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Free Traveling Guides » States » California » Los Angeles
Pickfair
Silent movie stars Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks moved into an enormous, elegant mansion at 1143 Summit Dr. in Los Angeles in 1919, and today Pickfair is one of the most visited destinations for tourists wishing to see the beginnings of Hollywood opulence in the Los Angeles area. Surrounded by a low stone wall, climbing with ivy, and accented with neatly trimmed hedges, the mansion’s entrance is guarded by a tall wrought iron fence and is not open to visitors. This does not stop thousands of tourists and amateur photographers each year from viewing the home from the street, however, and it is a usual stop on most of the local star tours.
The property itself was a hunting lodge when the movie stars bought it, but they renovated and expanded the home into a 22 room mansion expensively decorated with rare art and lavish furnishings. It has also been said that the mansion was home to the first residential swimming pool in the Los Angeles area.
Visitors wishing to see the home Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford lived and entertained in during Hollywood’s fledgling days will be disappointed, however. The property was purchased in the 80s by perennial “famous for being famous” star Pia Zadora and was completely torn down to make way for a newer, larger mansion. This was met with widespread criticism, but Zadora claimed the original home was infested with termites and in a state of disrepair.
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