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| Inside the Dennis Hopper Compound |
This is a post by Luke Jones. As a
film fan and
Venice resident, the
Hopper Compound at
330 Indiana Avenue,
Venice, always had an air of
mystique,
glamour,
edge and
avant garde about it. Even though I would see the frail
Mr Hopper in my local
gym, so obviously in the grip of his illness, he still shone through as a
giant in the world of
free-thinking, creative, artistic driven
Hollywood; the bad boy of
Tinseltown who ended up as the unofficial mayor of
Venice!
Not until today did I actually have the
opportunity of
setting foot inside this
remarkable,
sprawling masterpiece of a home. There is so much that makes this property unique, magical and exquisite. Firstly, it’s
enormous and
comprises of
five separate dwellings across a
15,000 sq ft lot – there is the
master house which was designed by
Architect Brian Murphy, there is the
guest cottage which is an
original,
vintage, craftsman cottage that dates back the
early 1900’s and then there are the
three condominiums designed by
Frank Gehry.
All, except the
guest cottage, have huge
living spaces,
garage and
vaulted and
exposed wooden frame ceilings. It’s almost impossible to list the number of
different styles,
designs and
materials used in this home but somehow it manages to
work effortlessly and creates a
natural flow that, whilst
labyrinthine, also makes sense.
The
main entrance is a small, almost
innocuous doorway at 330 Indiana Avenue, that
leads through to a
reception area that flows through to the
main artists exhibition space. Beyond this is a large 3-car
garage. Off to the
left of the
main space is a long,
verdant yard with a
lap pool and
patio area. It is out here on the lawn that you’ll find the
quaint little guest cottage that,
painted white with the
original Craftsman design, sticks out amongst all the
modernist metal,
concrete, steel and
unpainted woodwork that makes up the rest of the buildings. But, even so, it seems to
fit in.
It’s clearly a
guest cottage or a
pool house and – even though it’s about the
size of my entire home, it would probably
fit quite snugly inside the
main living room of the master house. Back
inside the master house, you’ll take a
wooden stairway up to the
main living quarters. This was
Dennis’s crash pad. With a
galley way looking down into the
main exhibition space, this
spacious,
minimalist and yet
cosy floor is entirely
open plan with
wrap-around terraces,
skylights and floor-to-ceiling
windows. It is from this side of the
master house that you can
access the
three condos on the lot via a
gangway connecting the
properties. All of these
condos are designed by
Frank Gehry and have his
signature vaulted ceilings, mixture of
concrete,
wood and
steel and all feature
large open plan
spaces. Naturally, there is an
abundance of
bathrooms and all three
condos have access to their own
roof decks.
So, it’s hard not to use too many
superlatives when describing this property. However, it would be
remiss of me not to pass on some of the
obvious eccentricities of this home – for a start, it’s going to be tough to
maintain and
heat. With so much
wood and so much
outdoor space, you’ll have to be wary of
termites. With so many
windows,
joins,
nooks and
crannies you’ll need to be careful of
leaks and
damp. With so much
open plan space,
ventilation and
high ceilings, this place could be very
expensive to heat and with
sharp edges, galley
walkways, and
staircases with no banisters or backing, this would be a
hazard for
small children.
However, if you’re looking to
live in one of the
coolest neighborhoods in the world, in a
sprawling compound designed by some of the
coolest architects of the
20th century, that was previously owned by one of the
coolest cats ever to make and
create art through filmmaking, then this is it. I’ve got to say, this is one of the
best perks of my job – being able to wander around
amazing homes like this and then share it with you. If I had to sum it up in just a few short words, I’d say that it’s
unique,
spacious,
private,
passionate and
welcoming. The legend of
Dennis Hopper will surely live on in this extraordinary compound. For more information, contact either
Jamie or myself at
The Adner Group at Keller Williams Hollywood Hills.
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