Photo: Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images
Ava Gardner was known for leading a glamorous life filled with A-list Hollywood parties, explosive romances, and even a healthy dose of flamenco dancing in Madrid—but before all of that, the starlet was a country girl living on a family farm in rural North Carolina.
The summer after graduating high school, in 1939, Gardner traveled to New York City to see her older sister and ended up charting the course of her life in the process. During her visit, the then 17-year-old posed for a portrait session with her photographer brother-in-law; a picture of the young beauty in the window of his photo studio ultimately led to her discovery.
Gardner was set to begin a college secretarial program that coming fall, but by 18 she was living in Hollywood, MGM contract in hand. From there, the actor resided in numerous California dwellings before eventually giving up the US altogether. Below, we trace the legendary screen star’s journey in homes.
Grabtown, North Carolina, farmhouse
The youngest of seven siblings, Gardner was born on Christmas Eve 1922. The Gardner family lived in a white two-story farmhouse on their tobacco and cotton farm in the small unincorporated community of Grabtown, North Carolina. According to the nearby Ava Gardner Museum, the house still stands as a private residence.
Brogden, North Carolina
When the Show Boat actress was three years old, a fire ravaged the Gardner family barn and cotton gin, prompting them to relocate to Brogdon, North Carolina. The family made ends meet by managing a teacherage—a boarding house for teachers at the local school—where they also lived until financial strain forced them to close in 1934, as Gardner was entering teenagehood.
The family then ran and resided in a shipyard worker boarding house in Newport News, Virginia, until Gardner’s father died in 1938.
Rock Ridge, North Carolina
After her father’s passing, Gardner moved to another teacherage in Rock Ridge, North Carolina, with her mother. The simple Colonial-style house had two stories clad in white clapboard siding and a front porch spanning the entire length of its façade, according to a photo from the Ava Gardner Museum.
In 1939, the future film star graduated from the local school and enrolled at a nearby college. That summer, she took the fateful trip to New York where she ended up being discovered by MGM.
The Shoreham, 8730 Shoreham Drive, West Hollywood
After short stints at the Plaza hotel and Hotel Wilcox, one of Gardner’s first Tinseltown residences was in a Hollywood Regency-style townhouse. The condo is part of a 15-unit complex known as the Shoreham, built in 1937 by MGM Studios to house their talent. Just off the Sunset Strip, the three-bedroom and two-bathroom apartment last sold in 2018 for $1.55 million.
Westwood apartment, Los Angeles
During her first visit to the studios, Gardner met fellow MGM actor Mickey Rooney. They were married just five months later. “We lived in a tiny apartment on Wilshire in Westwood that we’d rented from Red Skelton. One bedroom, living room, kitchen, and a tiny dining room,” Gardner told ghostwriter Peter Evans. The young couple divorced a year later, in 1943.
906 North Bedford Drive, Beverly Hills
After dating for a few months, a 22-year-old Gardner moved into bandleader Artie Shaw’s English Tudor–style Beverly Hills home. On October 17, 1945, the pair were wed at the dwelling built in 1925. Spanning roughly 6,500 square feet, the home has four bedrooms and six bathrooms and last sold in 2000 for just $258 thousand.
Before the end of their year-long marriage, Shaw and Gardner moved into a more modest Art Moderne–style Burbank home that was built in 1938. Their former bedroom is available to rent on Airbnb.
2395 Nichols Canyon Road, Los Angeles
In 1948, Gardner bought her first house. It was a brand new pink stucco cottage in Nichols Canyon. The 1,754-square-foot two-bedroom dwelling sports a lengthy porch overlooking the canyon and a front step with an octagonal window that looks pretty much the same as when the starlet was photographed in front of it for Movieland magazine in 1949.
Twin Palms Estate, Palm Springs, California
Gardner’s third (and last) marriage was to Frank Sinatra in 1951. She moved into his midcentury-modern Palm Springs pad, known as Twin Palms. Sinatra commissioned architect E. Stewart Williams to design the single-story home in 1947. The estate has four bedrooms and seven bathrooms across 4,500 square feet, plus a piano-shaped swimming pool and a cabana equipped with a kitchenette and dual showers.
The residence was the site of turbulent fights between the couple. A chip still seen in one of the bathroom sinks was allegedly caused by a champagne bottle that Sinatra threw at Gardner. Today, the iconic property is available to rent.
La Moraleja Home, Madrid
In 1954, Gardner separated from Sinatra. Soon after, she bought a ranch-style brick house in the La Moraleja suburb of Madrid. She decorated the home with bold colors and locally sourced antiques.
2775 Rinconia Drive, Los Angeles
The Killers star’s next purchase was a classic Californian midcentury-modern gem, built in 1959 by architect Edward Fickett. Gardner used the three-bedroom, three-bathroom post-and-beam pad while visiting from Spain.
11 Calle Doctor Arce, Madrid
Next, the silver screen legend picked up a penthouse duplex in El Viso, a wealthy neighborhood in Madrid. The apartment boasted a sprawling rooftop terrace where Gardner frequently partied and blasted flamenco music late into the night. This remained her primary residence until she moved to London around 1967.
34 Ennismore Gardens, London
In 1972, Gardner bought the London apartment where she would reside until her death at the age of 67 in 1990. “I love the history and grandeur of my little London retreat, some say it is too big for me alone, but I love the space,” she reportedly said of the dwelling.
Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
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