1906 Mediterranean estate has been fully renovated for modern living; noted for famous residents and guests as well as stunning gardens

Montecito, CA – “El Fureidis,” a historic and thoroughly renovated estate on 10 acres of lush grounds, is now being marketed by Christie’s International Real Estate, the world’s leading luxury real estate network, and SG LLC, a global advisory firm based in Santa Barbara, Calif. Offered at US $35 million by exclusive affiliate Village Properties, El Fureidis is celebrated as one of the few residences designed by renowned East Coast architect Bertram Goodhue.

The 10,000-square-foot home was completed in 1906 for James Waldron Gillespie, a member of a prominent New York real estate family, who purchased the property in 1899 and began work on a botanic garden in 1903. Gillespie commissioned his friend Goodhue to build him this Neoclassical estate, which he christened “El Fureidis.” Goodhue drew from other influences including the Romanesque and Middle Eastern to create a residence that has become the exemplar of the Mediterranean Revival style.

The property is also celebrated for its significant gardens and landscaping, originally Persian in design, and reflective of Gillespie’s fondness for palm trees. At one time, the gardens boasted more than 100 different varieties of palm and other trees, and today the expansive 10-acre grounds still harbor several century-old tree specimens.

The house itself forms a rectangle with a bright atrium terrace at its center, and is accessed through an entry hall and a “conversation room,” a Byzantine-style alcove crowned with an 18-foot-high central dome that is decorated with a floral gold-leaf design modeled after one at the church of St. John Lateran in Rome. It leads to a reception room and library, then to a living room and master bedroom, family room, fully modernized kitchen and a magnificent dining room with a barreled ceiling. Upstairs, three fully remodeled en-suite bedrooms look out on an immaculate roof deck with views of the beautiful lower terraces and gardens, Pacific Ocean, and Channel Islands. Notable bas-reliefs by sculptor Lee Lawrie decorate the exterior.

The estate has played host to many familiar visitors and occupants, according to listing agent Emily McBride Kellenberger. “At one time Nobel Prize-winning author Thomas Mann lived here and entertained guests including fellow Nobelists Albert Einstein and Winston Churchill,” she said. “Charlie Chaplin and Oona O’Neill Chaplin reportedly were married at the estate, and John F. Kennedy is said to have visited during his honeymoon.” In 1983, the estate was used as a key location in the motion picture “Scarface.” Zackary Wright, of Christie’s International Real Estate, added, “El Fureidis has great global appeal because it not only possesses timeless, classic lines but was truly built to last.”

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About Christie’s International Real Estate
Christie’s International Real Estate is an invitation-only Affiliate network composed of the world’s most proven and qualified real estate specialists in the luxury residential sector. The company has offices in London, New York, Hong Kong, Beverly Hills, Chicago, and Palm Beach, and more than 135 global Affiliates with 25,000 real estate professionals in 45 countries. For additional information about Christie’s International Real Estate, please visit www.christiesrealestate.com.