The Mountain Mermaid

Grand 1930s architectural gem on several acres with lush gardens and mountain views. Spell-binding ambience, nature, serenity, and beauty are the prime amenities of this bucolic retreat. • LOCATION - In Topanga Canyon, the celebrated vortex of art and eccentricity. Minutes to urban Los Angeles, yet seems a zillion miles away. • NATURE - Surrounded by thousands of acres of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, the largest urban park in America • GRAND SCALE - 7,000-square-foot architectural gem on several acres of rural bliss. • DROP-DEAD GORGEOUS - Candy for the eyes. Beauty is perhaps its prime amenity. • AMBIENCE - Great vibe, intimacy and warmth. • MOUNTAIN VIEWS and fresh air. • LUSH GARDENS with meandering pathways, fountains everywhere and lots of vintage outdoor furniture. • WILDLIFE - A Certified Wildlife and Butterfly Habitat. Peacocks roam, bunnies hop about, bees buzz, and hummingbird drink from the fountains helicopter-style. • SPECTACULAR GREAT ROOM with 16-foot high truss-beamed ceiling, grand staircase, and original hardwood maple floors. • THREE BEDROOMS - The Siren Room, Mountain Room, and Tower Room. • 3 ENSUITE BATHROOMS, beautifully appointed. • BIG FIREPLACE in the Great Room to warm the soul. • EXTERIORS - Patios, Verandas, Balconies, and Decks. • BIG CLASSIC SWIMMING POOL - 20’ X 40’, three to eight feet deep with deep azure bottom. • OFF-STREET PARKING - If you visit, please park inside the front gate, not on the neighborhood streets. • PHOTOGENIC - A favorite location with photographers and filmmakers for decades. • NOTORIOUS HISTORY - The property was originally developed in the early 30s as the Sylvia Park Country Club. In the 40’s it was reinvented as a gambling house run by the infamous gangster, Mickey Cohen. In the 50’s it was reborn again as The Canyon Club, a gay nightclub owned and operated by a former vice cop. Other assorted identities include American Legion hall, boarding house, theatre, and a celebrated artist’s haunt that featured world-class chamber music and more. By the late 1980s, the place was an exercise in deferred maintenance, a shipwreck in slow motion listing precariously, with a crumbling foundation, a checkered past, and an uncertain future. In 1989, a local artist with a passion for old houses and history bought the property, moved in with the rats, bats, and one feral cat, shoveled the horse manure from the floor, and began a 25-year journey of rebirth and rehabilitation. Now it is a horticultural retreat for the rejuvenation of mind, body and spirit, and for the preservation of our natural, architectural and historical heritage The rest is history.