Hancock Park is one of the few historic and opulent Los Angeles communities. Built more than a century ago near Hollywood and Beverly Hills, Hancock Park is close to Rodeo Drive’s luxury shops, restaurants, and entertainment industry headquarters.
Hancock Park’s 55 Fremont Place, a 70-home gated community, has a rich and attractive past. Fremont Place was home to early 20th-century industrialists such as Bank of America founder A.P. Giannini and Gillette inventor King C. Gillette. Muhammad Ali inhabited 55 Fremont Place, which was recently sold for just under $17 M.
Ali purchased the 145,000-square-foot Italian Renaissance palace with seven bedrooms and seven baths in 1979. There, he resided with his third wife, Veronica, and his two daughters, Hana and Leila. The mansion was built in 1916 on a 1.5-acre corner lot in Hancock Park’s finest location. The finest locations in Hancock Park are held by these older homes, according to Ali listing agent Gary Gold. “These regal structures still endure after all these years. New homes simply cannot compete.”
The Ali residence is exquisite. John C. Austin, who also designed the Griffith Observatory and the Los Angeles City Hall, is its designer. Beyond its European-style façade, the building’s three stories are replete with distinctive features.
The centerpiece is a massive stained glass window by jeweler and glassmaker Louis Comfort Tiffany, whose personal touch is uncommon in private residences. The large panel on the second floor, along with the mansion’s innumerable original stone fireplaces, crystal chandeliers, and wood paneling, lends the residence a sense of aesthetic and historical significance. “The home is filled with these little hidden gems,” explains Gold. “Many of which could very well be priceless.”
The property includes both public and private areas. The lower level was designed for hospitality with its opulent entry hall, spacious salon, circular conservatory, living room, and dining room. The home’s most recent proprietors, attorneys Michael Lawson and Mattie McFadden-Lawson, hosted, among others, former President Barack Obama. While the Alis possessed the property, Michael Jackson, Sylvester Stallone, and Clint Eastwood reportedly visited. Lawson, the president and CEO of the Los Angeles Urban League, purchased the property for $2.5 M in 2001. Since their children have moved out, the couple is selling their too-large home.
Most of the bedrooms, two offices, and a full-sized bar are located on the second floor, which is connected by a dramatic staircase. The spacious master suite has a fireplace and a balcony with pillars. The residence takes advantage of the level terrain to construct a large pool, landscaped gardens, fountain-filled terraces, and pergola-covered walkways. There is a 1,000-square-foot guesthouse.
Since its construction a century ago, the house, according to Gold, has “barely moved” and is “rock solid.” If 55 Fremont Place sells for the asking price, it will be one of the most expensive transactions in Hancock Park. Several Hollywood elites, including Shonda Rhimes, have purchased properties there, including a 12,000-square-foot mansion that recently sold for $21 M, a neighborhood record. Hancock Park has been home to Rhimes, Mindy Kaling, Ozzy Osbourne, Nate Berkus, and Jeremiah Brent.