Trousdale Estates: The Midcentury Enclave Built on the Doheny Ranch

One developer, 532 lots and a rulebook on roof heights. Here's how the hills above Greystone became Beverly Hills' best-known modernist neighborhood.

Head north on Loma Vista Drive past the gates of Greystone, and the streets turn into terraced pads with wide views. This is Trousdale Estates, a neighborhood in the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains that was developed in the 1950s and 1960s. It’s named for developer Paul Trousdale.

From ranch to subdivision

Trousdale Estates sits on what was the Doheny Ranch, the land around Greystone, the 1928 mansion Edward L. Doheny built for his son. In the mid-1950s Trousdale bought the estate from Ned Doheny’s widow, Lucy. He persuaded the Beverly Hills City Council to bring his planned neighborhood into the city, and the mansion itself was later saved by the city as a park.

Trousdale divided the land into 532 lots. All of them were subject to rules set by an Architectural Committee, including limits on roof height that were meant to protect views. Allen Siple was the supervising architect. Early houses were designed by well-known Southern California architects, among them Wallace Neff, Paul R. Williams, A. Quincy Jones and Harold Levitt.

The view rules

As houses were remodeled over the years, some started blocking their neighbors’ views. In response, the Trousdale Estates Homeowners Association and the City of Beverly Hills put in place what’s known as the Trousdale ordinance, and the city now enforces its building and view-protection rules. If you’re thinking of buying or remodeling here, the most important step is to check a lot’s height and view restrictions with the city’s planning staff before you commit.

A short list of famous residents

The best-documented example is Richard Nixon, who lived in the neighborhood from 1962 to 1963, between his vice presidency and his presidency. Over the decades the neighborhood has had many entertainment-industry residents. We list only those we can confirm from primary records or on-the-record reporting.

Reading the market

Published price averages for Trousdale vary widely by source and time period, so we won’t print one here without a dated, named source. Our forthcoming market explainer will cover where Beverly Hills sales data comes from, including the Los Angeles County Assessor and Recorder and MLS reports, and how to read it.

Main street: Loma Vista Drive. Next door: Greystone Mansion & Gardens, 905 Loma Vista Drive.