The favorite for Best Picture at Sunday night’s Academy Awards, "La La Land," is a singing, dancing Technicolor love letter to Los Angeles, with its beautiful palm trees, lights, art deco architecture, vistas and classic Hollywood locations.
The film, which leads this year’s Oscars with 14 nominations (tying only with "All About Eve" and "Titanic"), is quintessential Los Angeles: A freeway overpass even gets top billing in the opening number. "You can’t have a better tourism brochure than this movie," Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said to The Wrap at the film’s premiere.
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Perhaps no spot is as celebrated in the film as Griffith Park. The 4,310-acre park, created in 1896, is the second-largest city park in California. It has been compared to Central Park, only it is much more rugged and wild, featuring hiking trails and sweeping vistas. The film’s stars, Mia (Emma Stone) and Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) tap dance on a bench at a scenic overlook on Mount Hollywood Drive called Cathy’s Corner. They stroll through Fern Dell, a small green enclosure at the entrance of Griffith Park. They dance in Griffith Observatory, the iconic 1935 Planetarium located high on a hill inside the park, and one of the most recognized images of the Los Angeles skyline.
If watching the film gave you L.A. real estate fever, we’re here to help you out. Below are a few currently on-the-market listings in the area near the park. Proximity to the park, classic Los Angeles vistas and famous owners included.
This four-bedroom, four- bathroom, contemporary tree house is on sale for $2.150 million.
Erik Grammer PhotographyLocated to the west of the park, not far away from Fern Dell, this four-bedroom, four- bathroom, contemporary tree house, on sale for $2.150 million, offers sweeping views of L.A’s greenery and is nestled in the hills. There’s a separate studio office so you can work from home, in case you really never want to leave. The home features a clean warm palate, with white sunny rooms with wooden beams, contemporary light fixtures of glass and warm metallics, herringbone wood floors and Barcelona cement tiles. A backyard with excellent views completes the package. The house is walking distance from restaurants and grocery stores in Hollywood Hills, as well as, of course, Griffith Park.
This home with Hollywood history has six fireplaces, a paneled library and office with a private entrance.
Erik Grammer PhotographyLocated right at the park’s edge, minutes from Griffith Observatory, this six-bedroom, seven-bathroom home, listed for $5.725 million is on a prime lot in a star-studded neighborhood. The house has a Hollywood past: it is the former home of actress Annie Potts, known for her role in 1980s sitcom "Designing Women." Built to resemble an English Norman estate, the house is full of romantic, old-fashioned details, such as hand-carved woodwork in the living and dining areas, tall iron windows, six fireplaces, a paneled library and office with private entrance. It also has modern features, such as an open chef’s kitchen, dining area and family room that leads to an outdoor space with a fireplace. The landscaping, which spans two parcels and has a swimming pool and beautifully done gardens with views from all sides, completes the package.
Nicknamed "Westshire Manor," this home was built for actor Bela Lugosi.
Erik Grammer PhotographyThis three-bedroom, four-bathroom house, on the market for $2.997 million on the west side of the park, has quite the Los Angeles history. Nicknamed "Westshire Manor" it was built for actor Bela Lugosi by the architect Frank W. Green in 1932, the year after Lugosi took his famous star turn as Dracula. The home has beautiful details, such as the stone fireplace in the oversized living room, a dining room with iron and glass windows, and a library with a private entrance. The master suite has the original tile work as well as mahogany peg and groove floors, and there’s a gym and wine cellar, too. The kitchen has been modernized with Gaggenau appliances, and there’s a service entrance. Outside, the home has a flat grassy yard, and gardens and a terrace with waterfalls, fountains and an in-ground spa. Perhaps the best feature, though, is the open view of Hollywood, Palos Verdes and Beachwood Canyon, perfect for catching those "La La Land"-quality pastel sunsets.
The 1,000-square-foot deck int his four-bedroom offers sweeping views of Griffith Park.
RedfinAsking $2.595 million,this four-bedroom, four-and-a-half bath 3,543-square-foot home is located at the top of a hill in Los Feliz. The 1,000-square-foot deck offers sweeping views of Griffith Park. The home is ideal for entertaining, and has floor-to-ceiling windows, hardwood floors and a fireplace, as well as a chef’s kitchen with a SubZero fridge, double oven and Viking range. The three-story split-level design offers two bedrooms on the first floor, a bedroom on the second (all with ensuites) as well as a master suite with walk-in closet, office, soaking tub, marble shower, and windows overlooking the canyon. A third level with space for a gym and office, and with a spa and sauna, tops off the home.
Built in 1920, this $1.395 million house offers amazing views of the Hollywood sign in Griffith Park.
RedfinIf you’d like to have a peek at the park, this 2,009-square-foot four bedroom, three-bath home in hip Silver Lake, could be just perfect. Built in 1920, this $1.395 million house offers amazing views of the Hollywood sign in Griffith Park as well as the Griffith Park Observatory, and the Downtown L.A. skyline. The property offers quintessential indoor-outdoor living, with open vaulted ceilings, many windows, a backyard with two-car garage and roof deck perfect for catching sunsets. The master bathroom is a particular highlight, offering a soaking tub and shower.
Located right next to Griffith Park, on Los Feliz’s swanky Aberdeen Avenue, this four- bedroom, four-bathroom, $3.649 million, home is a perfect for channeling old Hollywood. At 3,844 square feet, this updated classic 1925 Spanish estate’s open floor plan includes a bright living room with tiled fireplace, a dining room that opens to a balcony, and kitchen with breakfast nook. Upstairs, the master has sloped ceilings and a roomy bathroom. Downstairs, there’s an extra room that could work for a screening room or playroom. The grassy yard has a pool, dining area, outdoor fireplace, mature fruit trees, and a pool house that would make a great artist’s studio, for working on your very own record-breaking movie.
This $3.495 million five-bedroom, six-bathroom home sits directly under the park facing down into the city, offering sweeping views of the city skyline that rival the ones from the observatory. Built in 1948, the three-story plantation-style home has been renovated with extreme attention to detail. Special touches include a foyer with a dramatic floating staircase, and entertaining rooms with paneling and high ceilings. A new modern kitchen with marble countertops leads to a family room with French doors and windows. The master suite, on the southern side of the top floor, includes a 450 square foot pergola with amazing city views. Outside, there’s a backyard with pool and spa, two-car garage, and further details such as security and a sound system. All the bedrooms have en-suite bathrooms.
Located across the street from Fern Dell, this four-bedroom, five-bathroom, $4.198 million gated home is perfect for park strolls. The 5,656-square-foot property is also a piece of Los Angeles history. Called the Kilner House, it was built by the architect Carleton M. Winslow in 1922. Architectural details and ‘20s style abound in the living room, dining room, solarium and library. The bedrooms have patios with sweeping city views. The home has many touches designed for entertaining, such as a prohibition era wine cellar, a billiards room, and terraces and patios with fire pit, garden rotunda and Koi pond. There’s also office space, and a cook’s kitchen makes those Oscar parties easier.