In 1996, Denzel Washington paid $6.5 million for two Beverly Park lots from Disney chairman; he planned to build a family home overlooking Beverly Hills |
In 1996, Denzel Washington and his wife, Pauletta, purchased two Beverly Park lots from Disney chairman Michael Eisner and his wife, Jane, for close to the $6.5 million asking price, according to the Los Angeles Times. Washington, then 41, personally negotiated the deal with Eisner. The couple, who had four children, planned to build a house on the site overlooking Beverly Hills and hoped to complete it by the following spring. Their existing home in Toluca Lake had suffered damage in the Northridge earthquake. The purchase came as Washington was already an established Hollywood actor, having won the best supporting-actor Oscar for Glory and starred in films including Malcolm X, Philadelphia and Crimson Tide.
Denzel Washington negotiated directly with Michael Eisner
The property deal had an unusual detail. Washington personally negotiated the purchase with Eisner, who was Disney’s chairman at the time. Sources said Eisner had received higher offers after the properties were already in escrow, but the deal with Washington went ahead. The two lots were in Beverly Park, where Brian Adler had the listing, while Barbara Robinson of John Aaroe & Associates in Beverly Hills represented the Washingtons. The reported price was close to $6.5 million, the asking price for the two lots.
The couple planned a new home for their family
Washington and Pauletta had four children when they bought the property and planned to build a house on the two lots overlooking Beverly Hills. The couple hoped to have the new home completed by spring 1997. Their existing home was in Toluca Lake and had suffered damage during the Northridge earthquake, which struck Southern California on January 17, 1994.
Washington was already a major Hollywood star
At the time of the purchase, Washington was 41 and had already built a substantial film career. He had won the Academy Award for best supporting actor for Glory, the 1989 film about an African American regiment during the American Civil War. By 1996, his film credits also included Malcolm X, The Pelican Brief, Philadelphia, Crimson Tide, Virtuosity and Devil in a Blue Dress. His upcoming projects included Courage Under Fire, due for release that summer, and The Preacher’s Wife, scheduled for December.
His work away from Hollywood also made headlines
The 1996 report also highlighted Washington’s charitable activities. In February that year, an outpatient paediatric wing at Martin Luther King Jr./Charles Drew Medical Center was named after him. Later that month, Harvard University held a Hasty Pudding-style reception honouring Washington for his humanitarian work. He was also a national spokesman for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, an organisation he had been involved with since his youth. The Los Angeles Times noted that he had attended the club in his hometown of Mount Vernon, New York, and donated time and money to charitable causes.
The Beverly Park purchase became a long-term home
The property Washington acquired in 1996 later became associated with the family’s Beverly Park residence. Later property reporting has described the Washington estate as a substantial compound with a large main house and additional amenities. Architectural Digest has reported that the Beverly Park property includes a roughly 30,000-square-foot main house, a guesthouse, tennis court and swimming pool. These features reflect the property’s later development, while the 1996 purchase involved two lots on which Washington and Pauletta planned to build a new family home.
