Although Rock Hudson is synonymous with the glamour of Hollywood’s Golden Age, his personal life often revolved around four walls that offered a rare sense of privacy. From a cramped Chicago bungalow where he lived with six adults and five children, to a sprawling Los Angeles estate nicknamed “The Castle,” each residence marks a chapter in the actor’s quest to escape the relentless spotlight.
From a Chicago bungalow to early Los Angeles apartments
Born Roy Harold Scherer Jr. on November 17, 1925, Hudson spent part of his youth in a modest one-bedroom bungalow at 719 Center Street, Chicago. The house shared a single bathroom among six adults and five youngsters, a fact noted in Sara Davidson’s biography. This cramped setting highlighted the stark contrast between his humble origins and the opulent homes he would later acquire.
Shared home with Bob Preble
In the early 1950s Hudson cohabited with actor Bob Preble in a series of Los Angeles rentals, the last of which stood on Avenida del Sol. The modern-looking dwelling featured futuristic glass fixtures and panoramic valley views. Their three-year arrangement ended when Preble married actress Yvonne Rivero, and the brief household sparked rumors about Hudson’s sexuality, which Preble later described as “a little experimenting… but nothing you would call a definite relation.”
Warbler Place: the first married home
Hudson’s 1955 marriage to interior-design-savvy secretary Phyllis Gates brought him a two-bedroom ranch at 9151 Warbler Place, near Sunset Boulevard. Having invested his entire savings, he furnished the living room with simple redwood lawn chairs. Gates, known for her hearty pork chops and meatloaf, turned the modest kitchen into a warm, home-cooked haven. The marriage, later revealed to have been arranged to mask Hudson’s homosexuality, ended in 1958, granting Gates a $250-per-week alimony for a decade and ownership of the $35,000 property.
The Malibu beach retreat and the Beverly Crest Castle
Following his divorce, Hudson moved to a stilt-built beach house in Malibu. The structure perched above the surf, allowing waves to surge beneath at high tide. During the filming of Pillow Talk in 1959, he socialized with a circle of actors and stuntmen who introduced him to year-round ocean swimming, hill running, sailing, and scuba diving—activities recounted by fellow actor Don Burnett.
Universal’s Beverly Crest offer
While shooting Lover Come Back in 1961, Universal Studios leased Hudson a Spanish-style residence at 9402 Beverly Crest Drive, owned by agent-producer Sam Jaffe. The three-and-a-half-acre cliffside property boasted a red-tile roof, stucco walls, and dark wood beams. Although the star could not initially afford to purchase it, Universal used the home as leverage during the 1962 contract renewal, ultimately selling it to Hudson for $167,000. The title transferred five years later, cementing the location as his long-term sanctuary.
Renovation, design choices, and the lasting legacy
Once the Beverly Crest property became his, Hudson embarked on an extensive redesign. He consulted tomes on Mexican colonial architecture—his “Bibles”—to incorporate stone archways, hand-painted tiles, wooden doors, and timber beams. Eclectic décor ranged from zebra skins and African masks to four-foot-tall pewter candlesticks. The actor’s fascination with the animal kingdom manifested in bronze elephant heads serving as towel racks, lion-head fountains, and towering eagle statues.
Open-door philosophy and garden passion
Despite proclaiming his home as the only place he truly felt private, Hudson kept the doors unlocked, inviting spontaneous encounters. Housekeeper Joy recalled that he would answer the phone faster than the dogs, and friends like George Nader noted that “the world could enter” whenever he wished. Hudson also tended a lush garden, cultivating orchids, tulips, zinnias, roses, and even a small orchard of limes, mint, and peaches for seasonal drinks and desserts. He once imagined a second career as a landscape architect.
The estate, lovingly called “The Castle,” remained Hudson’s residence until his death from AIDS-related complications on October 2, 1985. The home hosted a memorial attended by 300 guests, including Elizabeth Taylor, and was appraised at $3 million that year. Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen purchased the property in 1997 for $9 million; after his death in 2018, the estate was listed for $55.5 million, underscoring its enduring allure.
