Orson Welles former home in the Hollywood Hills has been renovated at a cost of $1.7 million. (Sam Frost | Period Homes photos)
The Hollywood Hills home where Orson Welles once lived has undergone $1.7 million in renovations.
The 1920s Neoclassical Revival home at 1717 North Stanley Ave. has changed hands several times since Welles’ died there on October 10, 1985. He had shared the home with his longtime companion and collaborator, Oja Kodar.
Its current owners, Dan Harries and Andrew Fayé, turned to the prestigious architectural firm Tim Barber, Ltd. for guidance in restoring the property to its original grandeur.
“The house was a disaster,” Barber recently told the website Period Homes. “When he (Welles) was living out the last of his days there, he had added some really idiosyncratic pieces to it and interior arrangements so that he could move the bedroom to the first floor and created a bathroom of some sort. It was pretty decrepit and the maintenance was really deferred.”
In addition, the 5,582-square-foot home endured a series of misguided renovations by subsequent owners, such as an unsightly, problematic steel spiral staircase; aluminum windows; a neglected and overgrown yard; and a family room that had settled and sloped more than six inches, according to the real estate website.
The current value of the house is estimated at $3.2 million by Zillow with an assessed property tax value of $2.66 million.
The recent upgrades include a new attic staircase; restored foyer and front porch; refurbished fireplaces and chimneys; black-and-white tiled master bath designed as a nod to the 1920s; master closet with vestibule; wraparound covered porches; renovated basement, guest suite, recreation room and gym; reconceived guesthouse; and kidney-shaped outdoor swimming pool.
Barber included a few nods to the Welles’ legacy, including a wine room with a small display of memorabilia like movie posters and correspondence obtained by the current owners.
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