Drive down Grand Avenue in South Pasadena, California, and you’ll find yourself on a nondescript residential street lined with trees.
But nestled in the middle of the avenue is a salmon-pink wall. It’s more than 100 years old, and inside is an extravagant one-acre estate known as "Villa Arno."
It’s a “grand and spacious, but not stuffy,” residence with a detached guesthouse, a pool, gardens and a motor court, according to George Penner, a real estate agent with Compass’ Deasy Penner and Partners team.
For nearly 30 years, the villa has served as fashion designer Richard Tyler’s residence. Known for styling icons including Elton John, Cher and Diana Ross, Tyler purchased the home with his wife, Lisa, in the late 1990s.
Now, for the first time in nearly 40 years, the villa is for sale. It hit the market this week with a $12.5 million price tag, according to the listing on Homes.com.
Penner holds the listing alongside Michelle Trafficante of Ashby & Graff.
The villa is a 'creative respite'
The home dates to the early 1900s, when a New Yorker commissioned architect Reginald Davis Johnson to build him a winter home inspired by Villa Vanzetti, an Italian estate.
The result was a five-bedroom, five-bathroom Italian Renaissance Revival. Since it was first built, though, the residence has expanded, according to Penner.
In the 1950s, for example, a one-bedroom, one-bathroom detached guest house was added. And sometime around the 1970s, a motor court was built.
Those amenities, especially the guest house, make the property a place for hosting where guests can be “treated very luxuriously, but not necessarily in the main residence," Penner told Homes.com.
More than that, though, the villa is a suitable “creative respite,” he added. “The buyer will be someone creative and someone that’s a forward-thinker, like Reginald Johnson, and Richard and Lisa have been."
Historic properties can require 'constant maintenance'
Indeed, Penner said creativity might be necessary to keep up with the property’s “constant maintenance” — something he says comes with owning an old home.
Tyler, for example, used his background in design to preserve the property.
“They’ve maintained it meticulously during their tenure of ownership,” Penner said of the couple.
One of the changes the owners oversaw: a new kitchen. Before, the kitchen wasn’t as large as homeowners today would want, Penner said. Now, “the grandeur still exists … but people want functionality.”
Ultimately, though, Penner said the home’s history and age add to its allure and could make it more appealing to some buyers.
“Even though it’s over 100 years old, it feels solid and strong,” he said. “It just feels good.”