The Legendary Estates of Beverly Hills [Hardcover]

Jeffrey Hyland (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 4, 2008

This deluxe volume offers a meticulously researched and lavishly illustrated history of 45 magnificent estates in three of America’s most prized residential districts: Beverly Hills, Bel-Air, and Holmby Hills. Lush new color photographs as well as a trove of historical images take readers beyond the front gates for an exceptional, never-before-seen view of the mansions, grounds, and gardens of these sumptuous estates, and tell the history of Los Angeles' rise from rugged paddocks and farmland to famed metropolis. Each house is explored both for its historical and architectural importance, for here are the epitome of residences and gardens reflecting the famed Italianate and California Mediterranean styles by all the leading architects of Southern California, including Wallace Neff, James Dolena, Gordon Kaufmann, Robert Farquhar, Roland Coate, and Paul Williams. They built for clients whose own stories reflect the intrigue and foibles of Hollywood society (What rich widow built one of the greatest estates, only to lose everything because of non-stop parties and gambling? Which major Hollywood star secretly took nearly 100,000 photographs of nude starlets including young Marilyn Monroe at his estate?). The book’s final chapter, "Gone But Not Forgotten," pays homage to great estates that have been destroyed or lost to history.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...meticulously researched volume...With lavish color photography and archival images, the author leads readers on a glorious, gossipy tour through the houses and gardens of many of Los Angeles' original rich and famous." -- Veranda

"...an A-to-Z of the city's most knock-out villas, mansions and chateaux, written by someone who should know: Jeffrey Hyland of Hilton & Hyland real estate." ~Angeleno Interiors

"...massive, lushly illustrated...this amazingly researched and Illustrated history of nearly 50 incredible estates...includes a who's who of notables involved, as well as an authoritative look at the convergence of architectural styles (and audacity) that are as integral to Southern California as palm trees..." ~BookPage

"Delicious...lush coffee-table book...brimming with amazing abodes. A glorious read and gobs of eye candy, too." ~LA Confidential Magazine

"(A) book whose price and presentation match its bigger-than-life subject...a boxed, skillet-sized celebration of 48 mansions in Beverly Hills and surrounding neighborhoods." ~San Diego Union-Tribune

"(A) meticulously researched and lavishly illustrated history of 50 magnificent estates in three world-famous enclaves of the ultra-wealthy..." ~Luxist.com

Review

"...an A-to-Z of the city's most knock-out villas, mansions and chateaux, written by someone who should know: Jeffrey Hyland of Hilton & Hyland real estate."

"...an A-to-Z of the city's most knock-out villas, mansions and chateaux, written by someone who should know: Jeffrey Hyland of Hilton & Hyland real estate."

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Rizzoli (November 4, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0847831620
• ISBN-13: 978-0847831623
• Product Dimensions: 14.1 x 2.6 x 18.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #382,304 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Misleading, February 10, 2009

By 

van der Hof (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Legendary Estates of Beverly Hills (Hardcover)

This is really handsomely produced insider gossip.Very big on "legends" of famous owners but woefully inadequate on photographs of the estates or any design context. All about how much something cost, how many rooms and how much entertaining. Almost no sense of any esthetic or of how landscape, architecture and interiors worked together (or didn't).The book is beautifully produced and the early history is interesting but the actual photographs of the estates are so sparse or dated as to be almost ludicrous.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The ultimate in Real Estate porn, January 2, 2009

By 

tmp "snippy reviewer" (Solar System, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Legendary Estates of Beverly Hills (Hardcover)

Covering some of the most beautiful estates in Beverly Hills, Holmby Hills and Bel-Air, this book is the ultimate in Real Estate wish-fulfillment. Happily it leaves off most of the cracker-box McMansions of the last decades; the focus is estates such as Casa Encantada, the Harvey Mudd mansion and the Warner Estate, as well as such estates as Enchanted Hill and Cordhaven that are sadly gone. The book is really a tome, large enough to be completely at home in one of the lavishly panelled libraries contained in it's pages and gives exhaustive history of the homes detailed inside. Filled with glorious photographs of the estates both today and in the years they were built, this is a must-have for serious collectors of books on LA's estate architecture and perhaps the best passive-aggressive gift one could give to someone who lives in Beverly Park.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Book Delivers, March 11, 2009

By 

Love L.A. Estates "Love L. A. Estates" (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Legendary Estates of Beverly Hills (Hardcover)

The estates of Beverly Hills, Holmby Hills, and Bel-Air are some
of Southern California's greatest works of architecture and
landscape design, but no one has published a serious history
of these celebrated residences until now.

I love The Legendary Estates of Beverly Hills for many reasons.
First, it is filled with historical and present-day photographs that
really capture the beauty of these estates and the stories of their
often-famous owners. Second, this book does more than just describe
the architecture or the landscape design. It explains how the architects
and their clients created these grand estates.

Third, this is the antithesis of a glossy, superficial book. It is physically big and substantial, yes, but it's what's inside that matters. LEBH covers each estate in detail, not just the architecture and landscape architecture, but the interior design and furnishings. It provides the history of each estate, from its original design and construction through its subsequent owners and the changes they
often made to the house and property.

The books tells some great stories--some funny, some sad--about the different owners. And it has chapters that provide the detailed history for each of the three neighborhoods.

I came away from LEBH with a much greater understanding of and appreciation for the Beverly Hills, Holmby Hills, and Bel-Air neighborhoods...and for these estates which can be rarely glimpsed from the street.

Whether you're an architecture or landscape architecture buff, an afficianado of Los Angeles history, or you just learn how rich families have their share of triumphs and tragedies,this book delivers. And then some.