Showcase Houses

Corona di Collini (Crown of the Hill), a hilltop mansion in Los Feliz Oaks, can be likened to a fine older lady who has seen her share of ups and downs. "We loved it," said actress Jane Withers, recalling how she and her mother felt when they first saw the house in 1969, the year Withers purchased it. Her husband, Ken Errair, once a singer with the Four Freshmen, had been killed in a plane crash in 1968. "It was a wonderful old house," Withers remembered, "but it was desperately in need of care.

DANNY VACA of Norco Hills loves his 2-year-old house, a beefy 4,700-square-foot home with a view, a pool and a third-floor game room. So why is he spending a sunny Saturday morning perusing a new model home a few miles away? "I just like to look for anything that strikes me. Our basic interior is done, but you always see these little knick-knacks that make you think, 'Hmm,' " Vaca says as he strolls through a $1.

This Hidden Hills house was built in 1999 for film composer Graeme Revell and his wife, Sinan, and includes a recording facility among its long list of amenities. The New Zealand native, 49, is known for his blending of traditional ethnic music and sounds such as New Age effects, ghostly vocals and tribal percussion. He created some of these in the guesthouse-turned-studio at the Mediterranean-style home.

IT'S hot and dry in sun-baked Ladera Ranch, butted against the steep Chiquita Ridge in south Orange County, yet water flows freely on a third of an acre newly crowned with a two-story Craftsman. Water burbles and trickles at the foot of the grand front porch, along the grassy meadow that lines the entry drive and around the moss-garden side yard and backyard pool. Even a fire pit near the bar has water running down a marble slab.

Remember when Krystle and Alexis fell fully clothed into the fish pond during a catfight? Yup, this is the place. TV's infamously feuding Carringtons "lived" here in the 1980s, scheming and conniving their way through weekly episodes of the then-popular TV series "Dynasty." Linda Evans and Joan Collins were the present and ex-wives of oil tycoon Blake Carrington, portrayed by John Forsythe against the backdrop of what has been forever after dubbed "The Dynasty House."

This house, built in the hills of Calabasas in 1971 for an heiress turned philanthropist, has been the frequent site of fundraisers. Roberta Pawlak was an advocate of cancer research and worked ardently to support the cause before she died of the disease herself in March. She sat on numerous charity boards and was a board member of her family's Stranahan Foundation, created in 1944 by the founders of the Champion Spark Plug Corp. The foundation grants $3.

Feng shui, the ancient Chinese practice of arranging space to achieve harmony and balance, figured prominently in the design of this Montecito mansion when it was built in 1975. The house was placed in what is known in feng shui as the chair position, said to engender good health and well-being. It is situated on a hilltop with the lot sloping down to the ocean in the front and rising at the rear -- a shape roughly resembling a chair.

European actress Anna Sten and her husband, Eugene Frenke, had a whim in 1934 to hire Richard Neutra, once a student of Frank Lloyd Wright, to design a home for them in Santa Monica Canyon. Neutra, who was on his way to becoming one of the most influential modern architects, was designing houses at the time in what is known as the International Style. The Sten-Frenke residence, with its hallmark flat roof and glass walls, exemplifies the style.

From the street, this San Marino house looks much like it did when it was built in 1917 for Tristan and Elsie Coffin. Known as the Coffin House, the Italian Revival-style home allows a stroll down memory lane to more genteel times when a butler actually used the original butler's pantry, with its mahogany counters, and the maids' quarters needed two bedrooms for servants. Grand in scale, this well-preserved home sits back from the street.

Light and clean lines draw visitors into this modern home, and the landscaping draws them outdoors. Nearly every room opens to the grounds, which include a Zen sculpture garden and an area with a bronzed Buddha and water fountain filled with lily pads. High ceilings and skylights help saturate the rooms with natural light. The open-format kitchen and living room flow onto a heated concrete patio and garden.