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In 1925, Edward Doheny, the most successful oil producer of his time, gave his son Edward "Ned" Lawrence Doheny, Jr. a 12.58-acre land parcel. It was part of the original 425-acre Greystone land parcel, the largest family estate in the history of Beverly Hills.
Construction of Ned Doheny's estate began in February of 1927 and was completed a year later at a cost of $3,166,780. Ned, his wife Lucy, and their five children moved into the mansion in September of 1928. The home included 55 rooms in 46,054 square feet of living space. The estate also included tennis courts, a swimming pool, a green house, a fire station and kennels. Sadly, Mr. Doheny was murdered in this home, a very rare unsolved mystery in Beverly Hills.
In 1954, the largest portion of the property was sold to Paul Trousdale Corporation and became the adjacent residential neighborhood of very beautiful "Trousdale Estates" homes. In 1955, the remaining 18.3 acres of land, including Greystone Mansion, were sold to Henry Crown of the Park Grey Corporation, Chicago, for $1.5 million, but Mr. Crown never occupied the site.
The mansion remained vacant until 1965, when the City of Beverly Hills purchased the property from Mr. Crown for $1.3 million, planning to locate the City's largest water reservoir, a 19-million gallon tank, on the site. In 1971, the entire site, including the mansion, was formally dedicated as a City of Beverly Hills public park. In 1976, Greystone Mansion was recognized as a historic landmark and placed on the Registry of Historic Places. It is the site of many civic events, weddings, filming, a summer day camp and the City's tree farm.
In May of 2004, Kirk Douglas and his wife of 50 years, Anne, renewed their wedding vowes at Greystone and walked down this lane. 300 guests attended the ceremony.
Popular reception area and theater stage
The Hunting Room
Deers would be placed outside in the park and
the "lazy hunters" would conveniently shoot them from this window.
Attention to detail:
Each room has its own beautiful color and decor.
This kitchen was featured in the movie "The Bodyguard" starring Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston. The scene shows Costner's character fighting off an attack by a former colleague.
The impressive entrance into the Mansion. All of the oak banisters, balustrades and rafters were hand carved. The floor of the grand hall showcased black and white inlaid marble, and an elaborate lvining room held a balcony where musicians often performed on special occasions. The kitchen featured a pantry built to secure a large adjoining wall safe, used to store the silver and gold services.
The Mansion was built with a servant's quarters which occupied two floors of the east wing and accommodated a live-in staff of fifteen. While the bedrooms were spread throughout the second floor, the master bedroom suite was located in the west wing, and featured an accompanying sitting room, baths, a dressing room and massage room. All rooms with a southern exposure offered a panoramic view of Los Angeles, from downtown to Santa Monica Bay. In the north wing where the two older boys' bedrooms were located, a circular staircase leads into a recreation wing, which boasted a motion picture theater and a bowling alley.
The safe behind the pantry in which silver and gold services were stored.
Only a few years ago another small wall safe was found in the master bedroom, probably once containing jewelry and other valuables.
A truly unforgettable trip.
Thanks to our great and knowledgeable guide Steven Clark, we received an extensive tour of this historic site including a behind-the-scenes look and many interesting stories.
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