Eve Arden’s Hollywood Home Before Shocking 2013 Flip
- Dec 20, 2025
- 3 min read
It’s the Ghost of Christmas Past… Eve Arden’s charming Hollywood home as it was in December 1943, before it was flipped by a modern-day Scrooge.
When the actress envisioned her dream home, she saw bay windows with cozy seating, built-in bookcases, fireplaces raised from the floor—all intended to create “happy, comfortable living.” She drew up rough plans, and architect George Newman Sprague made it a reality at 7044 Los Tilos Road in Outpost Estates.
Each room was filled with “beautiful clutter,” her extensive collection of antiques, including pewter serveware dating back to 1667.
In Arden’s bedroom, the upholstered headboard was crafted from a Victorian settee. Mahogany columns from the same era served as night tables and held Staffordshire dog statues wired as lamps. The floral wallpaper—which also covered the ceiling—complemented the fireplace tile. The room was so merry, it was staged for a Christmas scene and featured on the December 1943 cover of House Beautiful.
“Old things” created a deep-rooted feeling, and in the living room Arden decorated with an antique grandfather clock, chairs upholstered in quilts, and a table made from a Revolutionary drum. The windows flanking the fireplace were fitted with indoor shutters and a scalloped wood valance instead of curtains.
In the downstairs recreation room, the sofa was framed by a bookshelf and pulled out into a double bed for overnight guests. Personalized towels for Eve and Ned (Bergen, her then-husband) hung over the bath, which was trimmed in a fabric ruffle. Antiques were even found in the kitchen, like copper saucepans, a spice box, and brass oil lamp.
Arden, who received a supporting actress Oscar nomination for Mildred Pierce, divorced Ned in 1947 and remained in her dream home for several more years with her daughters Liza and Connie, the latter whom she adopted as a single mother. After remarrying and welcoming two more children, Arden sold 7044 Los Tilos in 1955.
The two-story hillside home later belonged to actor-TV host Byron Palmer and his wife Georgine Darcy, who famously starred as Miss Torso in Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window. After he died in 2009, 7044 Los Tilos was purchased by a general contractor who carried out a “tear-down remodel” that destroyed every inch of original charm.
Interior walls were knocked down to create an open-concept floor plan, as was much of the rear facade to capitalize on the Hollywood Hills views. All the built-ins were ripped out, leaving every room looking like a boring white box.
In particular, Arden’s once-whimsical bedroom suite was turned into a brutalist bathroom: a tub replaced her window seat; the brick fireplace now slathered in cement. Also puzzling is the flooring, an asymmetrical swoosh of wood and an unidentifiable gray-colored material.
A subsequent owner tried their best to fix the botched flip: In the primary bathroom, they added floor-to-ceiling marble.
Plenty more design choices from the 2013 flip leave much to be desired: astroturf on the deck (so poorly installed the seams of the rolls are visible), a tacky-looking bar in a corner of the living room, light fixtures that look straight off Amazon.
The 2024 remodel ripped out the fake grass and bar (replaced with a mini fridge). That year, the house was rented for $22,500/month, half the amount it was listed for back in 2019.
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