Check Out Megan Fox’s House in Toluca Lake, CA
Megan Fox seems to have a thing for old houses; in 2010, she bought her Los Feliz home built in 1936 for $2,942,500. Four years later, she sold the Los Angeles house and instead bought another 1936 house in Toluca Lake. Maybe the actress also has a special affinity with the year 1936, but Megan still sold the Toluca Lake home in 2016 for only $2.6 million. It was $750,000 less than what she had paid for it, but Megan cared more for her peace of mind as she was going through a divorce and needed to dump the property fastest possible. Let’s tell you more about Megan Fox’s house in Toluca Lake, CA, and its history.
Why Megan and her ex-husband bought the home
After getting married in 2010 to Brian Austin Green, Megan Fox gave birth shortly after to two sons, Bodhi and Noah. At the time, they were living in Los Feliz in a four-bedroom mansion covering 5,385 square feet. Since the couple welcomed their second in February 2014, they figured they needed more space; hence they sold their Los Feliz home for $3.75 million and immediately bought the home in Toluca Lake, CA, for $3.35 million, according to The Mirror. The new house afforded them more space since it measures 6,710 square feet.
For the high profile couple, it made sense to settle for the home located in a curving driveway whose tree lineup provided them with privacy from the public and media. Other attractions in the home are a firepit, a Jacuzzi, a saline swimming pool, and a pool house complete with a kitchen and bathroom in the backyard. The house also is a dream come true for any book lover since the spacious library provides enough room for a large collection. The couple must have also fallen in love with the luxurious master en suite that comprises his-and-hers bathrooms, two walk-in-closets, and a loft. It has an open plan living room with the kitchen’s center island countertop made from Australian opal granite.
The dining room has Brazilian cherry hardwood flooring while the living room with an exposed beam ceiling has quartz slate flooring. The recreation room might have also prompted Megan to buy the home because it was large enough for her children to have fun while indoors. Unfortunately, Megan and Brian filed for divorce; hence the house could no longer be their marital home. Therefore, they put it up for sale in 2016, and it was bought for $2.6 million in an off-market deal.
The estate once belonged to Bing Crosby
No matter how many times the estate exchanges hands, it will always be known as the Bing Crosby estate because he was the first famous owner, having bought four acres in Toluca Lake and put up a house there. Just like Megan Fox, Bing Crosby wanted a bigger hose because his family was growing. Hence, in 1936 he built Southern Colonial estate where he and his wife Dixie raised their four children. According to Paradise Leased, architect J. Robert Harris was tasked with designing the house. The home on the expansive estate included a playroom, sun tanning room, among many more amenities. Interior designing was left in the capable hands of Harold Grieve, whose impeccable taste led to him being showered with praises by different magazines.
Unfortunately, the dream house went up in flames in 1943 after faulty wiring in the Christmas tree lights caused a fire to erupt. The flames engulfed the entire house, and luckily, everyone escaped unharmed except for the family’s beloved cocker spaniel. The speed at which the fire spread was so fast that by the time firefighters arrived, of the 23 rooms in the entire house, only three were saved: the kitchen, living room, and servants quarters. Bing and Dixie walked around the ruins the next day, hoping to find something worth salvaging. All they found was $2,000 in Bing’s charred coat. The estate’s damage was estimated at $200,000, and although insurance could cover it, Bing’s recordings, trophies, and pipe collection were irreplaceable. Bing took the fire as a sign that his time in Toluca Lake was up; hence he sold the ruins for $15,000 and moved to Mapletown Drive, Los Angeles.
Those who bought the estate subdivided the four acres into lots, leaving the house on 1.9 acres. It was rebuilt, and it is still unknown who rebuilt it in a similar modern colonial style. According to The Day, the Southern Colonial estate comprised a six-bedroom, five-bathroom house that stood on 7,132 square feet. It featured a wet bar, living room with fireplace, and a billiards room. It also has a guest house complete with a kitchen, two bedrooms, and two-bed bathrooms. The guest house also has a living room, a steam shower, 2.5 bath cabana, and a memorabilia room filled with pictures of Bing and his former neighbors who offered him a place to live as his Toluca Lake mansion was being built. Since the reconstruction after the fire incident, it was remodeled in 2008.
Other celebrities who have lived in the house
Mickey Dolenz, known for being the drummer and vocalist of The Monkees, once called the Bing Crosby mansion his home. When Mickey was two years old, his father, George, signed a lucrative contract with Howard Hughes’ studio. With the bump in income, George figured he might as well move the family to a better place; thus, they ended up in the estate in 1947. Unfortunately, George and his wife, an actress, could not afford the expensive maintenance; hence George took up the gardening job. George’s income was not enough to sustain the family since he was only cast in Howard’s “Vendetta” film in 1950. Consequently, the family had to move to a much more affordable place.
Shortly after, still in the 1950s, the house was sold to Chiang Kai-shek’s daughter, who lived alone. She realized being alone in the big house was not comfortable for her; therefore, she sold it and moved to the smaller carriage house. From the 1970s till 1990s Andy Griffith was the proud owner of the Bing Crosby home. It also was quite expensive for Andy to maintain, so he used to do the repair job; he once fell off the roof and broke his shoulder. Although he sold the house to Jerry Van Dyke and Shirley, Andy remained attached to the house; thus, he would take his children and grandchildren to see what was once his house. According to Patch, Jerry and shortly later sold the house for $1.93 million in 1997.