 Bed/3 Baths on 1,269 sqft on a total lot size of 9,176 sqft built in 1937. The listing description states:

Celebrity Owned! Reduced $1,400,000!!!!!!! Classic Paul Williams Designed Home. The Expansive Floor Plan Has Been Seamlessly Enlarged & Renovated. Paul Williams Signature Items Include Crown Molding, Crescent-Shaped Staircase & Architectural Detailing. This Gated Home Has A 5 Car Garage & Lg Motor Court. The Lower Level Enjoys Formal Living & Dining Rooms, Bar Room, Game Room & Sep. Kitchen/Fr. Downstairs Has A Two Room Guest Suite & Maid's/Guest Suite. Upstairs Has A Center Hall Plan W/2 Master Suites, One W/Dual Walk-In Closets, Safe Rm & Sitting Rm W/Fplc. Sep. Wing Upstairs Has Gym, Bath, Media Rm/Playroom & Dual Offices. The Exterior Grounds Are Lush & Set On Nearly A Flat 1/2 Acre W/An Outdoor Kitchen/Bbq Area & Children's Playground. Waterfall Pool & Spa Is Enhanced W/An Outdoor Pavilion W/Fplc. Located On One Of Toluca Lake's Premiere Streets, But Feels Miles Away From The City; Just Minutes To Studios, Shops & Restaurants! 

This home was originally purchased on February 4, 2005 for $2,850,000 and the adjoining lot for $800,000 for a grand total of $3,650,000 which represents a profit of $340,000 before expenses including the divorce which is not bad for a home purchased near the peak of the market. This sale did not come easy as Facinelli and Garth have had this home on the market since June 2010 with an asking price of $5,995,000 with subsequent price drops ever since.

On a historical note, this home was previously owned by actor and country singer Tex Ritter and later his son, John Ritter, who became wildly popular in the hit show Three's Company as well as other TV shows and movies and passed away suddenly on September 11, 2003 at the age of 54 due to an aortic dissection.

And another piece of historical info, this home was designed by renowned architect, Paul Williams, who also designed the Craig Residence in West Hills, the Livingston Motor Car Company dearlership in Woodland Hills,  the Dr. A.E. Abdun-Nur residence in Tarzana, and possibly the Barbara Stanwyck residence in Northridge later owned by Jack Oakie and named the Oakridge estate.

Image courtesy Berkshire Hathaway Home Services

Its unknown where Jennie Garth moved on to but the fine folks at Trulia Luxe Living revealed back on October 3, 2013 that Peter Facinelli loved the Toluca Lake area so much that he moved down the street and purchased a 5 Bed/4.25 Bath home on 3,966 sqft on a total lot size of 7,196 sqft newly built in 2013 (shown above). The listing description states:

Sophisticated new home in Toluca Lake. Modernized traditional on a tree lined street. 5BR/4.5BA, Fam Rm, FD, Bonus Rm, Butler's pantry, 160 wine refrigerator, walk-in pantry. Fabulous sunny kitchen includes shaker style cabinets, quartzite counters, thassos tumbled marble back splash, Subzero refrigerator, Wolf 6 burner range and oven. Second built-in oven with Wolf microwave on top, Bosch dishwasher. Large center isle with breakfast bar with plenty of seating, spacious desk/work station overlooks beautiful yard. The gourmet kitchen opens to large family room with a built-n entertainment center and glass doors leading out to the flat private grassy yard with salt water pool and spa. Downstairs powder room and bedroom suite and direct access to garage. Upstairs comprises a bonus room great for exercise or office , laundry room, three bedrooms two additional baths and the Master suite with picture windows, fireplace, walk-in closets and sitting area. Master bath has white marble vanity with dual Kohler sinks, large glass shower and luxurious spa tub. Oak flooring, speakers, custom molding and costume lighting throughout. Smart phone ready to control pool equipment, nest thermostat, alarm system from anywhere on the road. Close to Toluca Lake Village.

Toluca Lake is home to many celebrities partially due to its close proximity to the studios and Hollywood. The following list are celebrity homes in the Toluca Lake area discussed on this blog:

1. The estate of the late Bob Hope lists for $27.5 million in September 2013.
2. Actor Kris Polaha and actress Julianne Morris sell for $820,000 in July 2013.
3. Actress Octavia Spencer purchases for $841,500 in April 2013. 
4. Patricia Heaton Purchases Toluca Lake mansion for $5.4 million in March 2013
5. The Office star Steve Carell Sells One of His Toluca Lake Homes for $5.1 million on March 2013.
6. The Estate of the Late Roy Disney Sells for $3.1 million in January 2013. 
7. Scott Baio sold the family home for $3,150,000 on December 26, 2012. 
8. Former Bing Crosby estate which sold on December 20, 2011 for $4.020 million.
9. Former Hillary Duff mansion which sold on July 18, 2012 for $4,651,500.
10. Jason Priestly who tried to sell his home for $2.1 million and has been off the market at this time.
11. Erin Daniels (L Word) who recently purchased in June 2012 for $1.5 million.
12. Jennifer Love Hewitt who recently listed a property for sale and one for lease in August 2012.  
13. Former Alan Thicke home who sold for $3,525,000 on November 20, 2012.
14. Haylie Duff (sister of Hilary Duff) which recently listed on October 9, 2012 for $1,799,000.  
15. Miley Cyrus clan lives in this area. 
16. Other residents include Ashley Tisdale, Kiefer Sutherland, Andy Garcia, Dweezil Zappa, valley native George Lopez, Brooke Burns, Lindsay Price, Jonathan Antin, Jennie Garth, David Leisure, Nile Niami, Sean "Diddy" Combs, Kirk Fogg, Markie Post, and the Jonas Brothers to name a few.

You can check out more SFV Celebrity Real Estate here.  

Dr. A. E. Abdun-Nur Residence by Paul Williams in Tarzana

Above images courtesy Huntington Digital Library

5085 Casa Drive

6 Beds/6 Baths on 4,877 sqft on a total lot size of 1.55 acres built in 1948 by renowned architect Paul Williams in Tarzana (who also designed the Craig Residence in West Hills, the Livingston Motor Car Company dearlership in Woodland Hills,  and possibly the Barbara Stanwyck residence in Northridge later owned by Jack Oakie and named the Oakridge estate). This home was last sold on June 27, 1994 for $800,000 and has not been the market ever since. The following description is from the Paulwilliamsproject.org site: 

When Paul R. Williams designed this California ranch-style home for Dr. and Mrs. Assad Abdun-Nur, the area was recognized as a residential community for the growing, wealthy Jewish and Middle Eastern population in Los Angeles. Born in Lebanon Dr. Abdun-Nur came to the United States in 1906 and completed his medical education in the North East. Abdun-Nur practiced general medicine from 1916 to 1956 and was head of a large Los Angeles clinic called by his name. Well known in "club circles" the Doctor was recognized as a leader in both the Lebanese Christian and medical communities. (Oxnard Daily Courier. October 6, 1921) In 1921 he married Amenie Abdelnour of Santa Paula. His bride was a member of an established Syrian family.

The Abdun-Nur Casa Drive home was known as a “landmark on the hills above Tarzana” (Los Angeles Times, April 26, 1953) and was the setting for large receptions honoring local leaders and important visitors from Lebanon. His son John was involved in the development of Tarzana as a primary investor in Orange Acre Estates, a subdivision of twenty-two half-acre home sites with bridle-trails and aquestrian stables (Los Angles Times April 24. 1949).

Swimming pools have always been an important part of the California lifestyle (image 2). In 1927 landscape architect Paul Thiene wrote "Our mild climate in California permits us to make use of an open-air swimming pool practically the entire year" (Landscape Architecture, October 1927) According to local lore the first residential swimming pool was constructed in Tarzana. Whether true or not, Williams placed the Abdun-Nur’s pool in a spectacular setting.

I visited this location recently to get some photos for this post and unfortunately, I wasnt able to capture anything because the home is perfectly hidden from the street level aside for the front gate. So I tried to take myself back to the early 50's to imagine the breathtaking views that this home offered especially with most of the area being undeveloped as shown below. You can notice in the second picture that by 1970, the surrounding area became mostly developed and I imagine started to block the breathtaking views especially as trees started to grow taller and electrical poles were added.

Above images courtesy Historicaerials.com

Image courtesy Google Maps

I cant find any information on the life of Dr. A.E. Abdun-Nur except for what is mentioned above which leaves very little clues on the history of this home such as when did Abdun-Nur  pass away, were there other surrounding properties owned by Abdun-Nur, and how long did this home remain in the Abdun-Nur family.

However, I was able to discover that Abdun-Nur's son, John along with his wife Margaret, lived in the home directly across the street from the Paul Williams designed home according to property records. John was also a doctor (with an office at 18356 Clark St #101 Tarzana, I believe) and lived a rather accomplished life as stated in his obituary (LA Times) who passed away at the age of 82 on January 31, 2008.  Margaret continues to own that home according to property records. Which begs the question who is the current owner of this Paul Williams masterpiece?

The current owner is Marshall Frankel who is owner of the Builders Fence Company which is a leading manufacturer, importer, and distributor of chain link and ornamental iron products and accessories. The headquarters is located on San Fernando Road in Sun Valley with satellite offices in El Cajon, Fontana, Sacramento, and Tacoma. Coincidentally, it appears that the Abdun-Nur residence was subdivided possibly sometime in the early 80's where a home was built that is also currently owned by Frankel. I believe this home is his main residence which measures 5 Beds/5 Baths with 4,789 sqft on a total lot size of 0.40 acres built in 1982. So Frankel owns the Abdun-Nur residence, a parcel of land adjacent to the residence that is part of the Abdun-Nur residence, and his own residence that was subdivided.

So until someone gains access to this home or becomes listed on the market, we eagerly await pictures and a description of its current status.

You can view more SFV Architecture and Real Estate here. 

Craig Residence by Paul Williams in West Hills

8431 Pinelake Drive

6 Beds/4 Baths on 4,780 sqft on a total lot size of 0.67 acres built in 1939 West Hills. This home was last sold on July 25, 2008 for $775,000. This home was originally built for Talton R. Craig, an owner of the Los Angeles Full-Flow Valve Company by famed architecht Paul Revere Williams. Williams designed a one story U-shaped home with stables on 1600 acres known as the Peppergate Ranch which bordered the Chastworth Reservoir and The Orcutt Ranch (which was declared HCM# 31 in 1965).  This area was later subdivided into the Woodlake and Pinelake Estates in the 60s. According to the Paulwilliamsproject.org site, 

Local lore suggests that one of the three basements was used as a sanctuary for Japanese Americans hiding from internment during World War II and “drug fueled” parties of the sixties were attended by psychedelic rockers and their entourage of groupies. Through the years the house underwent a number of remodelings, not always sympathetic to the Williams’ aesthetic.  Because the present owners appreciate the home’s “charm and grandeur,” they hope to undo some of the previous work and preserve it for future generations. In April 2011, their hard work was rewarded when the house was given official status as  Historic-Cultural Monument #992.

In the SFV, Paul Williams also designed the Barbara Stanwyck home which was later purchased by Jack Oakie which was eventually preserved by the City of LA and received HCM# 484 (note, there is some speculation that Williams may have not been the prinicpal architect on this property). The other home that Williams designed is the Dr. A.E. Abdun-Nur residence in Tarzana which still exists but has not received an HCM status and its condition is not known as well as the Livingston Motor Car Company dearlership in Woodland Hills which also is not an HCM but still present. There may be other homes in the SFV designed by Williams which I am unaware of. If you have any info, please let me know.

Although this home is not currently for sale and probably wont be for awhile, I wanted to blog about this home because of its Historical status and its such a unique home which was heaved onto the public market before this blog was started. You can also view more pictures at Paulwilliamsproject.org.

You can view more SFV Architecture and Real Estate here. 

Above images courtesy  Broussard Realty 

Craig Residence in 1952 on 1600 acres of farmland. Image courtesy Historicaerials.com

Craig Residence in 1959 on 1600 acres of farmland, still undeveloped. Image courtesy Historicaerials.com

Craig Residence in 1977 which had already become fully subsidized and developed with the original house remaining. Image courtesy Historicaerials.com

[Update July 15, 2013]: Some more pictures of the Craig Residence courtesy current owner Dodd Harris and through the Friends of the Craig Hacienda at Peppergate Ranch Facebook Page.