Frank Sinatra’s LA ‘party house’ skims asking price to $8.9M

Jennifer Gould

Celebrity Real Estate

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gimme shelter

By Jennifer Gould

An LA home steeped in Hollywood history is hitting the market for $8.99 million — dramatically down from its $21.5 million ask in 2021.

Built on a mountaintop high above the San Fernando Valley, this midcentury-modern home is where Frank Sinatra lived for eight years, gratis, entertaining his Rat Pack pals, thanks to the benevolence of the home’s first owner, Chase Bank heiress and New York socialite Dora Hutchinson. It’s also where Lucille Ball lived, likewise gratis, when she left her husband, Desi Arnaz.

More than 500 film and TV production companies have rented the property since then for hits like “Mad Men,” “Californication,” “Dreamgirls,” “Transformers” and 
“Bewitched.” Hermès even once wrapped the home in red for a party. It’s also where Miley Cyrus filmed her “Flowers” video, and where Usher shot “Burn.” 

The under-the-radar, yet prolific, architect William Pereira — who created the CBS TV studios in LA, the Kennedy Center in Washington, the Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco, Los Angeles International Airport and the LA County Museum of Art — built this residence, with a young Frank Gehry working as his apprentice, said Michael Bolla, an international property consultant with Sotheby’s Dubai, whom the sellers have hired to help restructure their global real estate portfolio.

Pereira also received an Oscar for set design in 1942 for his work on “Reap the Wild Wind.”

The four-bedroom, 6½-bath home is 6,661 square feet and sits on just over 4 acres overlooking the Chatsworth Nature Preserve. Known as Farralone — because it was “far away” and “alone” — the home was built between 1949 and 1951. It comes with details that were unusual for the time, like 16-foot-high ceilings and moveable glass walls.

“It’s a magical home,” Bolla said, adding that the architect parked a trailer on the land to track the sun’s movements before designing the residence. It features multiple large parlors, one with original zebra cork flooring, a formal dining room, an eat-in chef’s kitchen, multiple fireplaces and a large main bedroom suite. Built as a “party house,” it has been a magnet for celebs throughout the decades, from Rat Pack gatherings to recent celebrity poker games and guests like Paul McCartney playing the piano.

Additional property on 9.5 acres with another, smaller home with a pool — known as JFK and Marilyn Monroe’s secret hideaway — will also be available for sale separately.

The listing brokers are Jeff Biebuyck and Dana Olmes of Frontgate Real Estate.