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Beverly Hills is known for its many grand mansions. Unfortunately, you can only drive past most of these majestic estates. But here is a surprising exception to that rule. At Greystone Park, can drive through the fancy wrought-iron gates of one of the most dramatic estates in Beverly Hills, stroll its lushly landscaped, 16-acre grounds, and admire the 55-room castle up close. And it's all free! This fortress-like
Tudor mansion was built by famed oil-tycoon Edward Doheny in 1928, Several Hollywood
movies have been shot here at Greystone, using the stately mansion and
its gardens as backdrop. It was a Starfleet hospital in "Star Trek: Into Darkness", and also appeared in "X-Men", "The Social Network", "The Muppets" and "National Treasure: Book of secrets". In 1993's "Indecent Proposal," real estate agent Demi Moore showed millionaire Robert Redford through the empty living room of the mansion. (He didn't like it.)
In the Spider-Man movie series, Greystone was the home of Harry Osborne's father: AKA The Green Goblin. In the X-Men films, Greystone's was courtyard was used as the exterior of the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning. In the movie "Town and Country" (with Warren Beatty, Dianne Keaton & Goldie Hawn), the home stands in for Charlton Heston's mansion in Sun Valley.
Other films shot
here include "What Women Want" (with Mel
Gibson), "The Bodyguard"
(starring Kevin Costner and
Whitney Houston),
"The Phantom" (with Billy
Zane), "The Witches of Eastwick"
(Jack Nicholson
& Cher),
"The Big Lebowski" (with Jeff Bridges),
"All of Me" (Steve Martin
& Lily Tomlin),
"Ghostbusters II" (Dan Aykroyd
& Bill Murray),
"Death Becomes Her" (Goldie
Hawn & Meryl Streep),
"Jumpin' Jack Flash" (starring Whoopi Goldberg),
"The Beautician And The Beast" (with Fran Dresher),
"Guilty By Suspicion" (Robert
De Niro), "Air Force One" (with
Harrison Ford),
"Nixon," "Batman & Robin,"
"Heat," On TV's "Gilmore Girls," Greystone was seen as the exterior of Chilton Preparatory Academy, the prestigious private school that Rory (Alexis Bledel) attended. 1994's "Richie Rich" installed special iron gates with "R.R." initials. And it was the Greystone manor bowling alley that was seen in the predictably bloody end to 2007's "There Will Be Blood". Even the famous marriage of "Luke & Laura" on TV's "General Hospital" was shot in the gardens of Greystone (where it posed as the Port Charles Mayor's mansion.) Actor James Woods was married - for real - at the estate.
In 2001, the Elton John music video "I Want Love," was shot in one seamless take; it shows actor Robert Downey Jr. wandering about inside the Greystone mansion, lip-syncing the words to the song. In September of 2008, then Presidential candidate Barack Obama held a $28,500-per-plate fundraiser at the Beverly Hills mansion, which drew the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, Steven Spielberg, Tobey Maguire, Jodie Foster, Eddie Murphy, Barbara Mandel, Antonio Banderas, Will Ferrell and Jamie Lee Curtis. The estate has been leased on a semi-permanent basis by the American Film Institute. So don't be surprised if you bump into a film crew shooting yet another movie. Alas, the home is now empty, and is closed to visitors; there are no regular public tours of the house itself. Most months we are limited to exploring the peaceful, forest-like grounds surrounding the home, with an occasional peep through a dusty window for a brief glimpse of the mansion's vast interior. However, they DO
sometimes offer a short series of classical (chamber music) concerts
each year, held
inside the living room of the mansion, and other special events when
the mansion interior can be seen (usually for a fee). You can
check their special events calendar here. Despite their incredible wealth (a fortune of over $100 million), the members of the Doheny family had their share of tragedy. Edward Doheny was involved with bribery charges in the infamous Teapot Dome scandal, and his son's life ended in a bizarre murder-suicide at the home. The son's widow lived on at Greystone until 1955. The estate was eventually willed to the city of Beverly Hills, and it is now a public park. But few people seem to know about it; Greystone is one of L.A.'s better kept secrets.
A self-guided tour
of the grounds will take you along a maze of winding stone walkways and
brick stairways, past sweeping green lawns and wonderful vistas, sculpted
hedges, hidden courtyards, and lush landscaping. Keep to your right as
you make your way downhill, and you'll eventually find the paths that lead
to the mansion itself. (There's a lot of walking and stair-climbing to
be done here, if you wish to fully explore the estate, so wear comfortable
shoes and be ready for some exercise.) ( It can be
a little tricky to find your way from the parking lot, through the
gardens, to the house itself. It might pay to study the maps found here, in advance of your visit. ) The mansion resembles a modern castle, with three-foot-thick grey limestone walls, heavy wooden doors, stone courtyards, and a slate roof; it's not hard to figure out why they called it "Greystone"... There is a tranquil, rarefied atmosphere up here on the hilltop, amid the towering redwoods. There's a pine scent in the air, and every turn seems to reveal a new view of the cityscape below. Take a peek through the smudged windows of the mansion. A brief look reveals vast marble halls and glorious old ballrooms, replete with parquet floors, crystal chandeliers, massive marble fireplaces, and sweeping stone archways. This is where Robert Redford and Demi Moore walked during their scene in "Indecent Proposal." Even so, all is not well in paradise. The house and grounds, for all their former grandeur and current beauty, seem uncommonly vacant and aloof today. Like a giant stone castle abandoned in some tragic fairy tale, the home sits vacant and forlorn, its rooms now empty of both furniture and of the people who once brought the house to life. There is an undeniable sadness to this deserted mansion. Likewise, the beautiful grounds have been fairly well maintained, but not with the same kind of loving care that a devoted owner would lavish on such a handsome estate. Mr. Doheny must have loved water, because the property is dotted with numerous swimming pools, fountains, reflecting pools, waterfalls and ponds. Yet, almost all of these now stand bone dry and melancholy. Only one tiny lily pond remains filled, but the large koi fish that swim in it seem oddly listless as they drift among the lily pads. Greystone Park is well worth a visit. After all, how often do you get invited to a millionaire's grand estate in Beverly Hills? But the mansion has such wonderful potential that it seems a crime to let it sit empty and idle. With a little effort, the home could be opened to the public for docent-led tours; the history of the property told to visitors. At least a few of the mansion's 55 rooms could be furnished and restored to their former grandeur, and perhaps rented out for festive occasions... As it is now, the mansion seems chilly and lifeless. There were too few visitors to the park when I last visited, on a warm Sunday afternoon; just an occasional family on a picnic, or an out-of-town tourist, which only added to the estate's sense of isolation. Fortunately, there is a park ranger on duty, stationed near the mansion's rear courtyard. And even in its current diminished condition, Greystone is still a sight to be seen. On April 15, 2000, President Bill Clinton visited the Greystone mansion, the site of a major fundraiser hosted by DreamWorks partners Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen. This wasbe the President's second visit to Greystone; a 1999 fundraiser was also held there, and featured opera singer Andrea Bocelli. Among stars on the guest list for the dinner at Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills were Meg Ryan, Dennis Quaid, Goldie Hawn, Kurt Russell and Whoopi Goldberg. The park grounds are open daily: 10 a.m.- 5 p.m.(until 6 p.m.in the summer months); the mansion itself is not open to the public. Parking is in a free hilltop parking lot, within the gates. No admission charge.
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