Crowning the knoll at Edgemont Street and Los Feliz Boulevard is a 21-room Italian Renaissance mansion, built in 1912 as the marital home of newlywed Edna Letts (whose father owned the land) and Malcolm McNaghten.

At the Edgemont approach, stone steps ascended thirty feet in a series of flights, each marked by an urn planter and lamp post. Cypress trees beautified a seven-foot retaining wall supporting a grass terrace. The surrounding two-acre lawn boasted formal gardens, fruit trees, marble fountains, and concrete walks. 

The street approach at 4900 Los Feliz Boulevard was a carriage drive ending in a forecourt. To the east, a two-story garage provided space for three automobiles and two horses, with upstairs living quarters for the chauffeur. Skirting the forecourt was the servants wing, complete with a living room, dining room, kitchen, pantries, and bath.

A circular tower encases the home’s entrance, once protected by a marquee of wrought iron and glass. The first floor comprises living and dining rooms, and originally a conservatory and library with floor-to-ceiling bookcases. Downstairs, the basement housed a billiard room. Upstairs, the owner’s suite featured a bedroom, two dressing rooms, sleeping porch, and bath; plus three guest rooms.

Edna Letts McNaghten’s mansion was just up the street from her parents at 4931 Franklin Avenue: Holmby, a Tudor-style residence situated on twenty-five landscaped acres. Arthur Letts, owner of The Broadway department store, was a passionate horticulturist who opened his gardens to the public.

By 1917, Edna’s sister Gladys moved into the Italian villa with her husband, real estate developer Harold Janss. Three years later, he sold the mansion and subdivided its foothill, a new tract called Los Feliz Square. Following the 1923 death of his wealthy father-in-law, Janss purchased the Letts estate—and disregarding Arthur’s expressed statement in his will—demolished Holmby and its famous garden for yet another tract: Franklin Avenue Square.

The Italian villa continued to hold court over Edgemont Street and Los Feliz Boulevard until the late 1940s when its lawn was ultimately subdivided, crowding the quaint knoll with ten modern homes located on Edgemont, Los Feliz Boulevard, and Ambrose Avenue.

As of 2011, Jack Black owns 4900 Los Feliz Boulevard. The actor purchased the estate from Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, who remodeled the historic home to give it a "hippie vibe."