A Historical Home—With Seriously Modern Upgrades—in California

Listing of the Day

Location: La Canada Flintridge, California

Price: $8.5 million

This grand red-brick Georgian colonial estate, built in 1924, has served as the location for many black-tie New Year’s Eve parties and political fundraisers, hosted by its owner for 32 years, real-estate tycoon and political strategist Nelson Rising. Chairman and CEO of the real estate investment company Rising Realty Partners, Mr. Rising and his wife Sharon are downsizing now their children have grown up and left home.

The home is set on two acres of grounds, something that is "extremely difficult to find" in the desirable Los Angeles-area neighborhood of La Canada Flintridge, where businessmen rub up against Hollywood A-listers, said agent Janice T. McGlashan, of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage.

Vince Vaughn lived down the street, radio personality Adam Carolla lives on the same block, Angela Bassett and Courtney Vance are raising their children in the community, while Kevin Tsujihara, CEO of Warner Brothers Studio, lives a few homes away, according to Ms. McGlashan.

The house has a "wonderful floorplan," Ms. McGlashan said. "Much of the original architecture is intact but it has been tastefully updated for today’s lifestyle."

"Sharon Rising likes to say that Nelson always had a home improvement project going on during the time they have lived there," Ms. McGlashan said. "They both worked to update and improve the property to support their family and their many social events at the home. The guest house was beautifully expanded and updated to welcome Nelson Rising's mother to the property where she lived happily for many years."

Stats

The property is 9,227 square feet with six bedrooms and 11 bathrooms.

Design pedigree

Architect Ray Kieffer, responsible for many of Beverly Hills’s sprawling mansions, designed the property in the mid-1920s, and it retains many of its features from that time: crown moldings, wainscoting, nine-foot-tall ceilings and fireplaces. There are also floor-to-ceiling windows and Carrara marble bathrooms.

More:Sprawling Hidden Hills, California, Home Will Appeal to Movie Buffs

Amenities

The biggest selling point of this home is its gardens, said Ms. McGlashan, with a north/ south lighted tennis court, a pool and spa, a vegetable garden, a rose garden, multiple patios and an oak tree garden. There is a guest house and pool house on the grounds, too.

The formal dining room seats 22. There is a solarium with views, a library with fireplace, a butler’s pantry off the kitchen, a wine cellar and a private office. The lower floors have a movie theater room and wet bar.

Neighborhood notes

La Canada Flintridge is known for its great schools. The area is just northwest of Pasadena, looking out onto the peaks of the San Gabriel Mountains. It is also home to the jet propulsion lab of NASA. Downtown Los Angeles is within comfortable commuting distance.

Agent: Janice T. McGlashan, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage

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