Colcord Home by Bret Parsons
Reviewed by Julie D. Taylor
Bret Parsons, a long-time communicator and marketer in real estate and interior design, has turned his passion for the estate homes of Gerard R. Colcord (1900-1984) into an equally passionate book. Colcord, known as "Hollywood's Society Architect," created more than 300 estates and 100 remodels between 1924 and 1984. Most featured in the book are in the Beverly Hills, Bel-Air, and Pacific Palisades areas. Parsons, who culled the Colcord archives and interviewed hundreds of homeowners, takes the reader on a chronological journey through the architect's various styles, with a detailed analysis of his noted "Country Colonial" style. Each of the homes is chronicled with archival photos along with present-day views (shot by Mary E. Nichols), as well as plans and elevations. Parsons also traced each home's provenance, which makes for fascinating reading, and proves that Colcord's homes stand the test of time for Hollywood's society of yesterday (prominent attorneys, corporate titans, and East Coast women of means) and today (Bob Newhart, Nicolas Cage, Bernie Brillstein).
