Historic Merritt Mansion in Pasadena Hits the Market for $11.18 Million

A historic estate in Pasadena’s ‘Millionaire’s Row’ has hit the market with a multi-million-dollar price tag.

Located at 380 W. Green Street, the Merritt Mansion has been listed for sale for $11.18 million, according to a listing from Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties.

Spread across 17,329 sq. ft., the property sits on 1.81 acres. The estate features six bedrooms and 12 bathrooms (including five full and two half), reflecting the grand scale typical of early 20th-century luxury homes.

Historic Past of the Mansion

Originally built in 1905 for industrialist Hulett C. Merritt, the estate served as a winter home for his family, according to the listing. Following his death, Merritt’s estate sold the house and more than six acres of its grounds to Herbert Armstrong in 1956. 

The property became part of Ambassador College, an educational institution run by the Worldwide Church of God. The estate has been owned by Merritt Mansion LLC since April 2015.

In December 2018, the property changed hands and was acquired by its current owner at an undisclosed price. 

Luxury Features 

Spanning three stories, the residence features original exterior detailing, including mahogany wood paneling on two floors, and a fully built-out basement with multiple rooms, according to the listing.

The property offers access to the shared amenities of the Ambassador Gardens community, including the pool and the 2.1-acre Great Lawn. 

Under its current ownership, the property has undergone renovations over the past seven years, blending modern upgrades with its historic character while preserving original style and materials.

The property includes a main living room with an ornamental plaster ceiling, a grand entrance hall with two sweeping mahogany staircases, gold-plated hardware on some doors, five fireplaces, and an indoor saltwater swimming pool, according to a press release by Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties.

Reflecting its historic past, the property’s ceilings have exposed beams, a marble terrace, and alabaster hallway light fixtures. 

The kitchen has vintage mosaic tile flooring, a center island, quartz countertops, and modern appliances. 

The lower level opens up into a spacious “New England kitchen,” where game would be cooked over a massive fireplace after hunting forays. 

The mansion also has an enormous walk-in vault, where Merritt allegedly hoarded sugar during World War I, said Janice Lee, luxury properties director of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties. 

The residence offers a bar area, a sauna, a home theater, a music studio, a gym, a salon, a home office with a kitchenette, and another secret bar area under one of the staircases. 

Custom-fabricated tiles were used to create a new room to match the original materials.  

An art lover and collector, Merritt had built a separate gallery in the Beaux Arts style on the property to collect and display his collection. 

The art gallery is enveloped by six exterior gates, of which some were restored, a reflecting pond and a sunken garden surrounded by a privacy fence and trees and located adjacent to the indoor pool.

“The cost of building this was around $22,380, which may seem low in today’s dollars, but the average cost back then was around $5,000,” Lee said.