Robert Finkelhor, a renowned architect, designed several notable estates in Los Angeles and Hollywood. His works include an estate on Mapleton Drive in Los Angeles for MGM executive Hunt Stromberg, inspired by an English farmhouse, and a home for Harpo Marx at 701 N. Canon Drive in Beverly Hills. The original Stanwyck/Marx parcel, which comprised about 100 acres, was originally named “Marwyck” and was intended as an expansive thoroughbred horse breeding and training ranch. In 1936, Barbara Stanwyck commissioned the design of an English manor with French Normandy and Tudor Revival stylistic elements for her Marwyck Ranch home.
Finkelhor was hired by the couple to design their homes, including two homes built on 10 acres. During the 1930s, Paul Williams had designed several celebrity estates in the Northridge area but not the Stanwyck or Marx homes. Finkelhor’s most famous house, the Pickfair Estate, was torn down in 1990. The building permit for the construction of the Stanwyck property lists Finkelhor as the architect, as does an article in the Los Angeles Times from 1937.
The original house was designed by architect Robert Finkelhor for Sidney Buckman in 1935. Schindler modifications consisted of cutting through two doors and modifying the house. The Marx Brothers’ latest movie, “The Big Store”, features Esther Finkelhor as Worthy Matron of Melindan. The Marx Brothers split this summer for radio programs, with Graucho and Chico auditioning for a program and Harpo practically set on another program.
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