Greystone Mansion

Infobox_nrhp | name =Doheny Estate/Greystone
nrhp_type =nrhp


caption = Greystone Mansion, July 2008
location= 905 Loma Vista Drive, Beverly Hills, CA, USA
area = convert|46000|sqft|m2|abbr=on.
built =1928
architect= Gordon Kaufmann, PJ Walker Company
architecture= Tudor
added = April 23, 1976
governing_body = Local
refnum=76000485cite web|url=http://www.nr.nps.gov/|title=National Register Information System|date=2007-01-23|work=National Register of Historic Places|publisher=National Park Service]

Greystone Mansion, aka the Doheny Mansion, is a Tudor-style mansion in Beverly Hills, California, designed by Gordon Kaufmann and completed in 1928. The house was a gift from oil tycoon Edward L. Doheny to his son, Edward "Ned" Doheny, Jr., and his family. The City of Beverly Hills purchased the estate in 1965, in 1971 the property became a city park, and in 1976 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

The house and grounds are often used in film and television. The house's descending staircase is one of the most famous sets in Hollywood.

Description

The 55-room, Tudor-style former residence, convert|46000|sqft|m2|abbr=on, is sitting on 16 acres of land. At the time it was built, it cost over $3 million and was the most expensive home built in California up to that point.Citation | last = Timme | first = Katherine | title = The History of Greystone | url=http://www.greystonemansion.org/history.html | accessdate = 2007-12-27]

History

On February 16, 1929, four months after Ned Doheny, his wife Lucy and their five children moved into Greystone, Ned died in his bedroom in a murder-suicide with his secretary, Hugh Plunket. The official story indicated Plunket murdered Ned either because of a "nervous disorder" or inflamed with anger over not receiving a raise. Others point out that Ned's gun was the murder weapon and that Ned was not buried in a Catholic cemetery with the rest of his family, indicating that he had committed suicide. Both men were involved in the trial of Ned's father in the Teapot Dome scandal. [ [http://www.militarymuseum.org/Doheny.html Military Museum description of the Teapot Dome scandal] ]

Ned’s widow Lucy remarried and lived in the house until 1955, at which time she sold the mansion and its grounds to Chicago industrialist Henry Crown, who rented the estate to movie studios. In 1963, Crown planned to subdivide the property and demolish the mansion. Beverly Hills stopped the demolition by purchasing the mansion in 1965. The estate became a city park on September 16, 1971, and on April 23, 1976 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The city leased the mansion to the American Film Institute, from 1965 to 1982, for $1 per year, hoping to get repair and upkeep work from the institute.

Current Use

Greystone is now a public park, and is also used as a location for special events. The estate is popular as a filming location due to its beauty, manicured grounds and Beverly Hills location. Some productions contribute to the upkeep and renovation of the mansion. "There Will Be Blood" renovated the downstairs two lane bowling alley to include it in the film.

In addition to the numerous events that take place at Greystone, the mansion plays host each year to Catskills West, a theater arts and drama camp run by Beverly Hills Parks and Recreation, from mid June to early August. The camp presents a play in the pool area twice during the summer.

The mansion is also used for performances of the play "The Manor" written by Kathrine Bates, directed by Beverly Olevin and produced by Theatre 40, of Beverly Hills. "The Manor" takes place in a number of different rooms of the mansion. The audience is separated at certain times during the play to watch some scenes in a different order. The plot of the "The Manor" is a fictionalized account of the Doheny family, involving Doheny's involvement in the Teapot Dome scandal and his son's murder. "The Manor" has been performed at Greystone Mansion since 2002.

Greystone Mansion is also the location of 'The Annual Hollywood Ball' where hundreds of celebrities gather each year for a grand fashion show, dinner and auction to raise money for the Pure Foundation, helping children in need around the globe. The million dollar gathering also includes live performances by leading artists.

Shot on Location

*"All of Me"
*"Batman"
*"Big Lebowski"
*"The Bodyguard"
*"Dead Ringer"
*"Death Becomes Her"
*"Entourage"
*"Gilmore Girls (The Chilton Academy)"
*"I'd Do Anything for Love (but I Won't Do That)" (music video)
*"Indecent proposal"
*"It's Like That" (Music Video)
*"MacGyver" (Season 1 Episode 12)
*"" (Benjamin Gates and Abigail Chase's mansion. Seen when Conner, Abigail's date, drives her up to the front door, filmed in the courtyard of the Mansion)
*"Rock Star"
*"Rush Hour"
*"The Disorderly Orderly"
*"The Prestige"
*"The Puppet Masters"
*"Spider-Man 2"cite book | last = Sanderson | first = Peter | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = The Marvel Comics Guide to New York City | publisher = Pocket Books | year = 2007 | location = New York City | pages = 62-63 | url = | doi = | id = | isbn = 1-14653-141-6]
*"Stripes" (Outside Courtyard)
*"There Will Be Blood"Citation | last =Hobart | first =Christy | author-link =Christy Hobart
title =At Greystone, there will be 'Blood' -- and bowling
newspaper =Los Angeles Times | pages =F1, F4 | year =2007 | date =12-27-2007
url = http://www.latimes.com/features/home/la-hm-blood27dec27,1,6977925.story?ctrack=2&cset=true]
*"X-Men"
*"It's Like That(Mariah Carey song)" (Music Video)
*"We Belong Together" (Music Video)
*"The Witches of Eastwick"
*"Winter Kills"

References

Flowers in the Attic

External links

* [http://www.beverlyhills.org/attractions/greystone/default.asp Official Site]