The Montecito Mansion From "Scarface" Hits The Market
The Montecito mansion was built in 1906 by the famed American architect Bertram Goodhue for James Waldron Gillespie, an affluent New Yorker who inherited a NY State real estate fortune at a young age.
Inspired by his travels and love of the Mediterranean lifestyle, Goodhue chose the Montecito area to build a grand residence to showcase the collections he had acquired during his treks around the world.
Before building, Gillespie embarked with Goodhue on a 7-month tour around the world to places that shared the Mediterranean-like Montecito climate to inspire the design of his iconic residence.
This trip took them across southern Europe, to Mughal India, and on an 500-mile journey on horseback from the Caspian Sea to the Gulf of Persia.
Built in the classical style of a Roman villa, the Montecito mansion is surrounded by formal gardens, as well as a Islamic-inspired water gardens featuring the “paradise motif” with four pools set around a central fountain.
The property’s name “El Fureidis” is a Persian phrase that translates to “little paradise”.
The lush 10 acre estate features rare specimen plants and over 100 trees planted by Gillespie and Goodhue, chosen to enhance the exotic landscape with rare palms, and banana and orange trees.
At the heart of the estate is the 4-bedroom, 10,000 square foot mansion which has retained much of its original glamour, and the property also has two guest cottages with an additional three bedrooms.
Built around a central courtyard, the residence was thoughtfully designed to enjoy Montecito’s iconic indoor/outdoor lifestyle with French doors throughout and a spectacular rooftop terrace with ocean views.
The interior living spaces are both grand and classic, with neoclassical influence throughout and several exceptional spaces for entertaining.
Of note is the Byzantine-style “conversation room”, a celestial space modelled after the church of St. John Lateran in Rome and featuring a hand-painted 18 foot dome.
The original dining room features a 24-karat gold-leaf painted barrelled ceiling depicting scenes of Alexander the Great conquering Persepolis, completed by the American artist Henry Wadsworth Moore.
The historic property has hosted JFK, Winston Churchill, and even Einstein, although El Fureidis is perhaps most known for being featured as Tony Montana’s home in the film, Scarface (although the interior shots were filmed elsewhere).
This iconic Montecito mansion is in a class of its own.
All photos belong to the listing agency.
