Historic Greystone Mansion

The other day, I decided to make the trip to Beverly Hills and visit Greystone Mansion.  It had been on my list of places to visit, but for some reason, I'd never made the attempt.  

Like most people, I'm lazy about making plans sometimes.  A field trip there proved to be a delightful way to spend an afternoon.  I walked around the grounds and took in the scenery and views of Beverly Hills below.  Later, I found a nice bench,  plunked myself down with my notebook and wrote for about an hour.  I was probably more productive in that hour than I would've been cooped up at home.  

Sometimes creativity demands a change of scenery.  This was one of those days... 

Greystone Mansion is a perfect getaway to enjoy a bit of Beverly Hills lore and Hollywood history in a serene setting.  Tucked away at the end of Loma Vista Drive (just before Doheny,)  it's relatively easy to find.  Access to the grounds is free and parking is plentiful at the top of the hill-- within the mansion's gates.

The land upon which the mansion was built was acquired by oil magnate, Edward Lawrence Doheny, in 1914.  Twelve years later, he gifted the land to his son and by 1928, construction of the mansion was well underway at the astounding cost of $3.1 million.  It became the largest house in Beverly Hills.  In 1976, it was granted the privilege of becoming an official landmark on the National Register Of Historic Places.  Today, it's a park owned and maintained by the city of Beverly Hills. While the mansion's interior is not generally accessible, the grounds are open to the public from 10A-5P.

It's also very well-recognized from many commercials and movies.  On-location shooting provides much-needed income for maintaining the grounds at Greystone.   

 
Here's a short list of well-known movies shot there:  

Witches of Eastwick, The Big Lebowski, Heat, All of Me, Death Becomes Her, Eraserhead, Flowers In The Attic, and The Social Network, among many others.  Here's a longer list.

For listings of other on-location movie locations around the world, I recommend The Worldwide Guide To Movie Locations.  It's a good reference for professional location scouts as well as anyone interested in knowing where some of their favorite films were shot.

Content and photos ©2012 by KLiedle