Lee died three years later, just weeks after her 100th birthday. The owners, who sank about $3.5 million into the towering 5,800-square-foot, six-bedroom, six-bath home, could finally take possession.
It was expected that the property, set on an acre of exclusive land, very near the iconic Sunset Boulevard and its exclusive cross street, Rodeo Drive, would be renovated immediately.
Liza, who was 56 at the time, defended her position. She explained to Daily Variety, “My father left me the house, saying, ‘It is my wish if you sell the house that you move [Lee] to a residence.’ I finally got a nice offer to sell it and offered her a $450,000 condo, tax-free. She won’t move. I’ve been supporting her forever.”
Liza’s frustrations with her stepmother went on, “I did exactly what my father asked me to do. And now we can’t go into escrow because she won’t move. I am willing to give her a happy life.”
To her credit, Liza reached out and invited Lee to dinner. Following that invitation, Lee decided to drop the lawsuit. When they met, they found a path to compromise.
Liza agreed to pay the rent to the new owners of the Beverly Hills mansion for as long as Lee resided there. Upon Lee’s death, the owners would be granted full access to the property.
Mysteriously, the magnificent estate holding an intriguing Hollywood tale was left to decay. No one ever moved in and no one restored it to its former glory.
The mansion at 812 North Crescent Drive just sat there, declining, for years on end, untenanted but for rats and squatters.
In its day, it was a picture of modernity and opulence. The exclusive home was originally built in 1925. An extensive remodeling project was underway by 1944, headed by John Elgin Woolf, who was known as the “architect to the stars.” Vincente Minnelli purchased it in 1951 while it was being renovated. The project was completed in 1954.
Woolf is renowned for the Hollywood Regency style, which fashioned glamorous architecture and living spaces by pulling together threads of Greek Revival, 19th-century French and Modernist, into what would later be recognized as postmodern. The classy abode featured a motor court and a luxurious modern pool.