By DOLLY NIEMANN Special to the Palisadian-Post (Editor’s note: Occasionally, a house with particular historical interest comes on the market in Pacific Palisades. We encourage the owner or the listing agent to alert us and provide a history of the house for consideration in our monthly Real Estate News and Views section. Please send submissions to Bill Bruns: editor@palipost.com. This month we feature a estate that sits on approximately 1.5 acres at 1141 Maroney Ln. (off upper Las Pulgas Road) and is offered at $12 million.) As you approach this gracious Paul Williams-inspired colonial estate in the heart of Pacific Palisades, you are moved by its majestic character and timeless style. Built in 1938, it was first owned by actress Virginia Bruce (who became the town’s first honorary mayor in 1951), and later became the home of Deanna Durbin, who lived there during the height of her film and singing career. You can only imagine the interesting gatherings that were held on these expansive grounds in those days long ago. In 1951, attorney Raoul Magana and his wife Eugenie purchased the property from Durbin, and for the next 56 years the home was filled with fun and laughter, children and grandchildren. The Maganas hosted numerous large gatherings of friends and family through the years, celebrating the beauty, warmth and hospitality of this prized property. This estate sits behind security gates at the end of a quiet cul de sac on approximately 1.5 verdant acres. You feel the serenity as soon as you drive through the iron gates, pass the three-car garage, and approach the circular drive in front of the large arched entry. The rich gardens surround you on all sides and ahead you can just catch site of the babbling brook and koi pond, shaded by a statuesque old magnolia tree. A wandering stone pathway leads you past the pond and by the large swimming pool through the gardens and across a quaint wooden bridge to the ‘orchard’ area of the grounds with its abundant fruit trees and secluded areas for sitting quietly and enjoying the solitude. When you return to the main house, the arched entry welcomes you into the foyer, where you begin to appreciate the rich architectural features of this custom home. There are hand-carved wooden details along the arched stairway, beautiful crown moldings in all the major rooms, warm hardwood floors, wainscoting, arched leaded windows reflecting the coastal light that flows through the home, and many other exceptional details on both the interior and exterior of this fine home. As you stand in the foyer, to your left is the banquet-sized dining room with its own fireplace and leaded bay window looking out on the grounds and pool. The grand living room with its expansive walls of beautiful art is to the right of the foyer and has its own tiled fireplace and French doors leading to the brick patio, grounds and pool deck area. Off the formal living room is the more casual and cozy sun-drenched day room, a favorite spot for morning coffee. Also included on the main floor of the home are the richly paneled library and pub room, a nicely appointed kitchen adjoining the breakfast area and a large family room with its big brick fireplace and grill. A butler’s pantry and maid’s suite are also on the main floor. Upstairs are four large bedrooms and two smaller bedrooms plus a small nursery and a kitchenette. The master bedroom is tastefully appointed with high ceilings, beautiful crown moldings, its own tiled fireplace, his and her cedar-lined closet areas, and a private veranda. Within the walls of this extraordinary home are seven fireplaces, seven bedrooms and five baths (plus two half-baths) in the main house and another studio bedroom, bath and kitchenette in the carriage house. Total square footage is 7,122, on a 66,650-sq.-ft. lot. I’m thankful that this house has retained such wonderful integrity’it has been updated, but hasn’t been spoiled. A virtual photo tour is available at www.PalisadesColonialEstate.com. Shown by appointment only. (Dolly Niemann is a realtor with Prudential California Realty in the 881 Alma Real building. Contact: (310) 230-3706. She has lived in Pacific Palisades since 1971, and has been a realtor for 34 years, originally working for Mary Haizlip.)

Back on August 18, the Arlen family held a farewell tribute to the late Dr. Harold and Mary Arlen, and an estate sale benefiting charity. The event was held at the Arlen’s family home of 49 years, an historic property located at 1265 Amalfi Dr., and was ‘a ‘swan song’ to an era gone by,’ said the Arlen’s son, Michael. One hundred percent of the proceeds went to Breathe-LA, the Museum of Tolerance, the City of Hope, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, the Motion Picture & Television Fund, and KCET. ‘My parents owned one of the first great mansions to be built in the Palisades Riviera,’ Arlen said, ‘and it survives as one of the last of its era to remain true to its original design and elegance.’ Originally built and occupied by the owners of the White Sewing Machine Company (predecessor to Singer Sewing Machines), this rare 1920’s Mediterranean is located on what is now known as the Amalfi Drive “Rim”. ‘Archival pictures at Will Rogers State Historic Park show the house, majestically overlooking the polo field, from across Rustic Canyon,’ said Arlen, a 1971 graduate of Palisades High. Unique features include a ballroom (speak-easy during prohibition), complete with huge glass brick bar, art deco etched mirrors and glass cabinets and projector room; wrought-iron window treatments, gates, railings and fences; mahogany doors, floors and moldings; floor to nearly ceiling art deco raised-relief tiles in the bathrooms; Malibu tile accents, floor runners and murals throughout the house and gardens; and original silver leaf and hand-rubbed ceilings, magnificent painted murals and wooden beams with hand-sculpted details. The library has a wet bar, fireplace and wood-paneled walls and beautiful wooden beams surrounded with original painted murals reminiscent of works by Remington. Arlen listed ‘other things I love about the house,’ which was sold shortly before the estate sale: * The house is set back from the street, the front yard and enclosed garden, providing both privacy and a sound barrier from the street. * The back yard has a large pool, with diving board, an outdoor fireplace and an unobstructed view of the Santa Monica Mountains. The ocean is visible from some of the upstairs windows. * The thick stucco walls help keep the house naturally cool in the summer, warm in the winter. * The house has a multitude of one-of-a-kind features. The tiles, the murals and the rod-iron artwork are not only things of exquisite beauty, but aren’t matched in luxury or condition, even in the Southland’s historic homes or museums. * The house’s original door, window and lighting fixtures, which were imported from Germany during the 1920’s, still function and are in excellent condition. * A multitude of fruit trees and berry plants help provide homegrown food all year long. Arlen recalled magical times growing up in the Amalfi home. ‘Even before we moved to California, my parents were the quintessential party throwers,’ he said. ‘I’ve seen 16 mm films of the parties they threw at the ffficers’ barracks at Fort Lejeune, North Carolina, and at our redwood house adjacent to the Menninger Foundation in Topeka, Kansas. My dad was a medical doctor specializing in psychiatry and my mom, who studied law, specialized in raising my sister and me and, of course, throwing great parties. ‘On Halloween, my sister’s birthday, the house was always decorated and my parents, in costume, would serve Hawaiian punch from a punch bowl and homemade waffles wrapped around a scoop of ice cream. Needless to say, our home was one of the most popular places to go on Halloween. ‘My real relatives were all back East, so close family friends, who were also East Coast transplants, would gravitate to our house during the holidays. On Thanksgiving, my mom would prepare food for a core group of family friends, no less than 24. On Christmas, the group would more than double; and for New Year’s–my father’s birthday–our house would be open and literally hundreds would stop by to celebrate.’ ‘My dad loved music,’ Arlen continued, ‘and since we often hosted musical receptions at the house, some people assumed that he was in the music industry, or even the other Harold Arlen’ (who wrote ‘Over the Rainbow,’ ‘The Man That Got Away,’ ‘That Old Black Magic’ and other classic songs). ‘Actually, Dad was a medical doctor specializing in psychoanalysis,’ his son said. ‘Karl Malden played him in the movie ‘Call Me Anna,’ about Patti Duke’s struggle with a bi-polar disability (one of my dad’s specialties). In addition to his private practice in Century City, he also taught at USC’s School of Medicine. Visiting composers included Rustic Canyon resident Alfred Newman, Johnny Mercer and Harold Arlen, who would sit down at the piano and set the mood. Solo performances often gave way to impromptu jazz ensembles and the guests would entertain each other with new interpretations of their better-known works. ‘In 1966,’ Arlen recalled, ‘my parents opened our house for a fundraiser for the incumbent governor of California, Pat Brown, when Ronald Reagan decided to enter the race. At that time, he lived across the street with Jane Wyman; he later moved up the street into a house on San Onofre Drive, after he married Nancy. In a rare meeting on the campaign trail, Mr. Reagan came over to our house and paid his respects to the governor. Mr. Regan caught a friend of mine putting a ‘Vote for Brown’ on Mr. Regan’s limo and while he shook my friend vigorously, we yelled out to the media to take a picture of the incident.’ During the Malibu fire in the early 1960s, firemen set up a command post at the Arlen house, utilizing a fire hydrant at the foot of the driveway. ‘My mom made two huge lasagnas and fed the firemen who were stationed at the house,’ her son recalled. ‘She also provided them with coffee and homemade donuts the next few days. I also remember the firemen placing a big water canon on the edge of our back-yard pool. The canon would siphon water out of our pool and shoot it clear across the canyon to the houses that were threatened on the other side. With each pulse of the canon, the pool’s water level would drop about six inches!’ Michael Arlen, who has been a successful businessman and entrepreneur, lives in Mar Vista with his wife, Phebe, and three children: Bobby (14), Emily (11) and Mary (8). His sister Elizabeth is an actress who has appeared in numerous movies, including ‘St. Elmo’s Fire,’ ‘European Vacation,’ and ‘In the Company of Spies.’ She lives in Brentwood and is involved with TV and movie project development.