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Dolores del Rio and Cedric Gibbons' 1930s Art Deco estate in Santa Monica

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Editor's Note: This post was originally published in November 2010 and has been updated with the most recent information.


Today's Google Doodle is devoted to silent-film siren Dolores del Rio, who lived in one of our all-time favorite LA dream houses. We wrote about the house in 2010, when it was for sale for $12.45 million.


Designed in 1930 by legendary Hollywood art director Cedric Gibbons as a love-nest for himself and his then-wife, del Rio, the Art Deco-style property in Santa Monica features five bedrooms, six bathrooms, an office, a gym, a lighted tennis court, and separate staff/guest quarters. A virtual tour can be found here, and some vintage glamour shots of the house can be found at style blog Poetic Home. At the time of the listing, a commenter pointed out that producer Joe Roth owned the place; Property Shark concurs.

Here's a sexy tidbit about the house via The Daily Mirror: "Gibbons and Del Rio possessed their own bedrooms on separate floors, but a secret staircase led from one dressing room to the other, and Del Rio’s dressing room also featured a trap door that opened to the stairs."

Say, does anyone know where to find a stadium-sized engagement ring? Because we'd like to ask this house to marry us.