The legendary PickFair Estate

A majestic venetian mansion that overlooks the magnificent views of Beverly Hills.

Of all the grand residencies throughout the world, few have achieved the status as that known by PickFair. The name PickFair was synonymous with “Movie”, “Glamour”, “Romance”, “Status” and the highest level of “Luxury”.

Mary Pickford known as “America’s Sweetheart” was one of the few stars to be successful in both the silent and sound film eras. She won an Academy Award for Best Actress in 1929.

Mary Pickford married Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. the action-adventure film star actor, screenwriter, director, and producer noted for his swashbuckling roles in such movies as The Mark of Zorro (1920), The Three Musketeers (1921), Robin Hood (1922), The Thief of Baghdad (1924) and The Black Pirate (1926) on March 28, 1920.

The wedding gift from Fairbanks to his love and “America’s First Movie Star” Mary Pickford was a Beverly Hills hunting lodge in the untamed hills west of Hollywood that would inaugurate an influx of movie-industry residents which would include Rudolf Valentino, Tom Mix, and Will Rogers, among others.

Fame and transformation

The first famous couple from the era of silent film, Pickford and Fairbanks, bought this house, originally developed as a hunting lodge, in 1919. They renovated extensively, with the plans of architect Wallace Neff, to transform the lodge into a 22 room mansion luxuriously decorated with ceiling frescos and the highest quality art and furnishings available, and thus launched the migration of motion picture people into Beverly Hills. This is believed to have been the first private property in the Los Angeles area to include a swimming pool.

Hollywood royalty

Together, Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford were regarded as “Hollywood Royalty” and were famous for entertaining at their Beverly Hills estate which came to be known as PickFair, a combination of their surnames. The wedding gift from Fairbanks to Pickford has allured celebrities and royalty including Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Charles Chaplin, Albert Einstein, Amelia Earhart, Jack Dempsey, Charles Lindberg, Lord and Lady Mountbatten, the Crown Prince of Japan were amongst many who visited.

New beginnings

When the marriage between second husband Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford ended by divorce in January 1936, she turned to co-star Buddy Rogers for support. This relationship blossomed while she continued to focus as Vice President and co-founder of United Artists. Rogers proposed to Pickford and the couple was married on June 24, 1937, the marriage lasted until Mary’s death in 1979. Soon after, Buddy Rogers moved out of PickFair and built a new home in memory of Pickford which was a smaller scale of PickFair. Rogers remarries Beverley Ricondo, a real estate agent, in 1981.

Renovations

Pickford had subdivided the original 18-acre estate over the years, and Buddy Rogers further reduced the size of the property when he sold the house to Los Angeles Lakers owner, Dr. Jerry Buss, for $5.4 million after the actress died in 1979. In 1988 PickFair was purchased by successful business man Meshulam Riklis and actress Pia Zadora for just under $7 million. In 1993, the couple endowed millions of dollars in the design and renovation of large sections of the original building, leaving a portion of the mansion, the north wing, as a legacy to this historic house. A new larger mansion was constructed in its place echoing the magnificence of its predecessor.

Motif

The original PickFair gates to the estate with their prominent "P" motif are still a reminder that during an era, PickFair was the focal point for social activities in Beverly Hills. An invitation to PickFair was a sign of social acceptance into the closed Hollywood community, and the European royalty that was often accommodated and entertained here.

Majestic Venetian mansion

Today, PickFair stands as a majestic Venetian mansion with high ceilings, ballroom size living room, formal dinning room, master bedroom suite and three family bedroom suites, sweeping balconies, indoor spa and Jacuzzi with dome glass ceiling, massage room, hair salon, gym, disco, state-of-the-art 35mm theater, guest quarters featuring a three bedroom apartment, security guard offices and subterranean parking for additional 15 vehicles. The original swimming pool remains as the showpiece of this 2.7 acres site that overlooks the magnificent views of Beverly Hills, the Pacific Ocean, Santa Monica Mountains, and the skylines of Century City and Los Angeles.

Corporate events

In April 2005, PickFair was acquired by UNICOM International, Inc., one of the privately held entites of UNICOM Global. Since 1981, UNICOM has been providing software solutions to the Fortune 500 companies and Global 2000 organizations. UNICOM uses this amazing property for corporate meetings, events and retreats across the range of divisions.

PickFair 1143 Summit Drive Beverley Hills, CA 90210 USA