Home once owned by Clifton’s founder Clifford Clinton is for sale

A Los Feliz home once owned by Clifford E. Clinton, the founder of the L.A. landmark Clifton’s Cafeteria, is on the market for $1,799,000.

Built in 1928 as the “gateway to Los Feliz,” the Spanish-style two story is a treasure trove of original features, including tile mosaics, stained glass, Art Deco light fixtures and Catalina tile. The peg-and-groove oak floors have never been sanded.

The Clintons bought the house in 1936 and lived there until 1949, according son Don Clinton. He recalls sleeping as a child on the outdoor sleeping porch and jumping off the swimming pool’s diving board to catch a trapeze that hung above the water.

The elder Clinton was described as a reform politician in Times reports from the ‘30s. He was involved in a grand jury vice investigation in 1937 when a bomb went off in the home’s kitchen. Clinton had the habit of having a late-night snack before retiring, and the explosion was timed to coincide with that nightly occurrence. He arrived home a few minutes later and no one was hurt.

The 5,866-square-feet house has three fireplaces, a two-story entry, a step-down living room with coffered ceilings, a cocktail lounge, a billiard room, six bedrooms and five bathrooms. It is described in the Multiple Listing Service as a “big fixer with big reward.”

The listing agents are Chris Laib and Ron McGee of Keller Williams Realty, Los Feliz.

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