C.E. Toberman Estate (Los Angeles, California)

 house, historic landmark, 1920s construction

1847 Camino Palmero St
Los Angeles, CA 90046

In 1922, C. E. Toberman hired architects Russell & Alspagh to design his dream house, which took two years to build and was completed in 1924. The house was built for Charles E. Toberman (1880-1981), a noted real estate developer who was known as "Mr. Hollywood" and the "Father of Hollywood" for his role in developing Hollywood and many of its landmarks, including the Hollywood Bowl, Grauman's Chinese Theater, the Roosevelt Hotel, the Grauman's Egyptian Theatre and the Hollywood Masonic Temple. The house was reportedly featured in the first issue of Architectural Digest with a young Bette Davis at the front door. The Toberman family lived at the estate until 1941. It was situated on one of the most exclusive streets in Hollywood, adjacent to the Errol Flynn estate and with neighbors including Bette Davis, Samuel Goldwyn, Preston Sturges, Al Jolson, Ozzie and Harriet Nelson and Fatty Arbuckle.

The estate, built on a 2-acre lot, includes a 19-room, 9,800-square-foot main house, a 1,809-square-foot guest apartment and garage, and a separate natatorium with a 30 by 50-foot (tiled pool with cabanas under skylights. The main house has eight fireplaces, a butler's pantry and cut-crystal doorknobs. Toberman, who lived to be 101 years old, recalled in a 1981 interview that the estate became "practically a country club" with its enclosed enclosed swimming pool, tennis courts and formal gardens.

The Toberman Estate has long been a popular filming location. In 1990, it was the principal filming location for the film Where Sleeping Dogs Lie. The Toberman Estate was also used as "the hip 'trophy' house of Vincent Chase on the first two seasons of HBO's Entourage.