Pickfair

Beverly Hills, California 

The Rise and Fall of Old Hollywood's Most Famous Estate

Pickfair embodies the magic, grandeur and heartbreak of Hollywood's Golden Age.  It's the tale of Pickfair, the legendary estate of actress Mary Pickford and actor, Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. .. a home that was once the beating heart of the film industry's elite.  More than just a lavish mansion, Pickfair symbolized success, love and the power of a well-chosen piece of real estate though as with many Hollywood stories, its rise was followed by a dramatic fall.  

A Love Story Built in Brick and Stone

In 1919, silent film royalty Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks were Hollywood's ultimate power couple. They were adored by millions, pioneers of the film industry and among the first actors to achieve global fame.  Their love story was the stuff of fairytales and when Fairbanks wanted to surprise Pickford with a home worthy of their status, he purchased a hunting lodge on a quiet, rolling hillside in Beverly Hills, an area just beginning to attract LA's elite.

Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks were married to others when they first met, but eventually tied the knot on March 28, 1920 in what was called the "marriage of the century".  As a wedding gift, Fairbanks gave his bride,a combination of their last names, an 18-acre estate located at 1143 Summit Drive that would soon become the social epicenter of Hollywood's Golden Age.

With renowned architects Wallace Neff and Horatio Cogswell they transformed the home into a stunning 22-room English-style home featuring lead-glass windows, parquet floors, ceiling frescoes and two grand wings.  The estate boasted tennis courts, stables, a Western-style saloon and what is believed to be Los Angeles' first in-ground swimming pool where Pickford was famously photographed in a swimsuit in 1922.

Pickfair's Real Estate Success:  Why It Was a Dream Home

At its peak, Pickfair was more than just a home .. it was a symbol of success and aspiration.  The couple hosted legendary parties with guests including Charlie Chaplin, Albert Einstein, Amelia Earhart, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Greta Garbo and Winston Churchill.  

If  you were invited to Pickfair, you had truly arrived in Hollywood. 

Though beyond its glamour, Pickfair was a real estate success story for several key reasons. 

Prime Location ..  Beverly Hills in the 1920s was still being developed, but Pickford and Fairbanks' investment helped transform the neighborhood into the most desirable real estate in Los Angeles.  Their presence alone attracted other stars, turning Beverly Hills into the celebrity haven it remains today. 

Star Power & Branding .. Their home wasn't just a house .. it was an icon.  The couple's fame added immense prestige to the property.  Today, we'd call this celebrity-driven real estate value where a home associated with a famous name can command a premium price tag.

Customization & Expansion .. Fairbanks knew that a grant estate needed to stand out.  By expanding and remodeling the home to fit their needs, they made sure it was a one-of-a-kind property.  Custom features like the massive reception hall and ornate fireplaces added character and luxury. 

Timeless Architecture & Amenities .. The estate had everything a star could want .. privacy, vast entertaining spaces and beautifully designed gardens. It was ahead of its time with features that modern luxury buyers still seek today.

Then .. The Decline of Pickfair .. What Went Wrong?

Fairbanks and Pickford were Hollywood's golden couple .. until they weren't.  By the late 1920s, Fairbanks' career began to fade and he sought excitement elsewhere. He started traveling frequently and rumors of affairs surfaced.  In 1936, Pickford and Fairbanks divorced, shattering the fairytale.  After the divorce, Pickford kept Pickfair, but the magic that once filled the estate was gone.  While Fairbanks remarried and spent his final years traveling the world with his new wife, Pickford remained at Pickfair though life there was no longer the same. Once the heart of Hollywood's social scene, Pickfair grew quieter over the years.  Pickford remarried as well, sharing the home with her husband, Charles "Buddy" Rogers, but the grand parties and glamorous gatherings became a thing of the past.  As time went on, the estate became less a symbol of Hollywood's golden age and more a relic of a bygone era, standing as a reminder of a love story that had unraveled.

Pickfair's story is a testament to how a home is more than just bricks and mortar .. it holds the energy of its past. For some, staying in a beloved home brings comfort, while for others, it may be a painful reminder of what was lost. After Pickford passed in 1979, the estate was put on the real estate market.  The new buyer was actress and singer, Pia Zadora.  She and her billionaire husband, Meshulam Riklis (1923-2019) purchased it in 1988.  Riklis was an Israeli financier and businessman. 

What happened next stunned Hollywood.

The Controversial Demolition of Pickfair

Soon after purchasing the estate, Zadora demolished the mansion, claiming it was "too dilapidated to restore".  She also "alleged" the house was haunted, saying she "experienced strange occurrences inside". The news sent shockwaves through Hollywood.  The idea that a property as historic as Pickfair had been completely erased enraged preservationists.  It was a reminder that even legendary estates can vanish if not protected.  

In its place, Zadora and Riklis built a new, modern mansion with a drastically different aesthetic and lived there until they divorced in 1993. Despite its luxury, the home never carried the same charm or cultural weight.  When they later sold the property, it didn't command nearly as much value as expected.  Why?  Because it was no longer Pickfair.  It was just another large estate in Beverly Hills like all the rest. 

Pickford's name gave the estate prestige, but once it was gone .. its mystique disappeared as well.

Pickfair's architectural style was mock tudor. Pickfair had 4 levels and 25 rooms.  Construction started in 1919 and was completed in 1920.  It was demolished 70 years later in 1990.

Final Thoughts:  The Legacy of Pickfair

Pickfair was more than just a home .. it was a Hollywood dream.  It showcased the power of branding, location and timing in real estate.  It also served as a cautionary tale about how real estate must evolve with the times .. or risk losing its relevance.  Even today, Pickfair is remembered as one of LA's most famous lost estates, proving that real estate isn't just about land and buildings .. it's about stories, legacies and emotions they evoke.  

Would Pickfair have been worth more today if it had been preserved?  Almost certainly.  In real estate, legacy sells and homes with a story often attract the highest value.

This story on my blog was chosen to be published today because the 98th Academy Award honoring the best films of 2025 is being held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on this date, March 15, 2026.  The ceremony will be broadcast live on ABC hosted by Conan O'Brien.  

Enjoy and Remember Pickfair!

Oscar

Sidenote:  Lucille Ball stated that she and husband, Desi Arnaz were inspired by the combination of names in Pickfair to name their own estate (and later studio) Desilu.

adly, it was demolished when purchased by Pia Zadora.

 

"I couldn't give up on the Michigan Central Station."

Bill Ford, executive chair of Ford Motor Co.

.. great grandson of founder, Henry Ford ..

Bill Ford was the visionary behind the resurrection of the train station at 2001 15th Street in an area of Detroit known as Corktown, abandoned since 1988.  The site is seared into the memories of soldiers and their families who went off to war and came home on the those trains. The grand reopening was June 6 and drew tens of thousands of onlookers.

Ford spent $950 million to develop the 30-acre campus, transforming and redeveloping multiple properties in Corktown.  Despite the costly and overwhelming obstacles, Ford said he never could have given up and shut down the effort begun after the company purchased the train station back in 2018.  The difficult restoration work began with millions of gallons of water in the basement.

Bill Ford looked around at the historic waiting room of Michigan Central Station, now called the Grand Hall, a once-crumbling building restored to its 1913 grandeur.  The floor is polished marble, the columns stone.  This is what Ford's mother saw when she took the train to see her sister in New York so many years ago.

The restoration of Michigan Central Station preserved select pieces of graffiti from its decades of vacancy alongside the historic structure.  Ford Motor Company worked with local artists to identify and save significant, high-quality art pieces to honor the building's history which are now on display during public tours.

Graffiti Preservation:  While much of the building was cleaned, specific, notable graffiti art was curated and protected rathr than painted over.

Balancing History:  The project aimed to balance the Beaux-Arts splendor with the "ruin" era, making the graffiti a part of the building's story.

Restoration Effort:  The restoration project took over six years to complete. The station closed in 1988 and stood open to the elements for nearly three decades.  This is why the multimillion-dollar restoration of the 1913 historic depot includes spray-painted images and messages left inside the building when it had no roof, no windows, no heat and no locked doors to keep people from trespassing. 

Ford "wanted to acknowledge the past" so it curated and kept graffiti from the train  station's decades of dereliction. 

Why was the Michigan Central Station abandoned?

During WWII,  the station was used heavily by military troops.  After the war, with a growth in automobile ownership people used trains less frequently for vacation or other travel. Today, under a new partnership involving the State of Michigan, the city of Detroit and the operators of Michigan Central, a new transportation hub could begin operating by 2029.  This would include Amtrak service. 

Michigan Central Station

 

Coca-Cola Glasco GBV-50 Slider

Circa 1958

Model 130000

The Glasco GBV-50 Slider is an iconic 1950s vintage Coca-Cola slider vending machine known for its compact chest-type design.  These machines feature a mechanical, manual slide-and-release system that held 50 (6-12 oz) bottles by the neck in a chilled wet bath, along with space to pre-cool 60 more bottles, making them highly sought after collectibles for garages or game rooms.

Often called the "slider" because users slide bottles along 5 perpendicular trails each holding 10 bottles to release the mechanism. A manual, coin-operated system that, in original form, sold bottles for 10 cents.

The Glasco GBV50 Slider or Glasco Starlet (its marketing name) is a cooler and vending machine with a chromed top lid with a chrome handle first introduced by Glasco in 1957. On the front, it had the fishtail Coca-Cola logo used after 1958 on some machines. This also had a bottle opener and catcher on the front left side and a Glasco metal plate logo near the top right corner. 

 This is a chest-type cooler adapted to release bottles manually with a coin entry plate to the left side of the machine. To use it, you had to open the lid to pick your selection, deposit your coin that would mechanically allow you to release the bottle inside and then slide the drink to a butterfly-type release.

It had a very simple chest design on the outside, while on the inside it was mechanically complex.  This vending machine was produced from 1957 until 1962. 

 

Unique Carousels that will Spin You Back in Time.

The bright colors, rows of lights and organ music make boarding a carousel feel like entering a magical portal.  While technology becomes increasingly complex, the relatively simple carousel persists, transporting us back in time.

From the late 19th century to the early 20th century is considered the goldlen age of carousels, most built by companies around the United States including Herschell-Spillman, the Philadelphia Toboggan Company and Gustav Dentzel Company.  Still, people continue to build new carousels and refurbish old ones, often as a community effort. And many of us still love to ride them!

What makes a carousel great?  It's part artistry, part music and the lights.  Sometimes it's the nostalgia invoked by a century-old historic carousel, thinking of all the thousands (maybe millions?) who have circled the platform before you.  Other times, it's the creativity that goes into the shiny steeds.  some of us carousel lovers experience great excitement when seeing an animal we've never seen represented.

Dorothea Laub Balboa Park Carousel

San Diego, California 

This carousel is a lovingly restored 1910 gem spinning just steps from the San Diego Zoo. With hand-carved animals, a vintage band organ and with one of the last brass ring* games in the country, it's a whimsical nostalgic ride that delights kids and grown-ups alike. 

*A brass ring is a small, grabble ring that a dispenser presents to a carousel rider during the course of a ride. These dispensers are filled with a large number of iron or steel rings with a single brass ring or a few brass rings.  Typically, a brass ring can be traded for a prize, when is often a free repeat ride.  Although they were standard features for carousels during their heyday in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, brass ring dispensers are now rare.  The figurative phrase to "grab the brass ring" is derived from this device. 

"It used to be that you'd fall off a horse reaching for a ring, pick yourself up and get back on.  These days you fall off, pick yourself up and go to the nearsest attorney."

Carol Perron of the Perron family, historic carousel preservationists

Circa 1990

Although there are many carousels in operation today, those that still use brass ring dispenseres are very rare.  The need for carousel riders to position themselves at wide angles to reach for rings from a ring dispensing arm often leads to lost balance and falls off the ride, leading to personal injury lawsuits and hence their avoidance by most modern operators. 

Kiddie Park Carousel

San Antonio, Texas

San Antionio's historic Kiddie Park which claims to be the oldest children's amusement park in America, has an incredible collection of century-old amusement rides including the Herschell-Spillman hand-carved carousel. Built in 1918 for traveling carnivals, it features 36 wood "jumping" horses and two chariots, each horse uniquely carved and painted with some having real horsehair tails. 

City Park Carousel

New Orleans, Louisiana

New Orleans' carousel history dates back to at least 1848 with early mentions in the Picayune newspaper of a riverfront ride and a steam-powered carousel featured at the 1884 World's Industrial and Cotton  Centennial Exposition. Today, the city's most iconic example is the 1910 carousel in City Park, known affectionately as the Flying Horses. Housed in a grand, 10-sided Victorian pavilion adorned with stained glass, the hand-carved horses (each with real horsehair tails) continue to delight generations.  Both the carousel and its historic shelter are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Riverfront Carousel

Salem, Oregon

Volunteers built Salem's Riverfront Carousel from the ground up.  Salem residents who financially sponsored the carousel could choose an animal and give design input.  You can ride some eclectic animals like "Mr. Hopkins", a frog wielding a tennis racket or Ramses, the smiling great white shark. "Mr. Hopkins" is a popular, whimsical figure on the Oregon carousel.  He was specifically designed to reflect the personality of the late Don Hopkins who was a longtime carousel supporter and is intended for riders 55 inches or shorter and is built to sit on the inside row.  The frog's design features a tennis racket and a fishing pole, reflecting the personality of the real Mr. Hopkins.

Carol Ann's Carousel

Cincinnati, Ohio

The community-fueled carousel opened in Cincinnati's Smale Riverfront Park in 2015.  Following a $5 million donation from Carol Ann and Ralph Haile, Ohio's Carousel Works built Carol Ann's Carousel.  This carousel is a year-round, indoor carousel featuring 44 hand-carved, Cincinnati-themed figurres inside a glass pavilion with views of the river and skyline enjoyable in any weather. The carousel has scenes painted by local artists.  The gift from the Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, Jr./U.S. Bank Foundation is a popular attraction with a small fee per ride, offering a nostalgic experience with modern amenities like air conditioning during summer months.  It's a great addition to a day out at the riverfront with nearby parks, fountains and other attractions. 

 

1 Marine Drive

Buffalo, New York 

The Buffalo Heritage Carousel is one of the five solar-powered carousels in the world. The solar-powered roof of the Buffalo Heritage Carousel demonstrates, in real time, the power of renewable energy to operate a locally made and restored historic carousel providing education, joy and hope for the children and individuals of all ages and for generations to come. The vision is to be the beacon on Buffalo's revitalized waterfront at Canalside near the Erie Canal.

info@buffaloheritagecarousel.org

 

Neil Sedaka

1939-2026

Sedaka was an American singer, songwriter and pianist.  Beginning his music career in 1957, he sold millions of records worldwide and wrote or co-wrote over 500 songss for himself and other artists, collaborating with lyricists Howard Greenfield and Phil Cody. 

After a short-lived tenure as a founding member of the doo-wop group, The Tokens, Sedaka achieved a string of hit singles over the late 1950s and early 1960s including "Oh, Carol" (1959), "Calendar Girl" (1960), "Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen" (1961) and "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" (1962).  Sedaka maintained a successful career as a songwriter, penning hits for other artists including "Stupid Cupid" for Connie Francis and "Love Will Keep Us Together" for Captain and Tennille.  He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1983.

My favorite Sedaka song is "Laughter in the Rain".  It was recorded between November and December 1973 at Clover Recording Studios in Hollywood, California.  The song was subsequently released in October 1974 and became a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1975.  The lyrics were by Phil Cody and includes a 20-second saxophone solo by Jim Horn.

Strolling along country roads with my baby.  It starts to rain, it begins to pour.  Without an umbrella, we're soaked to the skin I feel a shiver run up my spine.  I feel the warmth of her hand in mine.

Ooh, I hear laughter in the rain Walking hand in hand with the one I love. Ooh, how I love the rainy days and the happy way I feel inside.  

While Neil Sedaka had several major hits, his most iconic and popular was "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do".  It hit #1 twice, first as a fast-paced pop song in 1962 and then as a slower ballard in 1975, a rare feat for any artist. 

Neil Sedaka, who went from classical music prodigy to talented songwriter to teenage idol to pop music fixture in a celebrated career that spanned seven decades.

RIP Mr. Neil Sedaka

Your music filled our hearts!

"Music is what feelings sound like."

 

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