A rare piece of Old Hollywood real estate in Glendale has quickly attracted a buyer. The former home of Oscar-nominated actor Ralph Bellamy, a Tudor-style estate in the Riverside Rancho neighborhood, was listed for $4.795 million in September and subsequently moved into contract status.
Built in 1941, the property at 1752 Riverside Drive combines nearly 4,000 square feet of living space with approximately 1.25 acres of land, an unusually generous footprint for a Los Angeles-area residence. It also comes with something increasingly difficult to find in the city: a genuine equestrian setup directly alongside Griffith Park.
The property is represented by Brit Schneeman and Emil Schneeman of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties. Current MLS records identify the home as a three-bedroom, five-bathroom single-family residence with 3,933 square feet of interior space and a four-car garage.
A Glendale Home With a Genuine Old Hollywood Connection
The appeal of this Glendale luxury home begins with its history.
Ralph Bellamy, whose acting career stretched from the 1920s through 1990, was a familiar presence on both stage and screen. He earned an Academy Award nomination for his supporting role in The Awful Truth and later received an Honorary Academy Award for his distinguished career. His film credits included His Girl Friday and The Wolf Man, helping establish his place in Hollywood history.
Bellamy’s connection to 1752 Riverside Drive is documented in the property’s previous marketing and listing records, although the exact period when he lived there has not been established. That uncertainty actually makes the home’s history more intriguing: it is a documented connection to a major Hollywood figure without an invented storyline about exactly how or when he occupied the residence.
As californialuxuryhouses reviewed the property’s publicly available history, no reliable source was found establishing the precise dates of Bellamy’s residency. Rather than speculate, the distinction matters because historic celebrity real estate is often surrounded by stories that become embellished as properties change hands.
An Urban Ranch Beside Griffith Park
Behind gated brick walls, the property unfolds more like a private country estate than a conventional Los Angeles residence.
The grounds include covered horse stables, a barn, tack storage and a fenced riding arena. The location is particularly unusual because the property sits beside Griffith Park, giving its next owner direct access to one of the area’s defining outdoor amenities.
The previous owners, marketing executives Zihla Salinas Arbit and Oren Arbit, purchased the residence in December 2021 for $4.15 million. The property had been listed that year for $3.995 million before the sale closed in December.
Salinas Arbit described the property as an “urban ranch,” emphasizing its mature landscaping, privacy and trail access. “There is nothing like it so close to the city,” she said in comments reported by Mansion Global.
That description remains one of the most useful ways to understand the property. It is not simply a large Glendale house with a few equestrian amenities added as an afterthought. The land, horse facilities and relationship with Griffith Park are central to the identity of the estate.
A 1941 Tudor With Old Hollywood Character
The main residence was constructed in 1941 and retains architectural and interior details that distinguish it from many contemporary Los Angeles properties.
A long driveway leads through the gated grounds toward a motor court, while inside, wood-paneled walls and ceilings reinforce the home’s period character. Three fireplaces add to the atmosphere, and a dark blue-gray bar with a small stained-glass window provides one of the most overt nods to the property’s Hollywood-era heritage.
The country-style eat-in kitchen introduces a more relaxed California-ranch sensibility, while the living and entertaining spaces balance historic detailing with updates made during the current owners’ tenure.
The Arbits renovated portions of the residence as well as the barn and equestrian facilities. Salinas Arbit said the goal was to modernize the property for family life while retaining its original character.
The primary suite continues the home’s more dramatic palette, with deep green walls, a walk-in closet and an updated bathroom. The overall effect is less about creating a pristine contemporary showcase and more about preserving the personality that comes with a house of this age.
The Equestrian Estate Behind the Gates
For many buyers, however, the most compelling feature may lie outside the house.
The property includes four covered stables, a barn, tack storage and a substantial riding arena. The 2021 marketing materials described an arena measuring approximately 100 feet by 90 feet, while the property’s location places the estate immediately beside Griffith Park’s extensive network of trails.
That combination gives the Glendale luxury home a particularly rare proposition. A buyer can live within the Los Angeles metropolitan area while maintaining a lifestyle normally associated with larger country properties.
The grounds also include a private swimming pool and spa, mature landscaping, guest accommodations and a four-car garage. Current MLS data confirms the property’s 1.25-acre lot and horse-property designation.
The seller had also secured approved architectural plans and permits for a three-bedroom, two-bathroom addition before the latest listing. That gives a future owner the possibility of expanding the existing residence without starting the planning process from scratch.
Riverside Rancho Offers a Different Side of Glendale
The property’s location is almost as unusual as the estate itself.
Riverside Rancho occupies a residential pocket on the Glendale-Burbank border where equestrian culture remains part of the neighborhood’s identity. Griffith Park and the Los Angeles Equestrian Center sit at the center of that lifestyle, while Victory Boulevard provides a more everyday collection of restaurants and local services.
The neighborhood’s proximity to Burbank also gives residents access to a much wider range of shopping, dining and entertainment. Rancho Marketplace is nearby for everyday needs, while Burbank and Glendale provide more extensive retail and restaurant options. The area’s location is also attractive to entertainment-industry professionals, with major studios including Warner Bros., Universal and Walt Disney Studios within the broader surrounding area.
For buyers considering Glendale real estate at this level, that balance is significant. The property offers privacy and acreage without requiring its owner to give up access to the cultural, commercial and professional infrastructure of Los Angeles.
A Rare Piece of Los Angeles Real Estate
The property’s recent transaction history adds another layer to its story.
After being offered for $3.995 million in October 2021, it sold for $4.15 million in December of that year. It returned to the market on September 18, 2026, at $4.795 million—roughly 15.5% above its 2021 purchase price.
The latest marketing campaign did not last long. Mansion Global reported that the home found a buyer about a week after listing, while current brokerage records show it as under contract rather than closed.
That rapid movement is understandable. In a city where land is among the most valuable commodities, an approximately 1.25-acre equestrian compound beside Griffith Park represents a scarce category of Los Angeles real estate. Add a Tudor residence from 1941, surviving Old Hollywood associations, private horse facilities, a pool and approved expansion plans, and the property becomes considerably more than another high-end Glendale listing.
californialuxuryhouses also attempted to identify additional publicly verifiable details about the property’s earlier ownership and Ralph Bellamy’s exact period of residency. The available records confirm Bellamy’s association with the home, but do not establish a precise occupancy timeline, so those details remain intentionally unreported rather than inferred.
For the next owner, however, the attraction may have little to do with reconstructing the past. The more compelling proposition is the lifestyle the property offers today: horses in the barn, Griffith Park beyond the gates, mature trees surrounding a 1941 Tudor and the rare feeling of having a private piece of the country within Los Angeles.