Inside the playhouse, a magical wardrobe awaited.
He commissioned MGM costume designers directly to custom make replica dress-up gowns, just Liza’s size, fashioned after leading women’s costumes in famous movies like ‘Gone With the Wind’ and ‘The King and I’.
In its day, it was a picture of modernity and opulence. The exclusive home was originally built in 1925. An extensive remodeling project was underway by 1944, headed by John Elgin Woolf, who was known as the “architect to the stars.” Vincente Minnelli purchased it in 1951 while it was being renovated. The project was completed in 1954.
Woolf is renowned for the Hollywood Regency style, which fashioned glamorous architecture and living spaces by pulling together threads of Greek Revival, 19th-century French and Modernist, into what would later be recognized as postmodern. The classy abode featured a motor court and a luxurious modern pool.
Vincente and his second wife, Georgette Magnani, took up residence upon completion. With little Liza living there half of the year, he spared no expense.
Vincente absolutely adored his daughter. The child-sized dollhouse in the backyard was not only constructed just for her, it was commissioned by stage and film artist Tony Duquette.
Her place was the envy of her Hollywood playmates.
Candice Bergen reflected back to Liza’s wonderland in her memoir, saying that she remembers always asking to go to Liza's to play dress-up when they were kids.
In 1999, Lee Minnelli welcomed the Los Angeles Times inside of her intriguing home for an interview. Within the doors, details like python skin-covered foyer walls and a den punctuated with Vincente Minnelli’s Oscar for 'Gigi' greeted the observer.
Lee’s closet, an inventory of designer clothing, reflected the widow’s preferences—Chanel, Adolfo, Givenchy and De la Renta. The closets themselves were vast and accessed through glass doors from expansive dressing rooms. She showed off Vincente’s suite, a large, bright bedroom, preserved since his death.