In B.H.P.O, a historic estate once owned by newspaper publisher David Whitmire Hearst has come back on the market for the first time in more than half a century with at $10.25 million.
Hearst, one of five sons of newspaper magnate and media icon William Randolph Hearst, began his media career as a reporter for the New York Journal-American in the 1930s. After joining one of the longest running newspapers in the city, the Los Angeles Evening Herald-Express, in the late 1930s, he was elevated to the role of publisher at the paper in 1950, which he held for a decade.
A media tycoon of his own accord, he remained an executive in the Hearst Corp., serving as vice president and as a member of the board of directors, until his death in 1986 at 70.
The former Hearst estate sits at the end of a gated driveway and centers on a custom hacienda-style home dating to the early 1930s. A grand entry featuring original tile work sets the tone for the classic residence. Farther inside, a step-down living room with an oversize fireplace sits beneath coffered ceilings. Another stunning marble fireplace lies in the storied office/den.
Breathtaking and abound with personality, each room has a soul of its own. Taking on specific purposes and identities, the stately Spanish residence gifts homebuyers unparalleled privacy and a lasting legacy.
Two expansive master suites and two staff rooms are among the five bedrooms and seven bathrooms. An attached guest apartment has a separate kitchen and living room.
Outside, 1.5 spacious acres of park-like grounds contain a grassy field, gardens, mature trees and a brick-surrounded swimming pool. Elsewhere, a serene loggia looks onto a courtyard with a tile fountain/well.
Keeping to the media record of the address, Hearst sold the estate in 1953 to Samuel M. Fuller, a writer and producer at 20th Century-Fox, for $57,500, according to the Los Angeles Times’ archives. More recently, it was owned by late B-movie filmmaker Larry Cohen.
Susan Smith of Hilton & Hyland holds the listing.