Jane Russell’s Old Santa Barbara Hideaway Lists for $8.25 Million
I remember the first time I read about this place — a creekside compound in Montecito once owned by Jane Russell, now back on the market with an $8.25 million price tag. It’s the kind of listing that makes you pause: a 1.25-acre tucked-away spread, a 3,678 sq ft main house, a guesthouse, a garage-top apartment and a pool house — six bedrooms, four-and-a-half baths in total.
What hooks me (and probably you) is the mix: Golden-Age provenance plus modern, lived-in comforts. Russell bought it with her husband John Peoples in 1985, sold it around 2000 after his death, and now the compound’s headline-ready history is being handled by Kate Blackwood and Santa Van Der Laarse at Compass.
Read on and I’ll show you why this isn’t just another luxury listing — it’s a piece of Hollywood history with real, usable spaces (creekside deck, suspended bridge, pool, sports court) that still feel like a retreat, not a museum.
Would you rather preserve every original detail or rework it into a contemporary hideaway?
Jane Russell: The Golden-Age Legend Behind the Home
When you talk about Jane Russell, you’re talking about a woman who built her career in an era that didn’t hand out fame easily. She earned her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960 — the same day Marilyn Monroe stood beside her.
Their handprints still sit outside Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, and if you’ve ever walked that forecourt, you know how surreal it feels to stand where legends once stood.
By the ’70s and ’80s, she wasn’t just a former Hollywood star. She became a familiar face again through Playtex bra and girdle ads — the kind of campaigns women still remember today.
So when someone like her chooses a home, especially a quiet retreat in Santa Barbara, you know it’s more than a real-estate purchase. It’s a choice about how she wanted to live.
How Russell Ended Up Owning This Santa Barbara Estate?
She bought the property in 1985 with her third husband, John Peoples — a real estate broker who clearly knew how to pick a spot with long-term value. They lived here until he passed away in 1999, and she sold the home in 2000 for close to the $1.9 million asking price.
The estate changed hands again in 2005 for $2.12 million. And now, after two decades of updates and careful ownership, it’s back on the market at $8.25M — a number that says a lot about both Montecito’s growth and the property’s charm.
Compass agents Kate Blackwood and Santa Van Der Laarse are handling the listing, and honestly, it makes sense. This isn’t an everyday Santa Barbara home. It has a story attached to it.
A Private 1.25-Acre Compound Hidden Down a Quiet Lane
If you’ve ever driven through the quieter pockets of Montecito, you know how rare true seclusion is. According to Robb Report, this estate sits down a private lane and opens up into a full 1.25-acre compound — not just a single residence.
The setup includes:
- a 3,678-square-foot main house,
- a one-bedroom guesthouse,
- a separate one-bed/one-bath apartment above the garage, and
- a fully independent pool house with its own kitchen and bath.
All together: six bedrooms, four-and-a-half bathrooms, and enough flexible spaces to feel like your own small retreat rather than a typical residential lot.
It’s the kind of property where you could have family, friends, or guests staying in different corners of the estate without anyone stepping on each other’s space. That’s not common in Santa Barbara — especially not at this price bracket.
The Main House: Midcentury Lines, Modern Touches
The original house was built in 1964, and even though it’s been heavily updated, you can still feel the mid-century bones. The updates aren’t the cold, glossy type you see in quick flips. They lean warm — smooth concrete walls, horizontal wood cladding, lots of natural textures.
Inside, the living and dining room share a wide, open space lined with windows. There’s a suspended fireplace hanging from a vaulted, beamed ceiling — the kind of detail you don’t see in today’s builds unless someone is really paying attention.
The kitchen is bright and uncomplicated: all-white, flooded with light from skylights and oversized windows. Simple, clean, lived-in.
There are a couple of smaller dens tucked inside too, plus four bedrooms. The primary suite sits on the main floor and opens to a private patio with an outdoor shower. I don’t know about you, but outdoor showers have a very specific kind of luxury attached to them — relaxed, personal, and slightly magical when the weather is right.
By the way, a lot of readers who follow high-end architecture updates prefer getting quick alerts instead of checking sites — I share these kinds of real estate finds on a WhatsApp broadcast too. It’s handy if you like discovering gems before they hit mainstream news.
The Creekside Magic: Deck, Bridge, and Garden Pathways
Here’s the part of the property that genuinely sets it apart: the house opens onto a deck that hangs right over a seasonal creek. It’s not decorative — you’re actually above running water when it’s flowing.
A private bridge leads you across the creek into wandering gardens, where the pool and pool house sit tucked away from the main structure. The whole layout feels like someone intentionally wanted separate “zones” — quiet, social, reflective, playful.
There’s also a sports court farther out, adding a practical layer without disrupting the natural feel of the grounds.
This is where you feel the “retreat” part of the retreat. Homes like these aren’t built today because they’re too expensive to replicate. You either inherit them, or they show up on the market once every twenty years.
The Guest Spaces: Designed for Privacy, Not Overflow
Most “guesthouses” feel like afterthoughts — a converted garage, a cramped studio, or a space with just enough room to claim it’s separate. This estate doesn’t do that.
The one-bedroom guesthouse feels like its own tiny home, tucked just far enough from the main house that you could stay there for weeks and never feel like you’re intruding.
And the one-bed/one-bath apartment above the garage is the kind of place an adult child, a visiting parent, or even a long-term friend could use without anyone stepping on each other’s routines.
It’s rare to see secondary spaces that don’t compromise the main property’s flow. Here, the layout feels intentional — every structure has breathing room.
If you enjoy seeing how other public figures design their private living spaces, you might like how Troye Sivan approached his midcentury Los Angeles home — it has a similar balance of warmth and clean lines.
The Pool House: A Real Standalone Retreat
A lot of pool houses are glorified storage rooms with plumbing. This one isn’t. It has its own kitchen, its own bathroom, and enough space to function as a proper day-to-night hangout.
The location matters too: it sits across the creek, past the private bridge, so spending time here feels like shifting into a different part of the property’s personality. More sunlight, more openness, more play.
If you’re someone who likes hosting casual evenings, this is the spot. Movies, quiet dinners by the pool, small gatherings — it carries that energy naturally.
How the Estate Balances Nature and Structure?
One thing I keep coming back to is how the home blends into the environment rather than fighting it.
The trees, the creek, the layered gardens — nothing feels forced.
You see this especially in the way the deck hovers over the water. It gives the property this soft, calming movement, especially when the creek is running. And when it’s dry, it still creates a natural boundary that defines the outdoor spaces.
It’s the difference between a house that sits on land and a house that belongs to it.
The Market Context: Why $8.25M Actually Makes Sense
When a celebrity-owned home hits the market, it’s easy to assume the price is inflated just because of the name attached. But here, the number isn’t about nostalgia — it’s about Montecito’s reality.
Inventory is tight, privacy is rare, and flat, usable land over an acre is even rarer. Plus, this property offers three things Montecito buyers pay a premium for:
- authentic midcentury architecture,
- multiple detached structures, and
- a natural landscape that doesn’t feel manicured into submission.
Considering all of that, $8.25M sits exactly where you’d expect a property like this to land in 2025.
Market jumps like this aren’t unusual — even in Utah, Mormon Wives stars Jessi and Jordan Ngatikaura saw similar momentum when they listed their home during a high-demand moment.
Who This Home Is Really For?
Not everyone is built for a property like this.
It isn’t for someone who wants a polished, ultra-modern showpiece. And it’s definitely not for someone who wants every inch of land perfectly engineered.
This is a home for someone who values privacy, quiet mornings, and the feeling of owning a place with a genuine story.
Someone who appreciates midcentury details but also wants updated functionality. Someone who likes the idea of a family compound — or simply wants enough space for solitude without isolation.
If you’re the type who loves creeping vines, creek breezes, and rooms with personality, this place will hit you immediately.
The Emotional Weight of a Former Celebrity Home
You can feel the history here — but not in a heavy way. It’s the light kind of history, the kind that lingers when a home has been lived in well.
Jane Russell spent her last peaceful years here. She entertained here. She rested here. And even though the estate has changed hands and evolved over time, that sense of calm still sits in the walls and the gardens.
A good home holds energy. This one holds decades of it — layered, quiet, warm.
And if you’re fascinated by the emotional stories behind celebrity-owned spaces, Genevieve Gorder’s Manhattan duplex had that same lived-in charm — different setting, but the energy was similarly personal.
Final Takeaway: A Retreat With a Story You Can Add To
When you step back and look at everything — the land, the structures, the creek, the guest spaces, the midcentury soul — this estate is more than a luxury listing. It’s a retreat with chapters already written, waiting for the next person who actually cares about places with character.
If you were buying this home, which part of its story would matter to you the most — the celebrity history, the architecture, or the natural landscape?
If you like following celebrity real estate moves, I break down homes like this every week — you can browse more stories in our Real Estate & Homeownership section on the site.
Disclaimer: This article is based on publicly available information and current real estate listings. Property details, pricing, and availability may change at any time. Readers should verify all facts with official listing agents or trusted real estate sources.
