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Exquisite historic homes seen in the movies

By: Matt Grocoff , Contributing Writer
In: House Styles, Old Houses

I have this uncanny ability to know the location where particular movie scenes were filmed. It drives my wife nuts. After living in Santa Monica, CA with movies filmed at our doorstep, I think it's probably unbearable to watch a movie, or even a TV commercial, with me. A character would be involved in a chase scene down a street and I see something in the background and say "Hey, that's the gorgeous craftsman house over on Adelaide. Is that a Greene and Greene house?"

I'm a sucker for a great piece of architecture in a movie. You get up close with houses that you might otherwise never get to set foot in. There are many memorable movie homes. Here's a few that stand out as exceptional either for their architecture, the iconic status of the movie they were featured, or both.

The Odd Life of Timothy Green:

Timothy Green house
Photo credit to CBA Realtor

155 Greenville St, Newnan, GA 30263

The Parrott-Camp-Soucy House is a spectacular Victorian masterpiece built in 1842 and converted to a Victorian in the 1880s. It's located in Newnan, Georgia just outside of Atlanta. The home was featured in the Disney film "The Odd Life of Timothy Green" starring Jennifer Garner. The set designers were looking for a whimsical, elegant and exquisite home to match the personality of the quirky characters. This Stick-Eastlake Victorian has a spectacular wrap around porch, meticulously painted detail, and immaculately restored stained glass windows. The house recently sold for only $450,000.

See more pics here: https://cbarealtor.wordpress.com/2012/06/18/a-painted-victorian-featured-in-the-upcoming-disney-movie-the-odd-life-of-timothy-green/

Mrs. Doubtfire:

San Francisco Doubtfire house
Photo from Wikimedia Commons

2640 Steiner Street, San Francisco, California, USA

Who can forget Robin Williams as the cross-dressing Mrs. Doubtfire, knocking on the door of the extraordinary Pacific Heights hom?. When Williams died last year, hundreds of people made pilgrimage to the Mrs. Doubtfire house in San Francisco, leaving flowers and candles in memory of the great comedian.

Interestingly, Sally Field's character Miranda, when talking on the phone, gives the home's actual address. The home is a jaw-droppingly gorgeous example of a Victorian painted-lady.

LA Confidential:

LA Confidential house

4616 Dundee Drive in Los Angeles, California

Lovell House (Health House) is one of the most memorable International modernist style residences. It was designed by acclaimed architect Richard Neutra in 1927. Built for physician and naturopath Phillip Lovell, the home had large glass walls and sweeping views intended to promote healing.

The Godfather:

Godfather house
Photo credit to Hilton Hyland

1011 North Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210

JFK honeymooned with Jackie here. William Randolph Hearst and Marion Davies lived here. But what made this house truly famous around the world was a horse . . . or at least part of a horse. Filmed here was the infamous scene in the Godfather when a powerful Hollywood movie mogul is reduced to blithering screams like a small, frightened child when he discovers that even in his own bed he is not safe from the Don.

The masterpiece home was designed by Architect Gordon Kaufmann. It has stunning Venetian gardens surrounding the Spanish and Italian style home.

The home recently listed for $135 million. http://www.hiltonhyland.com/listings/the-legendary-beverly-house-2

Check out the bloody horse head scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2CX20bBNJE

Home Alone

Home Alone
Photo from Wikimedia Commons

671 Lincoln Ave, Winnetka, IL 60093

Some movie homes are among the most memorable characters. That's definitely the case with this classic 1920s Georgian among the stately oak trees in a suburban Chicago neighborhood. The home has elegant lines with perfect proportions conforming to the golden ratio. It is how every foreigner who has never visited America imagines that all Americans live. If you've seen this film, like the rest of us, you feel like you've already been inside this home.

The home recently sold for $1,585,000. No one said quintessential American homes come cheap.

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