A Hollywood screenwriter and producer has listed his century-old LA home for $2.1 million — and with a property tax reduction for the next buyer who continues to preserve and maintain its historical integrity.
Bruce Marshall Romans — a co-executive producer and writer on the surprise Amazon Prime Video hit show, Marvel’s “Spider-Noir,” starring Nicolas Cage as a retired superhero-turned-jaded-private-investigator in 1930s New York — bought the historic home at 130 N Catalina Street for $1.92 million in 2022.
Built in 1925 and known as the Monsignor O’Brien House, the Mediterranean and Spanish Revival-style residence was designated a Los Angeles Historic Cultural Monument in 2007.
Romans said he fell in love with the home — and a woman he planned to share it with. But plans change. The relationship ended, and the house is simply too big for one person and a little dog, he told Gimme Shelter.
“It’s just too much house for me,” Romans said, adding that he will move into another LA residence that he owns.
At 3,103 square feet, the Catalina crib comes with four bedrooms and three baths — and sits on just .17 of an acre. Original details include some of the light fixtures, arched French doors and windows, a sunken living room with a woodburning fireplace, wedding cake crown moldings, high ceilings and hardwood floors.
“I had been looking for one of those romantic old Hollywood homes that you see in the movies,” Romans said.
“I’m from Kentucky and went to architecture school for a time, and California has the best collection of these homes. But every one I went to had something wrong — the stairs had been torn out or the original floors and crown moldings had been stripped and the homes’ original charm and design was gone — except for the Catalina house.”
When he walked in, he said: “I was immediately blown away.”
“There’s this beautiful foyer, and 12-foot-high ceilings, and an old-fashioned, step-down living room with a huge fireplace. I was immediately taken by the layout, and I saw that the house had all the original details that are usually missing,” Romans said.
“After the fall of the stock market in 1929, developers stopped spending money on that kind of thing,” Romans added. “It’s unbelievable, and the home still has 3-inch white tiger oak floors, which is extremely rare.”
In addition, Romans said, the butler’s pantry still has “old school swing doors,” which allowed staff carrying trays of food to move easily from the kitchen to the formal dining room. There’s even a brass plate on the dining room floor that once held a button that the head of the household could step on when dining, so servants could know when to bring or take away courses.
The main bedroom also comes with a walk-in closet and a dressing room.
“It’s bigger than my first apartment. There is just detail after detail,” Romans said of the bedroom, adding that the architect, Clarence J. Smale, designed homes for silent movie stars including Buster Keaton.
“This guy was unbelievable, and the draftsperson was a woman, which was unheard of at the time,” Romans said.
Edith Northman “then broke out on her own to become one of the first prominent female architects in the country,” Romans said — and the first woman registered architect in LA.
“The home is riddled with history. It’s like living in a piece of art,” Romans said.
The backyard also features a patio, a vine-covered pergola and a grassy area.
“It feels like something out of the south of France,” said listing broker is Naomi Selick of Douglas Elliman.
