Moorcrest is one of the rare Hollywood Hills homes that sells the moment a serious buyer understands what it is: a one of one property with irreplaceable character, a storied address, and a design language you cannot recreate today without spending a fortune and still missing the point. Set above Beachwood Canyon, it is less a typical “house” and more a full-on architectural identity, the kind that holds attention and commands a premium even when the broader market cools.
Perched above Beachwood Canyon, Moorcrest looks like a dream conjured from stained glass, mosaics, and myth, a stage where early Hollywood rehearsed its future.
Quick Facts
Address: 6147 Temple Hill Dr, Beachwood Canyon
Built: 1921 (Krotona Colony era)
Architect: Marie Russak Hotchener
Style: Moorish, Mission Revival, and Art Nouveau influences
Size: Approx. 6,400 sq ft, typically 4 bd / 6 ba
Known for: Stained glass, mosaic tile, glass-domed atrium, theatrical terrace and pool setting
Notable residents: Charlie Chaplin (reported early tenancy) · Mary Astor (family ownership) · Andy Samberg & Joanna Newsom (purchased 2014)
Moorcrest is a strong real estate lesson because it shows how value is often created by more than bed and bath counts. In the Hills, the homes that outperform over time tend to nail three things: distinctive design, a meaningful setting, and a story people want to repeat. Moorcrest has all three, which is why it sits in a different category than most nearby inventory.
How Moorcrest came to be
Moorcrest rose during Beachwood Canyon’s early utopian phase. The Krotona Colony, a Theosophist community, settled here in the 1910s. Member and designer Marie Russak Hotchener created several buildings for the group, with Moorcrest as her boldest residential work, completed around 1920 to 1921. By the mid 1920s, Krotona’s leadership began relocating to Ojai, but the whimsical structures, and Moorcrest above all, remained as landmarks of that era.
Inside and out, the home is all drama: leaded stained glass, mosaic tile, hand-painted details, a copper fireplace, and a glass-domed atrium that floods the interior with light. Even the pool terrace reads like set design, with grotto-like elements and a layout made for entertaining. In market terms, this is what creates memory and demand: buyers remember how a home feels, not just what it has.
Famous residents and why provenance changes demand
Celebrity ties do not automatically add value, but they do add attention, and attention is scarce in luxury real estate. Moorcrest has a rare kind of provenance because the names associated with it are culturally durable, and the house itself is visually unforgettable.
Charlie Chaplin, early 1920s
Chaplin is often cited as an early tenant, with sources placing him here around 1922, just as he was shaping the feature-length films that defined silent-era comedy and co-founding United Artists in 1919 to control his own work. In Beachwood Canyon terms, this is the moment Hollywood myth starts anchoring itself in real property.
Key films from Chaplin’s Moorcrest era:
- The Kid (1921)
- A Woman of Paris (1923)
- The Gold Rush (1925)
Mary Astor and the Depression era
In 1925, teen star Mary Astor’s parents bought Moorcrest. The family lost the property to foreclosure in 1934. That arc matters for modern buyers and sellers because it highlights the truth of trophy homes: they are emotionally powerful, but upkeep is real, and timing and stewardship affect long-term outcomes.
Andy Samberg and Joanna Newsom
In 2014, Moorcrest sold off market for $6.25 million to Andy Samberg and Joanna Newsom. Modern buyers still pay premiums for privacy, uniqueness, and a home that feels like a point of view. That is why properties like this sit above neighborhood averages.
Beachwood Canyon: then and now
Moorcrest sits in Beachwood Canyon, a 1920s hillside development once marketed as part of “Hollywoodland.” The sign went up in 1923 to sell lots. The lifestyle logic has not changed much: tucked-away streets, character, and proximity to Hollywood while still feeling removed from it.
Across the wider hills, Moorcrest is part of a network of landmark homes that define Los Angeles on the slopes, including Frank Lloyd Wright’s Ennis House, Lloyd Wright’s Sowden House, and The Cedars. These are not just “cool houses.” They are proof that identity is a real asset in LA real estate.
Why Moorcrest matters in real estate terms
- Category property: You do not price homes like this off the nearest median. You price them off scarcity, identity, and buyer profile.
- Design creates demand: Stained glass, mosaics, and the atrium are not “details.” They are what buyers talk about after the showing.
- Provenance widens the buyer pool: More attention usually means a stronger outcome for sellers.
- Stewardship protects value: Trophy homes reward restoration and punish deferred care.
All home images are artistic illustrations used for educational and historical commentary.
