Residents can now walk through Greystone Mansion's first floor and its restored 1920s theatre on self-guided tours offered the first Saturday or Sunday of each month through November. The next dates are Saturday, Sept. 5, and Sunday, Oct. 4, according to the city's Greystone tour page.
Timed tickets are available at 11 a.m., noon, 1 p.m. and 2 p.m., with last entry at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are sold through the city's online recreation portal at secure.rec1.com.
The theatre is the draw. The City of Beverly Hills completed its restoration in spring 2020, transforming a space that had sat largely untouched since the American Film Institute left Greystone in the early 1980s. Architect Gordon B. Kaufmann's original drawings labeled the room a "Motion Picture Theatre" in the upper level of the entertainment wing, according to the city's theatre restoration page. Its long, narrow shape was dictated by a two-lane bowling alley directly below.
Then-Mayor John Mirisch identified the theatre's restoration as a high priority in 2019. Architectural firm Studio 440 took on the project, following the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation with guidance from preservation firm Historic Resources Group and the Friends of Greystone. When the movie screen is raised, visitors can see the restored woodwork, historic sconces and original footlights.
The 46,054-square-foot mansion at 905 Loma Vista Drive was completed in 1928 for Ned Doheny, son of oil tycoon Edward L. Doheny, and his wife Lucy Smith Doheny. The City of Beverly Hills purchased the property in 1965 for approximately $1.3 million and dedicated it as a public park in 1971. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1976 and designated Beverly Hills Local Historic Landmark No. 4 in 2013.
While the park grounds remain free and open daily, the mansion interior is accessible only through ticketed programs like the monthly tour.
What's ahead at Greystone
The mansion's restored theatre also hosts the Greystone in the Movies screening series and Theatre 40 performances. Here's what's coming:
- Wednesday, Aug. 19, 6:30 p.m.: Theatre 40 presents "Dearest Friend | The Letters of John and Abigail Adams," a play compiled by Marion Zola featuring John Combs and Maria Spassoff. The production marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Tickets are $10 for Beverly Hills residents, $15 for non-residents.
- Thursday, Aug. 20, 6:30 p.m.: Greystone in the Movies screening There Will Be Blood.
- Wednesday, Aug. 26, 6:30 p.m.: Theatre 40 play reading, "Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Elusive Ear."
- Thursday, Aug. 27, 6:30 p.m.: Greystone in the Movies screening There Will Be Blood.
- Saturday, Sept. 5: Next Inside the Mansion self-guided tour.
- Sunday, Oct. 4: Inside the Mansion self-guided tour.
All events take place at Greystone Mansion & Gardens, 905 Loma Vista Drive.
