Wallace Beery's William Kesling Designed Residence For Sale

William Kesling's Streamline Moderne home has been listed at $1.07 million. It was built in 1936 for Wallace Beery, an Academy Award winning actor and one time elephant trainer for the Ringling Brother's circus. Beery stared in films such as "The Lost World," "Robin Hood," and "The Champ." He was the first husband of the famous Gloria Swanson, star of "Sunset Boulevard," and was later married to Rita Gilman.

William Kesling's architectural style showcases his love of Hollywood, curved forms, straight lines, and art deco aesthetics. Once he began working with Wallace Beery, who had a love for airplanes, Kesling incorporated aviation and aeronautic elements into the design. Beery enjoyed Kesling's work so much, he had two other properties built, according to Silver Lake News.

This property features three bedrooms and two bathrooms, with just under 1,500 square feet of living space. The home has been meticulously renovated by the former and present owners. The 7,000 square foot lot includes masterful succulent gardens, a koi pond, and walking paths. It has been featured in Dream Palaces of Hollywood's Golden Era, Kesling Modern Structures, and Metropolitan Home Magazine. Kesling's Adams House is also for sale in the nearby Silver Lake area.

Photos by Everett Fenton Gidley, courtesy of Victoria Massengale of Keller Williams Beverly Hills.

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Comments

[scotia626]

02:34 PM on 07/28/2011

lovely house. but great example of terrible "advertising"- pics are awful, no address and if you click on the agent's site you cant find it. As one curretnly in the market, this just reaffirms my posiiton that LA real estate are incompetent.

[Flat Harrold]

05:24 AM on 07/26/2011

Please, if there is any good in the world, someone will buy this small treasure and preserve it. Such style!

[StevenWells]

03:45 PM on 07/21/2011

I really like the house - the "bones," anyway - and I hate to pick nits, but the article correctly identifies the style up front as "Streamline Moderne," and then incorrectly cites "art deco aesthetics" in the second paragraph.

Yes, many consider the terms almost interchangeable, but it's still incorrect. Where streamline features curves, art deco is angular; streamline accentuates the horizontal and art deco emphasizes the vertical; streamline is clean and spare; art deco is ornamented with varied geometric shapes.

Well, sorry. I just think people should know these things if they're going to use the terminologies. It's a pet peeve.

[Glenda Cherry]

08:54 PM on 07/18/2011

I'm sure it's a lovely home ... but why didn't the agent hire a professional real estate photographer to take the photos? These are awful!

[Victoria Massengale]

12:36 PM on 07/28/2011

We did hire a very expensive professional real estate photographer. Since the original photos were taken, we've had a new (less experienced, less expensive and a MUCH better artistic eye) photographer come in. Just goes to show that no matter how many recommendations you get, they sometimes disappoint. We also had some photos from various publicatons, including some Julius Schulman shot, but couldn't get permission to use them.

[Vivian Alicia Evans]

03:13 AM on 07/18/2011

Love the garden and the pool.

[Widespread Panic]

08:46 PM on 07/14/2011

Meh.

[pinkindie]

12:32 PM on 07/14/2011

Love the flora and fauna.

[ex-eye-in-the-sky]

10:20 AM on 07/14/2011

Wow...what a place!! I hate to admit it...but I still can't watch "The Champ" without bawling like a little wuss.

[Bathat]

02:29 AM on 07/14/2011

Of all the house I've seen on HuffPost, this is the first one I wanted to immediately move into. And this despite the fact whoever photographed it did a lousy job.

[cavekarst]

12:03 AM on 07/14/2011

Wait? Wasn't the deceased first owner named Walace Beery?
I know another beer belly named Berry who has artistic talent.

[cavekarst]

11:53 PM on 07/13/2011

This forever-fixed gum drop is squeezed by some big shoeboxes that other people decided to live in.
For the same money you could live in Vermont or New York and cruise by backyard moored boat thru'
Canada to the Atlantic Ocean. In 1936 I guess Berry thought the smell of orange groves would waft
into his windows forever.

[Targetdog]

10:54 AM on 07/13/2011

Very nice, though I am partial to Craftsman Bungalows myself.

[bealebkk]

12:53 AM on 07/13/2011

Great house, I remember seeing it as a child, just as my dad stepped on the gas.

[KIVPossum]

11:52 PM on 07/12/2011

Me likey

[Gailers]

08:45 PM on 07/12/2011

I wish there were more pictures for me to make an informed decision. My first thought was, too eclectic, not feeling it...