Stone House the San Juan Islands Boasts Hollywood Connections

The San Juans lie just off the coast of Washington State, almost to the Canadian border. The Spanish explorer Francisco de Eliza named the four-island archipelago in 1791, sailing under the patronage of Juan Vicente de Güemes Padilla Horcasitas y Aguayo, the Viceroy of Mexico. In addition to naming the island chain after his benefactor's patron saint, Eliza named Orcas Island after his benefactor, short for "Horcasitas."

The islands have long been a vacation spot for weary Westerners, including, in the early 20th century, silent film stars seeking an escape from Hollywood. This stone house, in the Orcas hamlet of Olga, was built between 1920 and 1924 by movie producers who had spent years combing the west coast, from northern Mexico to southern Canada, in search of an ideal waterfront spot.

After its construction, the imposing three-story manse was frequented by one of Hollywood's most famous actresses of her time, Theda Bara, the original "vamp", who would come up from Hollywood to get away from it all. Many other Tinseltown guests, including Marlene Dietrich and John Wayne would also make the pilgrimage and perform plays for friends and family on the raised area in the great room.

Today the property is available for a very non-1920s price of $5.873 million via Kevin Ranker and Wally Gudgell at Compass. That includes 2.59 acres of land (including a second lot with the boathouse), 700 feet of beautiful waterfront, a private beach, and the 6,740 square foot house, which boasts 5 bedrooms and 7.5 bathrooms.

The main entrance showcases massive ironclad double doors and flanking either side of the entrance is a living room and a dining room. Eight-foot-wide windows and doors line the entire view side of the east wing, affording fabulous water views, clear through the Rosario Straits to Anacortes. In the west wing, there's an enormous great room that showcases 20-foot vaulted and beamed ceilings, original plaster walls, several leaded glass windows, and a central fireplace.

Bedrooms are dispersed throughout the residence, with the primary suite being on the main floor with water and garden views through huge leaded glass windows. There's an en-suite loft bedroom as well as a self-contained studio apartment. A stone stairway leads to a secondary owner's suite that sports dual baths separated by a 19th-century stained-glass window.

The setting and grounds are without question the best part of the property. Brick paths lead to quiet courtyards, pretty ponds and gardens, and a hot tub. Below the house, at the water's edge, there is a private cove, a mooring buoy and an extremely rare double-sided boathouse with teak doors, which can accommodate a 27’ boat.

Go on now, vamp it up! Theda Bara would want you to.

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