Frank Sinatra’s luxurious former home in the San Fernando Valley has been sold for $5 million, as Emily Davis reports for the New York Post.
“The L-shaped mid-century modern estate includes four bedrooms and six bathrooms across 6,661 square feet. Called ‘Farralone,’ a combination of ‘far away’ and ‘alone,’ the home boasts sweeping views of a nature preserve from its 50-foot pool and lengthy pergola lounge. The mountaintop home was built between 1949 and 1951 for a Chase Bank heiress by architect William Pereira, who also created San Francisco’s Transamerica Pyramid and the Los Angeles International Airport.
The main home was rented by Sinatra in the 1960s and served as a ‘playground’ for the elite of Hollywood’s Golden Age. A neighbouring parcel, which the new buyers snagged for an additional $3 million, includes a small home and pool … The iconic estate’s modern designs made it a standout during Sinatra’s time, with 16-foot-high ceilings, moveable glass walls and zebra cork flooring.
The home’s striking design and classic California valley panorama views has made it a timeless hot spot for movie, TV and music video shoots. Most recently it was wrapped in red for an Hermes launch party and was the setting of Miley Cyrus’ viral music video for Grammy-winning song ‘Flowers.’ It’s been rented by more than 500 film and TV production companies, according to the home’s publicity materials … The home generates up to $1.2 million a year in rental revenue, according to the listing.
The future of the home’s neighbouring property is an open question. The land’s zoning allows for an expansive future, according to the listing, including the development of 10 additional homes, as well as the construction of equestrian facilities or a vineyard.
The home’s previous owners originally listed it for $21.5 million in 2021, but that price eventually slid to $8.9 million in 2023. The home was sold in a foreclosure sale to Rock Asset Management Trust in 2024 for just $2.1 million, Mansion Global reported, after the original owners fell behind on their mortgage due to losing rental revenue during the pandemic and subsequent Hollywood writer’s strike.”
In April 1961, as Marilyn prepared for her return to Los Angeles, Sinatra offered her the use of his guesthouse for the summer while he was on tour in Europe. She later moved into an apartment in Beverly Hills, where her neighbour was Sinatra’s secretary, Gloria Lovell. The two stars had an on-off romance that year, which makes the often repeated claim that Marilyn used the property for liaisons with John F. Kennedy seem rather absurd.
Sinatra endorsed Kennedy during his 1960 election campaign, but their friendship later cooled – while Marilyn wouldn’t meet JFK until 1962. An anecdote from Donald Spoto’s Marilyn Monroe: The Biography dispels the notion that Sinatra would never have ‘shared’ her with anyone – even the President.
“‘There’s no doubt that Frank was in love with Marilyn,’ said the producer Milton Ebbins, who knew them both well that the year. Ebbins, a friend of Sinatra and vice-president of Peter Lawford’s production company, recalled an incident that revealed Sinatra’s infatuation with Monroe. After accepting an invitation to a luncheon for President Kennedy at the ocean-front home of Lawford (who was then married to the president’s sister Patricia), Sinatra failed to arrive.
‘He has a terrible cold,’ said Gloria Lovell, telephoning the singer’s last-minute excuse … ‘Oh, Gloria, come on, this is hard to believe,’ replied Ebbins, who took the call. ‘Tell him he’s got to come. He can’t do this to the president!’
But the secretary was adamant: Sinatra would not appear. Later, Ebbins learned from Lovell and from Sinatra himself the real reason for the astonishing absence: ‘He couldn’t find Marilyn!’ Ebbins recalled. ‘She had been staying at his house for a weekend, and she had gone out for something – shopping or a facial or whatever – and he couldn’t find her! It wasn’t worry for her safety, he was just that jealous of her whereabouts! To hell with the president’s lunch!'”
The Marilyn Report 