One location that I am asked about constantly is the mid-century modern-style, circular-shaped home that served as the LAPD/FBI undercover headquarters in the 2001 flick The Fast and the Furious. And while fellow stalker Gary, of the Seeing Stars website, had briefly written about the Beverly Hills property a couple of years ago after learning that it had, sadly, been torn down (despite the best efforts of the Los Angeles Conservancy Modern Committee), since I get asked about it frequently and since it was such an incredibly unique residence, I figured the place was most-definitely worthy of a blog post.
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In The Fast and the Furious, the circular home, which was said to have been confiscated by the LAPD, popped up quite frequently. The areas shown include the central courtyard and pool;
the front entrance . . .
. . . and the interior. As you can see, the place was pretty darn spectacular and extraordinary. My mind is absolutely boggled over the fact that someone would want to tear it down!
The same house was also featured in 2000’s Hanging Up as the residence where Lou Mozell (Walter Matthau) lived. In the movie, the property is referred to as being on Angelo Drive, which was its actual former location. Quite a lot of the house appeared in the flick, including the front exterior;
the interior;
and the pool and courtyard, which were shown in both a dilapidated . . .
. . . and normal state.
I absolutely love Meg Ryan’s hair cut in Hanging Up, by the way. So adorable! I might just have to get mine cut that way, too! But I digress.
In The Fast and the Furious, Sgt. Tanner (Ted Levine) says of the circular abode, “You know, Eddie Fisher built this house for Elizabeth Taylor in the ‘50s.” That anecdote is actually untrue, though. According to the Estately website, in real life, the home, which was designed by architect David Fowler for his mother, was built in 1963 and boasted 4 bedrooms, 6 baths, 5,444 square feet, and over six acres of land with unparalleled 180-degree views of the city. After the residence was sold in 2000 for $2.8 million, the entire thing was bulldozed to the ground in order to make room for a new – and absolutely gargantuan – mansion (which you can see below in an aerial view that I got from a 2012 Wall Street Journal video).
According to fave website Curbed LA, the new mansion, which belongs to Anthony Pritzker (heir to the Hyatt hotel fortune), boasts 53,000 total square feet (although the main house measures “only” 49,300 square feet), a two-level basement, a media library, a “hairdressing area” (whatever that is), a gym complete with changing rooms, an arts and crafts room, his-and-her offices, a floating pool, a game room, a two-lane bowling alley, an entertainment foyer with a bar, a detached guest house, and a rec room. The residence is, according to Property Shark, the second-largest house in all of Los Angeles. The only residence bigger? The Manor – aka the former Mapleton Drive home of Aaron and Candy Spelling.
Sadly though, as you can see below, other than the exterior gates, no part of the property is visible from the road.
I was able to track down the below historic aerial images of the house, though, on the Historic Aerials website. As you can see, the home was originally built in the shape of a perfect circle. So incredibly cool!
You can find me on Facebook here and on Twitter at @IAMNOTASTALKER. And be sure to check out my other blog, The Well-Heeled Diabetic.
Until next time, Happy Stalking! 
Stalk It: The house that was used as the LAPD/FBI headquarters in The Fast and the Furious was formerly located at 1261 Angelo Drive in Beverly Hills. A very different residence stands on that site today.
I don’t care how rich you are I don’t care how much money you have to tear down something like that tells me you have no concern about beauty and artistic creation that was a crime to do that I have no respect for that man
Very interesting. Thanks for sharing.
Brigette, we are indeed cousins; 9th cousins, once removed.
Sad it was torn down 🙁
I am in love with this beautiful example of architecture. If anyone has any pictures from the original facebook page, or just of the house, It would mean the world to me if you sent them through. I’m at justinwolfe9@gmail.com. Thanks so much!
Watching the fabulous Fast & the Furious properly for the 1st time (hey, are parents, we had to cook for our kids & friends in the 90’s we never watched anything!) But, as a parent who owns a precious mid century dopelganger house of the FBI headquarters I just had to stop paying attention(my husband is annoyed) and do some research. I am devastated and saddened that this beautiful space is gone. A delicate environmentally sensitive design that celebrated the interior/exterior philosophy was demolished… (A pause) I like the Fast & Furious franchise, the production team, designers and actors showed respect in everything they were trying to achieve. Watching these films in all respects is so bittersweet.
I just saw a music clip of “Collective Soul – Why Pt. 2” and the location was quite familiar. I started to search for Fast and Furious movie to make sure, and for my surprise… It’s the same location.
Check this out at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4dgUY6lsU4
Nice music too…
I am so ashamed at how our country so flippedly decide to just tear down beautifully created buildings, especially historic ones.
Then they turn around and build it again. I feel so sad when we loose these places. I am envious of the families that were privileged to live and be apart of these homes and buildings.
Delos did have a sister, Mary, who died very young, but I am connected through his great-grandfather, Royal Fowler. Royal’s mother was Miriam Moseley and I am connected through the Moseley line. Delos was my 7th cousin, three times removed; as I said, a distant cousin.
Well, we must be cousins then. My apologies, I know this Fowler/Moseley family well and I too follow it closely. Please feel free to carry our conversation by email. My email is setstonedesign@yahoo.com
Very interesting. I stumbled across this page while researching Delos Royal Filer Fowler, a distant cousin. I have added this information to the page of David L. Fowler in my family files.
Wally how can you be a cousin? Delos had no bros or sisters, his father was an only child. Unless much distant relative once removed. Tell me what the name of the family you are connected with that connects you with DLF.
What a trip down memory lane! This house was owned by my grandmother Carolyn Fowler Davis and yes it is true that my uncle Dave Fowler built it for her. It’s too bad there are not more photos out there of it as it was an absolutely lovely home with sweeping views of LA. Not sure if you can tell from the photos but she had pools of water in the back of the home that connected the sunken interior living room to the outside as well. You could actually swim under the glass walls to the outside if you were small (which I did often as a child). From there you climbed travertine stairts to a fantastic bar/cards room which was used in Fast and Furious (5th photo here). I have many memories of family members enjoying martinis in that area. This was a true old school home with hidden rooms (there was a powder room hidden behind a wood paneled wall off of the formal dining room) and an entire area for the bulter/cook and his wife who was my grandmother’s housekeeper. The bathroom off the master suite had his and her sides that were partioned – each had its own toilet and sink area. My grandfather’s side had a shower and my grandmother had a huge travertine bath with a glass wall that over looked the valley below. She also had a separate dressing area with lighted mirrors. It all felt very glamourous. It’s too bad that both movies showed it in such a dilapidated state as it was so unique, understated yet refined and beautiful. The house was rather small given the plot it was on which left lots of space for wildlife and natural beauty. I recall as a small child seeing all sorts of birds and deer on the rolling hills along the long driveway that lead to the house. Thank you for doing this write up on it. I know that my uncle would have loved to have heard that a new generation appreciates his work.
The project name was called ” Ridgetop” for Mr. & Mrs. M. Philip Davis and it was built by Robert B. Coleman Jr. Design by my father, David Lyle Fowler, AIA. I have many pictures of the place back in the day it was built. Architectural Digest also had a write up on it in Spring 1966 , Vol. 22, Issue 4, pgs. 102-105 under the title “Ridgetop in Los Angeles Holmby Hills” Beginning November 1961 was the day the bulldozers came in, my brother and two sisters and father were there at the project. It was to last until Christmas of 1962. My dear cousin above has shared with you some of the details…and it was beautifully done. Tours were given in those early days for awhile, An award was applied for the AIA award program but I do not know if it had won one. I only have Black and White photos, the 1966 Spring Edition of the Architectural Digest will have colored photos where you can see the curved walls, the use of glass and water, concrete walls with the curved motifs. The curved bath tub was a marvel with terraza tub, round glass looking out to the cantilevered planter outside. The circular skylights through out the design mimics the over all plan. I don’t think there was a square room anywhere . .So many good memories there in that house.
I wish you would portoremail those pictures somewhere on the internet because I adore that house and wish to see more of it. It was a beautiful home. Would have loved to see the architectural gem in person.
I am going to set up a facebook page of my father’s work. Please look for it soon and will have pictures that will show this lovely home. Will take some time to get it just right but because of so much interest will try and get some preliminary photos up. Thank you.
Facebook is up and I have other photos and drawings if interested. I don’t know what portoremail is. Sorry
What is the Facebook page name? I can’t find it under fowler or ridgetop. If you could post the name of the page and/or link that would be excellent. Thanks! Porta whatever, I think was an auto fill word. Ack-! Hate it when the computer does that. Thanks.
Sooo sorry. Ok facebook page is: David L. Fowler, if asked in search more, architect, it will be a b & w picture of my dad with a cover picture of the panoramic view from the gate from Angelo Drive
Is the Facebook page still up? I can’t seem to find it.
Also, this old real estate advert mentions TALIESIN ARCHITECTURE. Was Mr. Fowler associated with them? Or was he (like John Lautner) a former Frank Lloyd Wright apprentice?
http://www.estately.com/sold/1261-angelo-drive–3
I wish I had been able to buy that house, it would still be standing. I really wish someone from LA had intervened in that situation as that house looked amazing. Just a shame.
Do you still have the FB page up? I can’t find it. I would love to see the pics of this home.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/David-L-Fowler/511378162313021
The initial date was in Jan 2014.
I’m getting the following error from the facebook page:
“This content is currently unavailable”
This page is showing a error stating privacy settings might not allow me to see the page. I would love to see the other drawings and pics. I am completely fascinated with that home and would love to hear more about. Maybe set up a new FB page?
what an honor to be part of cinematic history, congratulations to your family for coming up with this wonderful design 😉
I am so so SO disappointed that this house was torn down. Very upsetting as it was truly a work of ART in and of itself. Why does LA do this? I just never can understand it. Such a beautiful house. If anyone knows where I can get the architect name and/or plans, I would love to recreate it. No one should have ever torn it down. Shame… No excuse for it. I am sure they could that horrible monstrosity somewhere else and leave that beautiful home alone!
There is one other movie that I’ve seen where this home was used. I can’t place it at the moment but will report back when I see it again or remember.
It was also in “The Glass Bottom Boat” the outside by the fountain, I think. Rock Hudson and Doris Day. However, I heard from another cousin, that the reason my grandmother stopped allowing Hollywood the use of her home since then was the condition in which the crew left it. Thank you for all your interest, Ill be working on getting this out on facebook in about a week or so.
I’m also in love with this house, trying my best to find out more of information and fotos of this structure. I also clicked on this fb link, never worked. Would you please post a new link or place the pictures on picassa or maybe send it to my email. I would really appreciate ir: falmeric@gmailc.com. thanks
The Glass Bottom Boat ~ 1966. Doris Day with Rod Taylor. It is also the film debut of Dom DeLuise and there’s a great scene with Paul Lynde in Drag.
Thank you so much!
I really enjoyed seeing these photos.
The house seems fantastic and it was enjoyable seeing a bit more of it.
It has been a bit of a mystery house and people have been looking for it.
I’m trying to find out who designed it.
Thanks again! Yum!
Thanks for telling who designed this gem!