Director Andy Tennant said he and his wife, Sharon, knew right away that there was something special about the Brentwood estate they’ve now called home for nearly 20 years.
"We just loved it—we knew it was the place for our family," said Mr. Tennant, the director of box office hits including "Hitch" and "Sweet Home Alabama." "It’s this beautiful, classic home—and really, the back yard is something else."
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The 5,540-square-foot Spanish-style home, which includes a spacious dining room and modern kitchen, has been on the market for just over a month, said Susan Newirth, who, along with colleague Richard Stearns, are the Partners Trust listing agents.
Built in 1928, the house sits on just less than an acre of land that’s dotted with about 100 eucalyptus trees, each about 30-feet tall, trees that Mr. Tennant, a father of four, said are still one his favorite aspects of the property.
"They’re magnificent," he said. "You step into the back yard and you feel like you’re in Griffith Park. It was a special place for our kids."
It was the trees that really sealed the deal for him when he and his wife decided to buy the property, for about $2.35 million, in 1999, he said.
The property’s character and coziness have also always made Mr. Tennant and his family feel at home, he said.
Though the family has worked to renovate and update the house—which includes 5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms and a half-bathroom—much of its historic structure and details remain intact. For example, the home includes its original fireplace and iron gates, as well as several stained-glass windows.
The house also features a sunroom that overlooks its expansive backyard, with its manicured rose garden and a paddle tennis court.
Mr. Tennant, who’s made numerous movies, said he’s never actually shot a film in Los Angeles. This has made his family, which includes triplets, a "bit of a gypsy family," traveling around the world for his various films. "That’s part of the emotion that’s tied to the house for us, it was always this grand home we could come back to."
Ms. Newirth said it’s not easy to find a home with such a sizeable and unique property in the affluent Brentwood Park neighborhood.
"You have this gracious, 1920s Spanish home that has original character and details, but is also nicely updated, and this incredible lawn, that really makes you feel as though you’ve been transported, like you’re in a garden park," Ms. Newirth said.
Including the Tennants, there have only been three families who’ve lived in the home.
"This is a place that people have raised their families, it’s a place where my kids friends have loved to hang out—our yard has had 150 kids over, for movie nights, for Easter egg hunts," Mr. Tennant said.
Despite all the memories, with his kids now in college, and just he and his wife "rattling around the house," it’s time for them to move on, Mr. Tennant said. "We love the house, but it’s time for a new adventure."