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    $5M Pasadena home by Paul R. Williams has an islands-themed bar
    • April 28, 2025

    A Prohibition-era mansion by lauded architect Paul R. Williams is on the market in Pasadena for just under $5 million.

    Completed in 1928, this 6,182-square-foot Mediterranean Revival-style house features five bedrooms, eight bathrooms and a speakeasy that transitions into a Pacific Islands-themed lounge with a dance floor.

    Williams designed the home for Dr. Valentine Mott Pierce, president of the World’s Dispensary Medical Association, which manufactured Dr. Pierce’s Golden Medical Discovery, a licorice-flavored tonic introduced by his father in the late 1860s as a cure-all.

    Records show it last sold in March 2010 for $2.65 million.

    The property encompasses four parcels for a total of 1.7 acres with winding pathways, water features and tropical landscaping.

    Carved pillars, a vaulted colonnade, Italian tile flooring and hand-wrought ironwork in the foyer introduces Old World characteristics to the interior of the main house.

    A wood coffered ceiling with hand-painted motifs hovers over the living room, which has an oversized fireplace and a arched French doors to the terracotta-tiled terrace where views of the San Gabriel Mountains abound.

    The library also reflects the era’s aesthetic with wood paneling.

    The breakfast alcove retains its historical appeal in the form of a decorative wood coffered ceiling, while the neighboring kitchen has been modernized.

    Upstairs, two primary suites flank a central lounge area.

    On the lower level, the speakeasy complements the original billiard room.

    Other highlights include a climate-controlled wine room, an elevator that connects the three-car garage to the entry and the original hand-excavated pool.

    The listing agent is Darrell Done of Coldwell Banker Realty.

    Williams, a trailblazer who died in 1980 at 85, was the first Black member of the American American Institute of Architects (AIA), joining in 1923.

    A Los Angeles native, he left an indelible mark on the architectural landscape, designing nearly 3,000 homes during his career, from the 1920s to the 1970s.

    His portfolio includes luxury residences for Hollywood icons such as Frank Sinatra, Bill “Bojangles” Robinson and power couple Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Williams also experimented with architect Wallace Neff on Airform structures. The only surviving dome-shaped home by Neff recently hit the market in Pasadena for $1.85 million.

    In recognition of his contributions to architecture, the AIA in 2017 posthumously awarded Williams with the Gold Medal, it highest annual honor.

     

     

     Orange County Register 

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