Falcon Lair

Falcon Lair is an estate above Benedict Canyon in Los Angeles, California. The Spanish Revival house, designed by Wallace Neff, was originally built by Beverly Hills-based real estate developer George Read for the silent film actor Rudolph Valentino, who purchased and dubbed it "Falcon Lair" in honor of The Hooded Falcon, a never-completed film the actor tried to produce with his wife Natacha Rambova. Valentino bought the 4-acre (1.6 ha) estate in 1925 for $175,000 (equivalent to $3,138,000 in 2024). He filled the house with antiques, imported European furnishings, and memorabilia from his travels. Shortly after the purchase, Valentino and Rambova divorced. He retained Falcon Lair, hosted extravagant parties, and kept horses in his stable. After Valentino's sudden death from peritonitis in 1926, the estate was auctioned off to settle his debts.

After a succession of different owners, Falcon Lair was purchased by billionaire tobacco heiress Doris Duke in 1953, who lived there until her death in 1993. The Duke estate sold the house in 1998 for $2,294,000, and in 2003, the new owners began an extensive restoration and renovation project to bring the mansion back to its original grandeur. However, construction was halted and the estate was put on the market shortly thereafter. It was purchased in 2006 and ultimately demolished.