Runyon Property

Malibu history Meets

Hollywood story

By Judy Abel Photos Courtesy of Chris Cortazzo

It’s a time capsule of Malibu history—and it’s also one of the oldest, most storied homes in town. For the first time in its 85-year history, there’s now a unique opportunity to live in this historic Malibu residence with lease availability of the Runyon property.

The rambling home is nestled in a quiet cove between El Matador Beach and Broad Beach, and holds the beginning histories of not only old Malibu but nascent Hollywood as well. This one-of-a-kind dwelling, built to coexist in harmony with its serene beachfront setting, was commissioned in 1937 by Mrs. Cornelia Runyon, a member of the legendary Runyon family. After the family made its fortune in coal, they arrived in Hollywood to “get into talkies” according to Cornelia’s grandson Morgan Runyon.

Cornelia, a socialite and sculptor, entertained her glamorous Hollywood friends including Cecile B. DeMille and his playwright brother, William Churchill DeMille, along with other artists and intellectuals of the day at the Malibu home. As a sculptor, Cornelia chose the home’s location on a small cliff overlooking rock formations and the tranquil, natural beauty of the surf below.

“There’s a perfect, sandy beach in front. When you’re in the property game early, you’re going to choose the best location,” Morgan said of his grandmother’s real estate decision. “Plus, it’s not way high up on the bluff. It’s blufftop but with easy access to the beach.”

Exterior

Still, it was an adventure for Cornelia’s friends to travel so far out to Malibu from Hollywood back in the day. One of her confreres, the famous diarist Anais Nin, even wrote about her time at the Runyon estate. In the 1940s, when Cornelia was widowed and her son, Tom, went to serve in WWII, Cornelia stayed watch at her property as the only woman in Malibu in the Civilian Defense set up by President Franklin Roosevelt. She patrolled the beach in the morning looking for signs of footprints, which at the time were a rarity before Malibu was developed. In the evenings, she made sure the few homes on the beach used blackout curtains so no light emanated alerting enemy ships or planes of the land location.

Malibu was so remote at the time and undeveloped that in a twist of fate Morgan recently discovered his grandmother would need to travel all the way inland to the Cornell post office to get her mail. Ironically, that’s where he runs his family business, The Old Place, originally started by his father, Tom. Morgan discovered his grandmother’s old mailbox, P.O. box 26, Cornell, California, recently when going through nostalgic family mementos.

The closest phone at the time was at a guard shack at the Colony miles down Roosevelt Highway, the name of the road before the future Pacific Coast Highway.

“If there was an important call, they’d drive up, get my grandmother and drive her down,” Morgan explained.

In the 1970s, Cornelia’s son, Tom, lived at the home. He became a character actor but more notably a “character” in Hollywood befriending some of the biggest names at the time. He entertained his coterie of Hollywood pals including Steve McQueen, Sam Peckinpah, Ali McGraw, Katherine Ross, and Burgess Meredith at the Malibu property. Tom “was the guy people wanted to have around,” according to his son. Tom’s actor friends would often request parts for their buddy to be written into their movies. In 1970, Tom and his wife opened The Old Place saloon/restaurant at the old Cornell post office.

The Runyon house is an unchanged piece of Malibu history and one of the first homes built after the subdivision of the Rancho Topanga Malibu Sequit was created. Architect Heth Wharton designed a modern house for its time

INterior

with the seeds of mid-century architecture. The celebrated home features wood-beamed ceilings, charming nooks and plenty of corner windows to capture wide ocean vistas. Wharton implemented newly invented concrete blocks called “iron stone” in construction. The house has been restored to its original state complete with hardwood floors, a soaking tub and patio where Steve McQueen was often seen relaxing with a nice “big cold mug of beer.” Views from the living room have uninterrupted ocean views with no other homes in sight.

The property’s remote beachfront location has added another layer of fascination in what has washed ashore throughout the generations; whale ribs, pieces of shipwrecks, and even local Chumash artifacts.

For lease details on 32008 Pacific Coast Highway, contact the office of Chris Cortazzo; www.chriscortazzo.com.