Fresh hope for sale of 'cursed' mansion that nobody has wanted for 60 years

A “cursed” mansion that has been empty for more than 60 years is for sale, as agents aim for buyers who can forgive and forget the sinister reason it has been unwanted for so long.

Following whispers of foreclosure, the listing was updated in July, now showing the famous estate in the US will come with fresh renovation plans from America’s architect to the stars.

Dubbed the Los Feliz Murder Mansion, the property has been vacant for generations because of a perceived hex. Misfortune, trauma and tragedy has plagued various owners over the decades. A murder-suicide at the estate in 1959 was the darkest chapter of all.

Now, the Los Angeles home, which last sold for $US2.4 million ($3.64 million), is on the market with price hopes of $US3,975,000 ($AU6 million). The contract will come with transformation plans and the listing reveals in detail what it could become.

The Zillow listing shows artistic renders from the studio of Canadian architect Richard Landry, who has been dubbed “King of the Megamansion” for his work with high-profile clientele, including corporate big wigs and celebrities, especially around LA.

The renders depict refined rooms, loggias, terraces and breezeways which open to the warm, California breeze and rolling district views. The blueprint of the design appears to honour the bones of the home, including hefty original fireplaces and intricate timber ceilings.

In April, the property’s records on Zillow carried a notification that the proceeds of the sale will go to the bank, who are chasing a balance of $US3,471,286. It is unclear from the updated listing if the property is still in pre-foreclosure status. The foreclosure information is the last update on the public listing history.

At that time, the seller required cash, the listing advised, and lender finance would not be accepted.

The huge, five-bedroom Spanish Revival-style house is in a postcode where Hollywood actors and musicians live.

At 2475 Glendower Place in the upmarket Los Feliz neigbhourhood, it was built in 1925 and, after a string of horrors, leading to American press calling it cursed, modern-day owners have acquired the keys but never moved in.

The first owners were a couple named Harold and Florence Schumacher. Within three years, they had died, and within weeks of each other.

More tragedy blighted the next owner – magazine editor Welford Beaton. His son passed away at the home, just shy of his 21st birthday. A year later, Beaton plunged into bankruptcy.

In 1959, cardiologist Dr. Harold Perelson, 50, murdered his 43-year-old wife Lillian there, and then took his own life. The crime is the subject of a podcast, but for a long time another enigma has surrounded the estate. Will, or won’t, it ever be demolished?

That query seems to have been answered, thanks to Landry’s drawings.

The New York Post reported that it last traded in 2020, for $US2.4 million ($3.64 million). Civil rights attorney Lisa Bloom, who has advised Harvey Weinstein and specialises in harassment and abuse cases, bought the estate in 2016 and sold it in 2020.

Listings when it previously transacted advised the interior had been “taken down to the studs” and although the current campaign does not show inside, aerial exterior photos show it is in dire need of a rejuvenation.