Having been born in Prague in 1899, Franz Lederer was drawn to the world of the theater from an early age. After studying at Prague's prestigious Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, Lederer became involved in a number of European productions. In the late 1920s, Lederer began acting in motion pictures, starring opposite Louise Brooks in Pabst’s classic silent film Pandora’s Box.

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When Lederer immigrated to America in the early 1930s as virulent anti-Semitism flared up across Europe, in conjunction with the rise of the Nazi regime, he came to the United States as a Jew. In the early 1960s, the handsome young actor landed lead roles opposite such silver screen sirens as Claudette Colbert, Ginger Rogers, and Joan Bennett, which helped him establish a successful Hollywood career.

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During the same year Lederer shot his first American films, he also began building a residence and ranch for himself on a large piece of land he purchased in the San Fernando Valley. In spite of the fact that Lederer's land was located in what was at the time known as Owensmouth, the area has subsequently been renamed Canoga Park, and later, given the name it now carries, West Hills.

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During that time, showbiz folks often chose Tudor-style homes or Spanish-Mediterranean homes because they were associated with fairytales, high-class lifestyles, and exotic romances. In his home design, Lederer was influenced by a less common period vernacular, but one that may have seemed "exotic" to him - the Spanish Franciscan missions of Alta California. 

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A decade ago, Lederer painstakingly built an estate that was his own personal interpretation of a California mission, in collaboration with designer John R. Litke. As it turns out, that estate, Los Angeles Cultural-Historical Monument No. 204, is currently on the market for the second time in its history.

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In addition to the three-bedroom, three-bathroom hacienda, the landmark property contains a two-story guest house with three bedrooms and two bathrooms. It is situated on a 6.7-acre knoll in the city center. The 4,800 square foot hacienda is surrounded by a brick-paved courtyard with access to its interior spaces on three sides, as well as a fountain and galleries on the front. 

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Located in the east wing, the home contains a third bedroom, a library, and a pub with built-in bar and banquette, as well as a 1,000-square-foot great room that divides the west wing from the east wing, which contains the kitchen, formal dining room, and two ensuite bedrooms. Every corner of this home is filled with exceptional craftsmanship and museum-quality details. 

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There are centuries-old floor tiles from Spain and Portugal in most rooms, as well as beamed ceilings and whitewashed, rough brick walls anchored by a brick hearth. Aside from the arched windows, doorways, and niches, there are also circular stained-glass insets, carved wood built-ins, wrought-iron sconces, 35 pairs of antique Spanish doors, and stones quarried on the property's grounds that form the exterior walls.

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Having lived at his meticulously crafted hacienda for six decades, Lederer passed away in 2000 at the age of 100, and it is likely that he would have remained in residence even longer had the Northridge earthquake of 1994 not destroyed the property in many ways.

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After Lederer and his wife relocated to Palm Springs, the West Hills estate remained unoccupied for more than ten years. However, in 2000, the entire property underwent an earthquake reinforcement and modernization process, with an investment worth millions, as stated in the current marketing material.

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This historic hacienda was last sold in 2013 for $1.5 million. It is now being offered for $10.5 million. There are four parcels of land included in the sale as well as two cows, as well as some of the hacienda's furnishings and artifacts, but not all of them.

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Deasy Penner Podley holds the listing on behalf of Mike Deasy and Sean Vandygriff.

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