Restored Magnolia Mansion Is Monument to Elegant Past

"You couldn't see the house from the street, the grounds were so overgrown. It's no wonder few people realized what type of house was here. The couple were intrigued, however, by the Spanish Colonial Revival style of the 1929 building and by features not commonly seen during their house hunting: outdoor sleeping porches adjoining two of the upstairs bedrooms, an Italian marble fireplace in the living room, a dining room with a doorman's alcove and bar dating from Prohibition days."

"The place was in deplorable condition. But they bought it the day they saw it. Five years and $250,000 later, the haunted mansion regularly serves as a showcase for large fund-raising and charity functions. Restored to the splendor of its Roaring '20s roots and the majesty of its name, The Magnolia, the property is one of Los Angeles' most recently designated historic-cultural monuments."

"This is one celebrated mansion not located in Hancock Park or another older, wealthy Los Angeles neighborhood. Rather, it is in an area of the San Fernando Valley more noted for shopping malls, apartment developments and housing subdivisions than for buildings of historic or architectural significance. The house is believed to be the only owner-occupied, single-family residence in the central Valley to be declared a historic-cultural monument."

The Magnolia, an 18-room Spanish Colonial Revival house built in 1929, sat neglected and overgrown in Sherman Oaks for years, earning the nickname "haunted mansion" from neighborhood children. When Jerry and T.J. Berns discovered the property in 1980, it was in deplorable condition with grounds so overgrown the house was invisible from the street. Despite its deteriorated state, they recognized its architectural significance, including outdoor sleeping porches, Italian marble fireplace, Prohibition-era bar, stained-glass windows, and chauffeur's quarters. They purchased it immediately and invested five years and $250,000 in restoration. The revitalized mansion now hosts major fund-raising and charity functions and holds the distinction of being the only owner-occupied single-family residence in the central San Fernando Valley designated as a historic-cultural monument by the Los Angeles City Council.

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