Everything for the house was custom designed, down to the teak escutcheon plates of the upstairs mahogany panel doors to the linen closets with their ebony cloud adorned keys.

As a result, the seven acre (2.8 hectare) estate was sold without its furnishings, then subdivided by the purchaser into smaller parcels, destroying the gardens in the process.

In 1985, recently widowed, Mrs. Hill sold the property to Barton English, a Princeton graduate and rancher from Texas, and Michael Carey, a prominent dealer of Arts and Crafts era antiques from New York City.

Shortly after the close of escrow, Mr. English hired a well known local antique dealer to remove more than forty-eight original lighting fixtures for him.

National media attention to this sequence of events was facilitated through the efforts of Pasadena Heritage executive director Claire Bogaard.

Although not a direct prohibition, the ordinance delayed for up to one year any changes or alterations, subject to review of a committee of the Planning Commission.

Ipekjian was responsible for re-creating the wood work of the lamps and other fixtures; he even traveled to see one of the original pieces in order to make a correct copy.

The house was entirely re-wired and re-plumbed, the structure upgraded to withstand earthquakes, and discreet ventilation ducts were installed.

After four years of restoration, a benefit dinner hosted by actor Brad Pitt celebrated the completion of the project.