Vintage SoCal: Early Hollywood Hills bungalow could tell some tales

Countless Los Angeles homes have had a brush with fame. Some, more than once.

While headlines of the day were heralding the sinking of the RMS Titanic and the election of Woodrow Wilson as U.S. president, C.S. Albright was creating this archetypal Craftsman in the Hollywood Hills. The architect would become known for designing many of the Hollywoodland development’s early houses.

But this 1912 property’s century-plus name game was only getting started.

The bungalow was owned in the 1920s by silent film actress Jean Acker, who was screen legend Rudolph Valentino’s estranged wife.

The Hollywood cachet continued in the early 1930s when the cabin-like retreat was purchased by supporting actor Leonid Snegoff and his wife, jazz and ragtime pianist Madge Mullen Snegoff. A steady stream of creative owners, including a voice actor and an author, has since called the place home.

Set on a quiet cul-de-sac, the 2,363-square-foot house is clad in gray shingles and trimmed in white. Retained are the original floors, windows, interior wood details and hardware.

A brick fireplace anchors the living room, while skylights brighten the other end of the space. Newer touches include an updated kitchen with a Viking range, a farmhouse sink and top-end appliances.

The lower-level master suite has an oversized bathroom with double sinks, a separate shower and a soaking tub for a total of three bedrooms and two bathrooms. An adjoining room could serve as a studio, an office or a nursery. There is access to an outdoor spa.

Decks, patios, a waterfall and the key to a private park down the street complete the package.

Priced at $1.698 million, 1954 Pinehurst Road, is listed with Tatiana Tensen of Sotheby’s International Realty.

This occasional feature celebrates Southern California’s architectural heritage through residences built before 1950.

Submit candidates for Vintage SoCal to lauren.beale2@latimes.com.