Beverly Hills' Witch's House

There was a period in Los Angeles when fairy tale architecture was all the rage. What fairy tale architecture is is something that could only happen in Hollywood the land of make believe. These were homes and businesses that were built in the style of homes in fairy tales; they have the look of a house that Hansel and Gretel might just live in. One of the most famous is the Witch's House (actually known as the Spandena house) located in the very glam Beverly Hills. It was built in 1921 by a Hollywood art director named Harry Oliver for a film company in Culver City. The house was moved to its current location in 1934 where it became the family home of the Spandena family. It was originally surrounded by a moat and intentionally overgrown looking English style garden. The Spandena family lived there unti selling it in the 1960's. the house slowly fell into disrepair and in the 1990's it was once again up for sale. The location is a prime spot in Beverly Hills ( the corner of Carmelita and Walden Drives) and most people were interested in buying it as a tear down. Local Realtor Michael Libow bought the house and started restoring it. He put up a large wall around the property that caused a local uproar as the neighbor's assume he was tearing it down. The house now it completely restored and a beloved local landmark. It can also be seen in the movie Clueless. It is a must see when visiting Beverly Hills.