Historic Wistaria Vine House Is Up for Sale

Home buyers in Sierra Madre have an opportunity to purchase not only an attractive piece of real estate, but also the world’s largest wisteria vine (spelled "wistaria" locally) that hovers above the backyard like a pink and blue cloud.

The house at 535 N. Hermosa Ave. is known locally as "the Wistaria House" because of the immense flowering vine that some people claim is the largest living vine in the country. (The vine has a listing in the Guinness Book of World Records.) First planted a century ago on a neighboring property, the plant merged with another wisteria planted 60 years ago at 535 N. Hermosa.

The Sierra Madre honors the renowned creeper with an annual .

Enough horticulture: This four-bedroom, three-and-a-half bath house, listed at $1.35 million has plenty to recommend it beyond the botanical biomass in the backyard.

One member of the most recent household is reportedly a set designer and photographer, and he and his family’s work on the house demonstrates skill and taste and almost compulsive attention to detail.

Observe the tall living room with the wooden, open-beam ceiling that seems to emphasize the town-and-country flavor of the place. “The great room is humungous, with nearly 1,000 square feet and French doors with views of the Valley and downtown L.A.,” says listing agent Judy Ann Skiff of Realtors’ local office. “On one day, we even saw Catalina.”

Look also at the kitchen, with lots of room and walls of built-in storage, that opens onto an informal breakfast area. “There’s a huge Viking, eight-burner stove and wine fridge,” says Skiff. “Every canister has its own place,” she adds. The rest of the house is “exquisite, state-of-the-art everything,” she says, including flat-screen TVs and Sirius radio in nearly every room.

The most attractive place, in my opinion, is the backyard, where the renowned vine is held aloft by a large trellis supported by columns. This sun-dappled area makes us feel that we have rediscovered the California of an earlier, quieter time. As for the annual , the homeowner is entitled to a $300 honorarium. 

I say go for it.