Pee-Wee Herman’s Personal Playhouse in L.A. Could Be Yours for $5 Million
Ten months after his death at age 70, the Los Angeles estate of actor, comedian, writer, and producer Paul Reubens—best known for his childlike, red bow tie-wearing alter-ego Pee-wee Herman—is available for the first time in almost four decades, asking just under $5 million. Built in the late 1950s and boasting nearly 3,000 square feet of living space, the midcentury ranch house sits atop a promontory in the sought-after Oaks neighborhood of Los Feliz and comes complete with views of the Griffith Park Observatory and the iconic Hollywood Sign from nearly every vantage point.
A California Institute of the Arts theater student and member of West Coast comedy troupe The Groundlings—where he originated his Pee-wee character in the 1970s—Reubens went on to become a film and TV sensation in the ’80s, starring in The Pee-wee Herman Show, Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, Big Top Pee-wee, and Pee-wee’s Playhouse. The recipient of a 1988 Hollywood Walk of Fame star, he’s also known for his work on Mystery Men, Blow, and Murphy Brown, the latter of which earned him an Emmy nod.
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Though his image was somewhat tarnished in later years due to a couple of arrests—one for indecent exposure and another for possessing obscene material—he subsequently appeared in a new version of The Pee-wee Herman Show at L.A.’s Club Nokia and on Broadway, as well as the movie Pee-wee’s Big Holiday.
As first reported by The Wall Street Journal, Reubens purchased the home for a mere $415,000 in 1985, at the height of his career, and resided there until he passed away in July 2023. Fully gated and resting at the end of a lengthy private road, the single-story structure is nestled amid a 1.4-acre parcel and features three bedrooms and an equal number of baths, plus restored yet largely original interiors boasting slate floors, wood-beam ceilings, and vintage wallpaper throughout.
Among the highlights are a fireside living room and an adjacent dining area with sliding glass doors leading out to the backyard. A “snazzy” den has a stone fireplace and a wet bar, while a kitchen is outfitted with yellow Formica countertops and an accompanying breakfast nook. There’s also a primary suite appointed with a seating alcove, a separate dressing area, and a bath that opens to an enclosed patio Reubens built to protect his cat Koko from the surrounding wildlife, along with two guest bedrooms that share a bath.
In addition to a swimming pool and a spa, the park-like grounds are laced with more than 100 varieties of native shrubs and trees and host a barbecue area, a pergola-shaded lounging spot, a cactus garden, walking trails, and a waterfall that flows into a pond. An added bonus: a concrete patio sporting actual handprints signed by the likes of the comic’s friend and actress Debi Mazar.
In another celebrity-related connection, Reubens’s estate is also sited near two adjacent homes owned by Emmy-winning actress and stand-up comedian Sarah Silverman—one she bought nearly four years ago for $3.5 million and another she just picked up for $2.1 million.
The listing is held by Juliette Hohnen of Douglas Elliman.
Click here for more photos of Paul Reubens’s house.
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