"This beautiful pile of stone facing sums up a whole side of Los Angeles: It is a prime example of our ability to convert wealth almost instantly into a coherent, impressive image. Greystone Mansion was built by oil. Edward Doheny was the first local person to find black gold, not in the home of the hillbillies but in Los Angeles itself."
"The most versatile and elegant designer of classical buildings in the area, Gordon B. Kaufmann, translated the chaparral of the site and the steel construction of the house into a seamless image of a baronial mansion. Riding a ridge with a confidence held up by massive terraces, it confronts the world below with sheer stone walls, a steep slate roof and strong cross gables that pin it to the ground."
"You've seen it in hundreds of movies and television shows: It's that hulking Norman castle whose grand rooms are the backdrop to the troubled lives of the rich and famous. Whether you know it or not, you've seen the house imitated in hundreds of smaller mansions from Palos Verdes to San Marino, its gabled turrets and limestone walls reduced to stucco domesticity."
Greystone Mansion, a 55-room Norman castle built in 1927 on 428 acres in Beverly Hills, represents a defining example of Los Angeles wealth and architectural ambition. Oil tycoon Edward Doheny commissioned the estate for his son Ned, employing renowned architect Gordon B. Kaufmann to create a baronial residence that seamlessly integrated the chaparral landscape with steel construction. The mansion features grand formal rooms, multiple bedrooms, a screening room, bowling alley, and servants' wing. Its distinctive design—with massive stone walls, steep slate roof, and cross gables—has become iconic in film and television, inspiring hundreds of smaller mansion imitations throughout Southern California communities. The estate also serves practical functions, including water storage for Beverly Hills residents.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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