Trousdale Estates

History

The grounds originally belonged to Mrs. Lucy Smith Doheny Battson, wife of Edward L. Doheny, Jr. (1893–1929), son of oil tycoon Edward L. Doheny (1856–1935); were known as the Doheny Ranch or the Doheny Estate; and included the Greystone Mansion. In 1954, Paul Trousdale (1915–1990) purchased the grounds, while the mansion was purchased by industrialist Henry Crown (1896–1990). Shortly after, Trousdale convinced the Beverly Hills City Council to add the neighborhood to the city, which they accepted, and he renamed it the Trousdale Estates.

Trousdale first built 532 original lots, all subject to strict regulations devised by the Architectural Committee, including how high roofs could be. Early houses were designed by renowned architects Wallace Neff (1895–1982), Paul R. Williams (1894–1980), A. Quincy Jones (1913–1979), Frank Lloyd Wright (1867–1959) and Harold Levitt (1922–2003). Allen Siple (1900–1973) acted as the supervising architect.

By 1981, some houses were remodeled, blocking their neighbors' views. As a result, after some consultation in 1987 the Trousdale Estates Homeowners Association, a non-profit organization, and the city of Beverly Hills implemented the Trousdale Ordinance to preserve the neighborhood.

The neighborhood has 24/7 security patrol cars with armed guards.

Notable residents

Celebrity residents have included the likes of Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Tony Curtis, Ray Charles, and Groucho Marx. President Richard Nixon lived in the neighborhood. When Nixon, who had just been Vice President from 1953 to 1961 under President Dwight D. Eisenhower, purchased his residence, Frank McCullogh of the Los Angeles Times reported that he had only paid US$90,000 for a house whose real price was US$300,000 as the developers believed his name would add prestige to the neighborhood.

More recently, Jennifer Aniston, David Spade, Vera Wang, John Rich, Jane Fonda, Richard Perry and Markus Persson have lived in the neighborhood.