Inside the Rutherford House in Beverly Hills

July 29, 2025

Part of both the history and the future of Hollywood, this meticulously maintained and renovated 1938 residence was once home to the mayor of Beverly Hills as well as actress Ann Rutherford and her producer husband, William Dozier. Today it is a five-bedroom haven that harmonizes the glamor of a bygone era with modern luxuries and comforts.

Among the tree-lined lanes, chic contemporary compounds, and rolling crests of Beverly Hills, this meticulously maintained and painstakingly renovated 1938 home is a stylish souvenir of the bygone glamour of Hollywood’s golden age. Its elegant French Revival aesthetic is fittingly regal for a former home of Hollywood royalty: Beverly Hills mayor Edward Paul Dentzel commissioned the home from esteemed architect Paul R. Williams—a celebrity in his own right thanks to designs for Lucille Ball, Frank Sinatra, Barbara Stanwyck, and many others. Some years later, ownership passed to actress Ann Rutherford, known for her roles in Gone with the Wind and the Andy Hardy movies, and her husband, television producer William Dozier, the mind behind the Batman series of the 1960s. Their days and nights were reportedly filled with festive fêtes and grand gatherings.

Beverly Hills, California | Jacob Dadon, Sotheby’s International Realty – Beverly Hills Brokerage

Traces of that revelry and the early-20th-century finesse linger in the home’s 13,678-square-foot interiors. Handsome herringbone-patterned wood floors and richly veined marble surfaces catch the eye at nearly every turn. The formal dining room displays a bay of French windows and doors bounded by scroll-topped pilasters. The work of Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann—a furniture designer, interior decorator, and one of the most important and prominent members of the Art Deco movement—inspired the magnificent wood-paneled library and billiards room. Images of glamorous, glitzy, Gatsby-like festivities come to mind easily in the ornate wood-paneled bar. A contemplative morning room—suffused with gentle light and featuring an original fireplace and 18th-century landscape wallpaper—is a peaceful space to pause and prepare to face the day ahead. The marriage of Old World glamour and modern luxury is perhaps most readily apparent in the kitchen, where white wood cabinets, a mosaic-tiled ceiling, and a classic black-and-white checkered floor meet superior-caliber stainless-steel appliances, a spacious island, marble walls and backsplashes, and a breakfast area with floor-to-ceiling windows.

A winding staircase in the lovely foyer winds around a dazzling chandelier, leading to the private quarters on the upper floor. The serene owner’s suite encompasses dual baths—one a vision in richly hued wood, the other clad in black and white stone and including a soaking tub with a treetop view—enviable closets, and a lounge area overlooking the glorious manicured garden. Four guest suites, a quiet office, and a family room with numerous built-ins complete the level.

Occupying more than a half acre of coveted Beverly Hills land, the lush, colorful grounds boast a lovely oval swimming pool—with a recently added Baja shelf—and a cupola-crowned pool pavilion with a bar. The estate’s location, just across from the Los Angeles Country Club on one of the most desirable thoroughfares in Beverly Hills, only furthers its significance in both the history and the future of Hollywood.