Altadena’s landmark Zane Grey estate on the market for $4M

Now up for grabs in Altadena is one of the town’s most notable landmarks, the Zane Grey Estate. Sited behind iron gates on a 1.19-acre lot west of Lake Avenue, the Mediterranean Revival-style home was designed in 1907 for Chicago inventor and businessman Arthur Woodward by renowned Pasadena architects Myron Hunt and Elmer Grey. Constructed with reinforced concrete, it was one of the earliest fireproof homes built in the area.

In 1920, Woodward sold the estate to Zane Grey, best-selling author of what’s been called “the most popular Western novel of all time,” Riders of the Purple Sage. The novelist subsequently expanded the residence, adding a 3,500-square-foot library and office where he did most of his writing.

The property remained in the Grey family for decades, last trading hands in 1970. In recent years, it’s been the site of an underground farmers’ market as well as a popular Airbnb rental, but now it’s ready to start a new chapter.

Per the listing, the 7,240-square-foot home has eight bedrooms, four bathrooms, a “commercial kitchen with fifteen-foot ceilings” in addition to the main kitchen, a wine cellar, and a “roaming basement of rare proportion.”

Original architectural elements include lofty beamed ceilings, hardwood and concrete floors, custom cast iron sconces and chandeliers, built-in shelving and furniture, and two sizable fireplaces with Batchelder and Grueby tile surrounds. The sprawling grounds contain mature trees, numerous planter boxes, and a hen house.

On the National Register of Historic Places, the property is listed with Wayne Saks of Rodeo Realty an an asking price of $3.995 million.