Harden House for Sale

Harden House for Sale

An historical estate in Rancho Palos Verdes known as “the Harden House” is currently on the market for sale for approx. $5 million. Across the street from the Portuguese Bend Gatehouse and the entrance to the Portuguese Bend community, the Harden House sits behind another beautiful Gatehouse. The gatehouse was an exact duplicate of a gate house architects employed by Frank Vanderlip photographed in Italy. Frank Vanderlip purchased the entire Palos Verdes Peninsula in 1913. This house was built by Vanderlip’s beloved sister Ruth and her husband Eddie Harden, a business partner of Vanderlip,in the late 1920’s. Vanderlip had given Ruth the 48 acres of coastal land on the ocean side of Palos Verdes Dirve South. They constructed afive bedroom home with a 6 car garage. They had planned to build a grand villa out on Portuguese Point, but the Great Depression foiled those plans.

Entrance gate to the Harden House Estate , Photo by Tash

Interestingly, the gate entrance to the estate was used in the movie “It’s a mad, mad, mad world” as the entrance to the fictitous “Santa Rosito State Park” and the scene with the crossed palm trees was also filmed on the Harden House grounds.

The actual park site of “Santa Rosita State Park” was the grounds ofthe Harden Houseat Portuguese Point in Rancho Palos Verdes, just south of Abalone Cove Shoreline Park. The parking lot sequences were shot at Peck Park in San Pedro (Western & Summerland, back end of the driveway), with a façade standing in for the gate. The crossed palm trees in the middle of the picture no longer exist.

In 1953, Elin Vanderlip constructed a kindergarten in Abalone Cove which was part of the Harden estate for her twin daughters and her other daughter Narcissa and other neighborhood children, which became the current Portuguee Bend Nursery School.

After Ruth died, the Harden House estate was reduced from 48 acres to approx. 2 acres, with the balance of the property acquired by the City of Rancho Palos Verdes as The Abalone Cove Shoreline Park, including Portuguese Point.

Aerial View of Harden House with Gate Entrance at lower center of the picture. Site of the crossed palm trees in the movie “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad World” at the upper right of the photo.

The house was constructed in two wings on either side of the gatehouse. On the right wing of the home is a living room, kitchen and two bedrooms, a connecting guest house with a bedroom, and a six car garage. The left wing of the home has another living room, a kitchen, dining room, and two bedrooms. The entrance to both living rooms are off of the gatehouse entrance.

Front of the Harden house from the grounds

View from home 6 car garage and guest house

Living Room in main house

Kitchen Main house Dining room

Main house bedroom Main house Master bedroom

Pool Area

Views from the property