Former Grace Kelly Estate Sold in Pacific Palisades 

By LILY TINOCO | Reporter

The former Grace Kelly estate—described as one of the most coveted pieces of property in Pacific Palisades—sold off-market on Monday, January 6.

The Alma Real Drive property sold for $11.5 million, making it the most expensive sale so far in 2020.

The lot is one of the largest in the Palisades at just under 34,000-square-feet and one of the only double lots in The Huntington.

The 4,694-square-foot, ranch-style home has four bedrooms and five bathrooms, according to Trevor Zien from The Agency. Outside, there is a large pool and lush greenery surrounding the premises.

The property was built in 1948, renovated in 1957, and features two separate dens, an art studio and a deck that offers scenic ocean and canyon views.

“The inside boasts a rustic and sophisticated design blending beautiful natural materials such as elegant wood and stone,” Zien told the Palisadian-Post. 

Zien mentioned that Kelly would live here while she filmed, as she was an American film actress from the early to mid-1950s.

Kelly was from the city of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania and aspired to become an actress at the age of 18—she was a rising star by 25. Kelly had an elegance that was simply captivating and led her from one role to another … and another.

In the years between 1950 to 1956, Kelly had starred in 11 films and quickly became a Hollywood icon and sought-after actress. Alfred Hitchcock cast Kelly in a number of films, including “Dial M for Murder,” “Rear Window” and “To Catch a Thief.”

Her role in the film “The Country Girl” earned her an Oscar for best actress in 1955. That same year, Kelly found herself a home in the Palisades.

A Chicago Tribune newspaper clip from December 22, 1955, shared: “Grace Kelly found a house in Pacific Palisades and expects to move in the first week in January.”

The home belonged to William Lear, who traveled abroad and rented Kelly his home at the start of 1956. The Lear family moved back into the house in the fall of 1956. She married Prince Rainier III of Monaco later that year.

Years later, Kelly suffered a stroke while driving and swerved off a windy road in Monaco, leaving her unresponsive. She passed away at 52 years old.

A 2004 Post article written by Bonnie Worley, who grew up on Chapala Drive, recalled Kelly’s stay in the Palisades.

“We had celebrities in our neighborhood … Grace Kelly was renting a home on Alma Real,” Worley wrote.

Post Contributing Writer Michael Oldham also caught up with Palisades residents for their memories back in 2015.

Oldham spoke to John Melstrom, who lived directly across the street from Kelly during her stay on Alma Real.

He shared that Melstrom, “recalled with a laugh, he remembers his mother ‘being nosey.’ She would go to a window in their home that faced directly across the street from Kelly’s house … and lift a blind up to watch the comings and goings of the house.”

Although Kelly’s stay was impermanent, she will always be Pacific Palisades royalty.