Diane Keaton’s passion for real estate started early. In a 2017 interview with Wine Spectator, she shared how she used to follow her father, a real estate agent, around Los Angeles open houses, soaking in the world of architecture and interiors. That early exposure later blossomed into a lifelong love for buying, renovating, and selling homes—especially historic properties, like the Lloyd Wright–designed house in Los Feliz.
“I’ve always been fascinated by homes and the idea of ‘home,’” Keaton told Wine Spectator. “The problem is I never really stay put. But that’s also part of the fun—I love it.” Among her most memorable properties was the “dream home” where she lived until recently in her sunlit Los Angeles hometown.
Keaton’s rise to fame in the late 1970s with Annie Hall marked the beginning of her property journey. At 30, she bought her first apartment: a full-floor unit at the San Remo, a 1930s Beaux Arts co-op on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Though the purchase price remains unknown, Keaton described it as “one of those remarkable apartments,” with expansive windows on every side, a private elevator, wood-paneled library, coffered living room ceilings, and a black-and-white tiled kitchen. The three-bedroom apartment became her first real exploration into architecture and design and was listed for $17.5 million in 2018.
Eventually, Keaton returned to the West Coast, purchasing Lloyd Wright’s historic Samuel-Novarro house in Los Feliz. Commissioned in 1928 for actor Ramón Novarro, the four-story, 2,700-square-foot Mayan-themed Art Deco home features multilevel terraces, a pergola, and a private walled swimming terrace. Keaton renovated it carefully, preserving Wright’s signature details, including oxidized copper trim, and sold it five years later. A decade after that, she even consulted a contractor during a later restoration, emphasizing the importance of maintaining the house’s original character. The home hit the market for $4.295 million in 2019.
Inspired by childhood memories of the Spanish Colonial homes near Palos Verdes, Keaton later bought a Spanish Colonial Revival estate in Bel-Air. Originally designed in the 1920s by Wallace Neff and John Byers, the property had been heavily altered over the years. With guidance from designer Stephen Shadley, she carefully curated each detail, collecting images and ideas in a binder to guide renovations. She ultimately sold the seven-bedroom, nine-bath home for $16.5 million in 2005.
In 2004, Keaton turned her attention to the coast, acquiring a Mediterranean-style mansion in Laguna Beach. Built in 1928 for the J. Roy Smith family, the home featured Spanish tiles, wood beams, ironwork, and panoramic Pacific Ocean views. After restoring the four-bedroom, six-bathroom property over two years, she flipped it for $12.75 million.
Back in Beverly Hills, she eyed another Spanish Colonial Revival house with a two-story courtyard and fountain. Originally built in 1927 by Ralph Flewelling, the home resembled the style of Wallace Neff and George Washington Smith. After some hesitation, Keaton purchased it for $8.1 million, renovated it alongside Shadley, and later sold it to Glee creator Ryan Murphy in 2010.
Keaton also bought the Alfred Newman House in 2007, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright’s son. Situated on 1.4 acres in Rustic Canyon, the 4,386-square-foot midcentury modern home had five bedrooms and four bathrooms. She restored the woodwork, updated the kitchen, and converted the second floor into a primary suite, eventually selling it for $10.75 million after purchasing it for $9.1 million.
Her next venture was a Cape Cod–style Pacific Palisades home. Purchased in 2012 for $5.6 million, the three-level residence featured six bedrooms, nine bathrooms, a home theater, gym, wine room, rooftop deck, swimming pool, and spa. Keaton made cosmetic updates and sold it in 2015 for $6.995 million.
Perhaps her most personal project was her Sullivan Canyon residence, featured in her third book, The House That Pinterest Built. Completed in 2017, the 8,000-square-foot home was a labor of love, inspired by the photos and ideas she had collected over years. Keaton described the process as instinctual, akin to her approach to acting: “I fell in love with the bricks, and I fell in love with the mortar. I wanted the space between the bricks to have a life of its own.”
Finally, Keaton’s real estate ventures took her to the desert. In Tucson, Arizona, she purchased a historic Barrio Viejo property for $1.5 million. The late 19th-century home was renovated with new kitchen fixtures, oversized light fixtures, a swimming pool, a cabana, and even a 20-foot water tower. She sold the property in 2020 for $2.6 million, turning another architectural vision into reality.
From Manhattan to Los Angeles, Laguna Beach to Tucson, Diane Keaton’s real estate journey was as bold, creative, and meticulous as her acting career. Each home she touched bore her signature care for detail, history, and style—a true reflection of her passion for design and architecture.
