Tucked just below Paramount Studios and about five miles east of Beverly Hills sits Hancock Park, a hundred-year-old Los Angeles neighborhood with a rich history. It may not have the name recognition that the 90210 boasts, but it’s been a favored enclave of L.A.’s elite since its inception, attracting big Old Hollywood names like Mae West, Clark Gable, and Ava Gardner, along with local business magnates and government officials.
The beauty of Hancock Park is its variety. To this day, it is a representation of 1920s L.A.’s architectural playfulness, when the majority of Hancock Park homes were built, and as such contains a wide range of property styles, including Tudor Revival, Spanish Colonial Revival, and Châteauesque dwellings. Since its outset, when G. Allan Hancock was planning the residential subdivision, allowing these properties to shine has been a priority. Hancock’s initial guidelines, including the insistence that properties be at least 50 feet from the street and that utility lines be placed out of sight behind homes, remain key elements that create the area’s distinct stately vibe.
This thoughtful planning attracted not only prominent residents, but well-known architects of the time, too, including Southern California architecture golden boy Wallace Neff and Hoover Dam architect Gordon Kaufmann. In 2008, the area was named one of L.A.’s Historic Preservation Overlay Zones, ensuring that the gorgeous buildings of the area won’t be wiped out anytime soon, nor will anything be added that could distract from their beauty.
Though some celebrities and prominent figures have moved westward in pursuit of ocean views, Hancock Park remains prized both by tourists looking to catch a glimpse of the city’s past and by locals with an eye for architecture and mature foliage. From Margot Robbie to Fred Savage, plenty of contemporary stars have done their time in the neighborhood, and it’s even royal-approved—Meghan Markle once rented a Colonial in the area and Prince William and Kate Middleton spent time in a Neff-designed home there. Below, we spotlight some of the 21st century’s most prominent stars who’ve enjoyed the centrality and beauty of Hancock Park.
Shonda Rhimes
Shonda Rhimes has made her love of the neighborhood abundantly clear over the past couple decades, with a total of four Hancock Park homes at one point. Though it’s unknown if she still owns property there, she certainly did her part in restoring the properties during her time in the area. Most notable is the Italian-style space she restored with Michael Smith—the designer who worked on the White House during Obama’s tenure. The home had been left with confusingly mismatched styles after a midcentury remodel, which she wrote about for AD.
Mindy Kaling
The Mindy Project and Never Have I Ever creator’s home is an ode to her personal history as much as it is an ode to the history of the area. When AD toured the home in 2017, she explained that much of the furniture was inherited from her dad when he moved to LA. The home’s millwork, elegant wall sconces, and fireplaces speak to the age of the property, while the bright colored furniture, artwork, and wallpaper adds a youthful energy.
Alexandra Daddario
Known largely for her work on The White Lotus, Alexandra Daddario’s luxurious Hancock Park estate isn’t that far off from the luxurious environs of the buzz-worthy HBO series. Outside, the home and its surrounding mature olive trees and grand fountain appear as if transplanted directly from the French countryside, but the interior looks much more modern thanks to a redesign by architect William Hefner and Kazuko Hoshino who previously occupied the residence.
Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne
In true L.A. fashion, Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne’s Spanish Colonial has a long list of celebrities for previous owners. They purchased the property from Saw producer Oren Koules and his wife, the former Top Chef Canada judge Shereen Arazm, who restored the eight-bedroom home, and further back in the home’s history, radio star Frank Bresee and his wife, the former Playboy bunny Bobbie Bresee, reportedly lived at the property.
Kunal Nayyar
Proof of Hancock Park’s longtime celebrity interest, The Big Bang Theory star Kunal Nayyar’s home in the neighborhood belonged to Nicolas Cage in the early aughts. Nayyar and his wife Neha Kapur purchased the picture perfect Tudor style property, which includes four different structures, in 2019 for $7.5 million. Though the home offers all the conveniences of modern life, in style it is straight out of the 1920s, with a custom formal library and a two story entryway among the most commanding elements.
Dermot Mulroney
Much like Shonda Rhimes, My Best Friend’s Wedding heartthrob Dermot Mulroney has indulged in numerous Hancock Park homes. Relatively humble at $1.66 million and $2.065 million respectively, the bungalows are right beside each other, so it was assumed that he was looking to create a compound.
Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent
Though they’ve since let go of the space, Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent’s former Hancock Park house is one of the neighborhood’s crown jewels. The interior designer couple bought the palatial Spanish Colonial with plenty of its original details intact and gave it a facelift that honored its past, with antique fireplace mantels, a hand-painted mural, and antique marble flooring.
Joey McIntyre
The Hancock Park pad of New Kids on the Block singer Joey McIntyre and his wife, Barrett McIntyre, bears a connection to another notable L.A. building—the Playboy Mansion. Both properties were designed by architect Arthur R. Kelly, and while the latter is in the Gothic Tudor style, McIntyre’s is in the French Normandy style. Carved stone mantels, a sweeping staircase, and a conservatory room with glass cathedral ceilings are among the home’s many unforgettable details.
See all photos and original article here at Architectural Digest.