Why Haven't You Heard Of LA's Lyric Homes?

LOS ANGELES, CA — Ever wonder where the Los Feliz gets it quirk? You could say it started with John A. Van Pelt's lyric homes. The choral director developed a 71 parcel tract in the neighborhood he dubbed Lyric.

The John A. Van Pelt Residence, now listed for the first time in 45 years, consists of a 2 1/2 acre compound of five whimsical storybook cottages on Lyrica Avenue. You have to see them to believe them.

It's where Lucille Ball lounged poolside at star-studded parties. Remnants of Jack London's s boat The Snark were salvaged and incorporated into the building along with the clinker bricks from the LA cable car demo. And hieroglyph graphics line the walkways.

The private gated property is a charming, historic, hidden and almost surreal haven.

• Address: 2131 Lyric Ave, Los Angeles, California
• Price: $12,000,000
• Square Feet: 6493
• Bedrooms: 8
• Bathrooms: 8 Baths
• Built: 1942
• Features: The John A. Van Pelt Residence. 2 1/2 acre Compound. 5 Residential Buildings. 12 fireplaces. 8 fountains. Parking for 14 cars. Not revealed in 45 years. PRIVATE HOLLYWOOD HISTORY presented in classic Storybook Architecture. Gated private drive to MAIN HOME: 3/2. Sep. Guest Quarters, Wine cellar, meat locker, vintage outdr kitchen, chauffeurs rm. Private infamous POOL HOME showcases Hieroglyph graphics, almost fiction. 4 enchanting additional HOMES privately spaced & surrounded by nature and stoned pathways, have rich history of past tenants and guests. Pelt, an original creator of our east-side love affair, he was a choral director, entrepreneur and developer; he subdivided his large tract into 71 parcels and family lore states he named it LYRIC. A preservationist, he salvaged the anchor, banister rope, and oars from Jack Londons boat The Snark.' He reclaimed clinker bricks from the LA cable car demo to build his walls/stone paths. Endless astonishing stories of a surviving Kingdom.

This listing originally appeared on realtor.com. For more information and photos, click here.