He Was One of the Biggest Names in the Theatre Business
In the mid-1990s, you couldn’t mention the word theatre without the name Vincente Minnelli cropping up. He was a visionary in his time, bringing concepts to the industry that nobody had previously thought of. While he had his supporters and detractors, everyone agreed on one thing, he was a great director.
Minnelli directed several popular musicals, comedies, and dramas in his time. Some popular examples include the musical comedy An American in Paris (1951) for which he won the Academy Award for Best Picture, and the romantic musical Gigi (1958), for which he received an Oscar for Best Director. If that's not enough, Liza's father left behind their mysterious family mansion for future generations to wonder about, as you will see soon.
Who Was Vincente Minnelli?
Vincente Minnelli was born on February 28, 1903, in Chicago. He moved around a lot in his youth before finally settling back in Chicago. While taking on a series of odd jobs, his interest in the theatre grew quickly. He started off as a costume and set designer before quickly working his way up.
He worked for a theatre chain owned by Balaban and Katz, which soon merged with a bigger national chain of Paramount-Publix. This saw Minnelli being transferred up north to work on shows in New York City. In New York, he was employed as a set designer at Radio City Music Hall and eventually worked his way up to stage director.
Next up, discover how Vincente became successful in the film industry.
Next up, discover how Vincente became successful in the film industry.
His Directorial Debut
Minnelli got his first directorial gig with a musical titled At Home Abroad. It began in October 1935, running for two years, and featured Beatrice Lillie, Ethel Waters, and Eleanor Powell. The musical was well received and was the starting point of his illustrious career.
He worked on further titles such as The Ziegfeld Follies of 1936, Hooray for What!, Very Warm for May, and The Show is On. His work caught the attention of some big names and, in 1940, he was offered a job by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM).
Want to learn more about Vincente's marriage to Judy Garland? Click Next!
Want to learn more about Vincente's marriage to Judy Garland? Click Next!
His Marriage to Judy Garland
Vincente Minnelli was married several times throughout his life. His first marriage was to the beautiful actress and singer Judy Garland on June 15, 1945. Both were well-established and well-respected names in Hollywood by that point, making the marriage (and the eventual divorce six years later) front-page news in the tabloids.
Judy Garland was a versatile actress and received numerous accolades throughout her career. These included an Academy Juvenile Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Special Tony Award, and she was the first woman to win the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1961.
In the next slide, we are revealing how the two love birds met!
In the next slide, we are revealing how the two love birds met!
The Two Met on Set While Working on a Film
Over the course of their careers, both Judy and Vincente worked on several projects together. The two first met on the set of their first project together, Vincentes’ 1944 film titled Meet Me in St. Louis, where she starred as Esther Smith.
Outside of the film industry, Judy Garland was also a talented singer, winning a Grammy for her 1961 live recording Judy at Carnegie Hall. She was also known for her Emmy-nominated TV show The Judy Garland Show, which aired between 1963 and 1964.
Show Biz Was in Their Blood
On March 12, 1946, within just a year of being married, the couple had their first and only child, Liza Minnelli. It seemed that show biz was in their blood because young Liza grew up to be a star in her own right.
She was a celebrated actress and singer just like her mother. She received an Academy Award for her role as Sally Bowles in the 1972 film Cabaret. She also received recognition for her singing, being nominated for the Grammy Awards twice. She also made some famous appearances at Carnegie Hall and Radio City Music Hall.
Sadly Nothing Lasts Forever
After nearly six years of marriage, Vincente Minnelli and Judy Garland were divorced in 1951. The divorce was allegedly fueled by Garlands’ increasingly self-destructive behaviors and abuse of barbiturates and amphetamines. She struggled with anxiety, depression, and insecurity for a large portion of her career.
Eventually, MGM was forced to terminate her contract as her behavior became more erratic and began to affect her work. This led to two suicide attempts and a further spiral into addiction. She eventually started having an affair with her third husband, Sid Luft, which spelled the end of her marriage to Minnelli.
The Sad End to a Glorious Life
After his marriage to Judy Garland crashed, Vincente Minelli was married three times more, most recently to Margaretta Lee Anderson. Sadly, he passed away on July 25 1986 at the age of 83 in his Beverly Hills home. He died from pneumonia and emphysema, he was also reported to have been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease at the time of his death.
It seemed that his death was a harbinger of doom. Ever since Minnelli passed away, there has been much contention in his family over ownership of his fortune and especially his high-priced Beverly Hills mansion.
Up next, you won't believe what happened with Vincente's will!
Up next, you won't believe what happened with Vincente's will!
His Will Caused Some Contention
Minnelli bequeathed his $1.1 million fortune to Liza Minnelli, his daughter with Judy Garland. This covers all his possessions, including the Beverly Hills mansion. He however gave $100,000 to his widow and allowed her to live in the mansions for as long as she wished.
This went on for several years until Liza put the house up for sale in 2000 without informing her stepmother. Apparently, she offered her a $450,000 condo, which she refused, preferring to remain at the mansion.
It Turned Into a Stand-Off
Lee Minnelli refused to vacate the property, even when it was finally sold off a few years later. In retaliation, Liza refused to pay for the mansion’s electricity bills and fired all the staff who helped the old lady around the house.
This kicked off their legal battle, with Minnelli's’ widow taking Liza to court. She claimed that Liza had failed to uphold the wishes left by her dead husband in his will. Let’s just say the relationship between the two women soured rather quickly.
The Court’s Decision
According to Lee Minnelli, the Late Vincente Minnelli stated that she could stay in the mansion for as long as she wished. So Lee claimed that, by breaching that contract, Liza was causing her emotional and physical anguish.
The courts stated the moving of the then 94-year-old Lee Minnelli would be tantamount to ending her life. The hostilities between the two women continued both in and out of the courtroom. Then came the issue of the wedding.
Liza's Wedding Was an Issue
Liza was getting married to the producer and TV personality, David Gest. As you would probably expect, Liza made it very clear to Lee Minnelli that she was no longer invited to her wedding. This would have been bad enough even if she didn’t throw a lavish ceremony.
According to the old widow, Liza spent thousands of dollars feeding almost a thousand guests and throwing one of the most lavish weddings of the year while the old woman was alone in a cold, dark, damp mansion. This is enough to touch even the hardest of hearts.
Liza Didn’t Take the Accusation Lightly
Of course, nobody likes being painted a cold-hearted step-daughter before the press, so Liza wasted no time in responding to the lawsuit. In an interview with Daily Variety, she claimed that her father gave her the right to sell the property with the condition that she finds proper accommodation for Lee Minnelli.
She supported this with the fact that she offered the 94-year-old widow a $450,000 condo tax-free but she refused. Liza said she could not go into escrow over the sale of the house until Lee Minnelli moved out. She further stated that she had done exactly what her father requested by supporting Lee Minnelli all these years.
They Came to a Compromise
Even with all the heated discussions and emotional accusations, the actual legal battle came to an end rather quickly. Liza invited her stepmother over for dinner and the two came to a mutual understanding concerning the property.
Lee would continue living at the mansion for the remainder of her natural life, but as a tenant to the new owners. Liza would pay for her rent and when she would eventually pass away, the new owners would take full ownership of the property.
It All Worked Out
Now that they had reached an agreement, the two women parted ways amicably enough. The house finally closed escrow in 2006, four years after the initial offer by the buyers. Lee continued living there up until 2009 when she passed away, less than a month before her 100th birthday.
With Lee finally gone, the new owners could take full control of their property which they purchased for a whopping $2.75 million. However, there were several things on their to-do list first. At the top of them was the renovation.
Strangely All Their Plans Fell Through
Strangely enough, it seemed as if their plans for renovating the mansion never took off. For some unknown reason, no restoration was ever carried out on the building. Rumors of possibly tearing down the mansion and building another structure crept up.
Unfortunately, just like the previous plans, these did not amount to much. It seems as the property had been abandoned completely and has since been home to only squatters. What a sad twist to the home Lee fought so hard to protect.
Let’s Take a Look at the Architecture
The property causing all the commotion was indeed a grand one. The home was first built in 1925. It was around this time that Spanish Revival Architecture was gaining popularity in the American West and Southwest.
The characteristic features of the style were evident in the original design of the mansion. It had beautiful terracotta features and flat roofs, with smooth plastered walls and rounded arches. The building was, however, renovated between 1944 to 1953 by John Elgin Woolf, who decided to do it in a French Louis XV style.
It Was a Home Fit for a Celebrity
Vincente Minnelli was certainly someone who appreciated a lot of free space because the mansion which was situated at 812 N. Crescent Drive, CA was massive. Minnelli moved into the mansion in 1951, shortly after his divorce from Judy Garland. Perhaps he was looking for a fresh start, and a mansion is not a bad place to start anew.
The property boasted six rooms and six bathrooms. It was 5900 square feet and set on a plot that was a massive 42,500 square feet. The architecture was beautiful and certainly a place nobody would like to leave. Perhaps that’s why his widow fought so hard to hold it.
Liza Spent a Lot of Time There
Vincente Minnelli and Judy Garland decided to have joint custody of their only child, Liza. The arrangement was that she would spend half of the year with her mother and the other half with Vincente.
Liza must have many fond memories of her time at the Beverly Hills mansion with her father because, according to all accounts, he absolutely doted on her. He hired an artist called Tony Duquette to build a huge playground in the backyard just for Liza.
Vincente Spoiled Her Constantly
It seemed Vincente did everything in his power to shower Liza with love and affection. Maybe he did this to make up for her mother’s increasingly erratic behavior and drug use issues. He gave her everything she could possibly want and more.
He had dozens of dresses made for Liza, making her house a popular hang-out spot for her friends. Some of her friends commented that Liza had more clothes than any girl could possibly need in a lifetime.
A Sneak Peek Into the Property
In 2001, the Los Angeles Times was allowed an exclusive interview of Lee Minnelli, Vincente's widow. She took them all around the opulent mansion and painted quite a picture of the sort of grandeur she lived in.
The newspaper described scenes of wealth and extravagance that left readers astonished over the lives of the rich and famous. Her dressing room was described as “being covered in python skin” and containing an astonishing amount of clothing. The “vast dressing rooms” belonging to Lee Minnelli were truly something to behold at that time.
Little Had Changed Within the Mansion
It was obvious that Lee Minnelli found solace within the home she had lived in for so long. Her refusal to leave was probably not only fueled by her ire that Liza could sell something so dear to her father Vincente, but also something that contained so many memories of the man she loved.
Little had been changed in the home since Vincente had passed away. The arrangements were largely left as they were when he was alive and the house was untouched. His easel and paint were still where they used to be decades ago. The house contained a memorabilia room that showcased all the relics from his successful career.
The Property Is Unrecognizable Now
The property was truly a place of wonder, exactly how you would expect the homes of the rich and famous to appear. Vincent Minnelli was truly a man of style with a taste for the good life.
The property must have been truly magnificent after it was newly renovated. Sadly, the mansion is barely recognizable from its former glorious state. Now it looks more like the sort of place they make up ghost stories about to scare freshmen.
The Mansion Is in a Sorry State of Disrepair
It is hard to find current pictures of the mansion, but from the few pictures available, it is clear that the property seems to have fallen on some hard times. Unkept, overgrown, and desperately in need of urgent repairs.
It’s a far cry from the picture of opulence and style painted by the Los Angeles Times interview all those years ago. It seems as if, ever since Lee Minelli passed away, the upkeep of the estate has been largely nonexistent.
It Serves as a Painful Reminder of a Time Long Gone
Sitting among overgrown vegetation and crumbling structures is something strangely eerie. In the backyard is located an empty outdoor swimming pool. Even among all the decay, it seems to stand out in the abandoned property. Without water and filled with crumbling tiles, it is reminiscent of a dystopian future.
Maybe what makes it so unsettling is that, if you look long enough, you can almost picture a happier time when Liza, Vincente, and Lee frolicked in the pool. The pool is a spooky reminder to all of us that nothing lasts forever.
The Property Resembles a House of Horrors
If you take a walk through that property, you will find it hard to believe that this set of crumbling ruins was once a glorious home. The grounds are littered with debris and vegetation is smothered, whatever landscaping once existed.
To complete the scene, there are several toppled marble columns within the grounds. It is hard to believe that anyone once lived there with the property resembling the lair of some horrible creature rather than the home of a world-renowned film director.
The Interior Was Like the Scene of a Robbery
The interior of the mansion doesn't paint a prettier picture. After years of neglect, the walls are falling apart with dampness and decay. In the kitchen, cupboard doors have been ripped off their hinges, the sink is a filthy cesspool and drawers have been stacked haphazardly.
There is broken furniture strewn everywhere and the house resembles the scene of a burglary gone wrong, minus the body...hopefully. One can only wonder how the building reached such a state of decay.
The Carnage Continues
Just as it seems you are finally getting used to the state of the mansion, you get hit by another unsettling sight. From torn, filthy carpets to grime-covered windows, there is no end to this horror story.
Every inch of the building tells a story of decay, of memories crumbling into the dust, of lost things that can never be regained. Whatever light and warmth this home previously held are long gone. In itself, the place is a cold, dark manor that not even an evil scientist would have taken.
A Creepy Reminder of Who Once Lived Here
If you gather the courage to go upstairs, you will be greeted by only more scenes of squalor and decay. To make things even creepier, scrawled across the wall is an eerie text. It seemed that someone took out the time to scrawl “Judy Garland” on the wall.
While this probably happened while the home was abandoned and is more likely the act of some squatter, it does pass across an important message. Under all the debris, this was a beautiful home that once belonged to some of the biggest names in Hollywood.
It Is Nothing Like the Mansion It Used to Be
You would be hard-pressed to find a square inch of the home that wasn’t in desperate need of repair. Every corner is oozing the fetid combination of neglect, rot, and abandonment. But even though the disgust, you can’t help but feel a twinge of sadness.
This was the home where Lee Minnelli spent the last years of her life. We cannot say for sure the condition it was in at the end of her life, but now it looks like a place that is a better fit for squatters and the odd thrill seeker.
The Condition of the Master Bedroom Is Deplorable
Taking a peek into the master bedroom reveals that it was in pretty much the same condition as the rest of the house. Holes in the walls, plaster falling from the ceiling, bits of furniture, and trash strewn all across the floor.
Most of the furniture was long gone by then, but if you closed your eyes and imagined hard enough, you could almost picture the room in its former glory. Lee was at the vanity mirror getting ready for bed and Vincente bent over his next great masterpiece.
After a While, Things Start to Get Confusing
While looking into some rooms will tell you right away what they were used for when the house was occupied, other rooms have become a bizarre menagerie of furniture. In a single room, you can find a bathtub, a mattress, an exercise bike, and a fire extinguisher.
It’s unlikely that Lee placed all these items in one room so you get a hint that the property has been useful to some other people since her death. We’re just glad that Lee Minnelli never lives to see her beloved home in this condition.
It’s Now a Popular Spot for Thrill Junkies
Some people enjoy the thrill of poking through abandoned properties. That feeling of never knowing what you might find can be quite exciting. This drove certain thrill-seekers to sneak into the abandoned property to see what they would find.
One of these thrill-seekers was a YouTuber named "adamthewoo" who went on a personal exploration of the property back in 2014. As he went through the home, he discovered there was no running water, not surprising since it had been abandoned for five years.
The Abandoned Explorers Episode
Adamthewoo made his way through the building and showed us the multitudinous old belongs abandoned on the property, from television sets to video cassettes and even clothing. Apparently, Liza had no interest in coming back to pick up her stepmother’s goods after she passed away.
Adamthewoo mentioned this theory in his post for the website Abandoned Explorers, a platform dedicated to showcasing urban and industrial ruins. Like the home itself, most of these items were damaged beyond repair and were of little value, which might explain why they had not been stolen.
Liza Left a Lot of Things for the New Owners to Handle
“Maybe Liza retrieved some things she wanted from the home, but she certainly wouldn’t be interested in old furniture or TVs,” Adamthewoo wrote on the website. “So those were probably just left since the house needed a complete renovation anyway, and that was up to the owners.”
However, it seems that even the new owners had no idea what to do with all the old junk, or they just never got around to doing it because it still remains within the house.
They Found Signs of Squatters
As the video continued, the two men creating the clip went into another room. Within that room, they found a blackened fireplace that had clearly seen better days. There was evidence that the fireplace had been used relatively recently.
This may suggest that squatters may have lived in the mansion for an unspecified length of time after the death of Lee Minnelli. Behind the fireplace was an entire wall made of mirrored glass, which was now grimy and obscured.
Some Signs of Its Past Glory Still Remain
As the 2014 video continues, the two men wander into several other rooms in the building. Most of which are similar to the rooms we’ve seen so far, just scenes of debris and random furniture were strewn everywhere. However, a few of the other rooms were more interesting.
In their red-painted dining room, you could still see a few pieces of furniture such as the dining table, a TV set (because obviously, all Americans watch TV while having dinner), and a bright green couch cushion which oddly stood out.
Surprisingly, Some Work May Have Been Done on the Property
Despite the deplorable condition, the new owners may have actually carried out some work on the property... or at least attempted to. Aerial images of the property gotten on Bing shows a utility truck and dumpsters outside the building.
Perhaps the current owners planned on cleaning the place up but just never got around to doing it. Another theory is that they planned to tear down the entire mansion but local authorities would not let them. Whatever the case, the mansion still remains as it was.
At This Point, All We Can Do Is Speculate
There are dozens of theories about how the mansion got to its current state of decay. Some are logical, others are as outlandish as a curse placed by Lee Minnelli on her deathbed. The Abandoned Explorers have their own theory.
They suggested that, since local authorities might have prevented the current owners from tearing down the property, they left it to go to ruin in hope that vandals would burn it down or the city would declare it unsafe. Whatever the reason is, we may never find out.
The Minnellis’ Isn’t the Only Abandoned Property
As sad and intriguing as the story of Vincente Minnelli's mansion is, it is far from being the only take of its kind. There are actually several other cases of expensive homes being seemingly abandoned by their previous owners.
It's amazing and even sad how a mansion that represents so much wealth and a history of memories can end up being in such a horrible state.