Rudolph Valentino’s former Beverly Hills estate sells for $15M

Silent film star’s Falcon Lair now has approved plans for 30K-sf mansion

Rudolph Valentino and his former estate, Falcon Lair (Getty, Hilton & Hyland)
Rudolph Valentino and his former estate, Falcon Lair (Getty, Hilton & Hyland)

A four-acre Beverly Hills estate that once belonged to the golden boy of Hollywood’s early Golden Age is ready for its megamansion.

Falcon Lair, the property that had been owned by silent film star Rudolph Valentino, sold for $15 million, according to Dirt.com. That’s half the original asking price when it hit the market in late 2018.

The property at 1436 Bella Drive in the Beverly Crest section sold to filmmaker Jenifer Westphal and her husband, Jeff, according to the report.

It comes with approved plans for a 30,000-square-foot mansion described in marketing materials as a “Modern Mediterranean home.” The seller, aircraft businessman Michael Rogerson, had intended to build the sprawling home, but never did. In 2006, he demolished the 1925 Spanish-style villa that belongs to Valentino.

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There are a few remaining pieces of Valentino’s original estate, including a carriage house topped with an apartment unit and the iron gate at the entrance. There are also some stone walkways, terraces and an outdoor shrine of sorts.

A former stable building remains, as does a garage on a separate parcel that later owner, tobacco heiress Doris Duke, converted into a three-bedroom guesthouse and pool pavilion. The Westphals purchased that parcel last year for $3.8 million, according to the report.

Jeff Hyland of Hilton & Hyland had the listing. Tim Smith with Coldwell Banker Realty represented the buyers.

[Dirt] — Dennis Lynch