It’s a piece of Hollywood history in the middle of Cape Town, with a story stranger than fiction.
And the next chapter could be yours.
Trovato House, a towering 20-room mansion that has featured in several blockbuster movies like Home Alone, has just become one of the country's most unusual properties on the market.
The 122-year-old national monument has gilded walls, pressed ceilings, a sky-lit billiard room, a brass bath reportedly once enjoyed by royalty, parking for 75 cars, and a host of ghost stories. It was built for one of the city's first high-profile semigrants from Johannesburg, Karl Jeppe, who relocated to the Cape to avoid the Anglo-Boer War and purchased much of what is today Wynberg — but what was then pristine wilderness.
The property was quietly snapped up on auction earlier this year by a business consortium after the death of its previous owner, US billionaire Rex G Maughan, a philanthropist and restorer of old houses whose property portfolio included Southfork of Dallas television fame. It’s now on the market again, expected to fetch anything between R40m and R100m.
News of its sale prompted concern the historic building may be another victim of development in Cape Town’s fast-gentrifying southern suburbs where residents are anxious about a new bylaw aimed at densification. Its heritage protection may not be enough to deter over-zealous renovations should it fall into the wrong hands, according to some property stakeholders.
“What could happen is what has happened with other big manor houses in the area,” said Phillipa Duncan from the Wynberg Residents and Ratepayers Association which stepped in to ward off inappropriate building “interventions” in nearby Chelsea village. “Most of these interventions are done to benefit the developer.”
One recent application involved removing a 220-year-old staircase. “The reality is that if you are in a building that is listed you cannot knock a nail into the wall without permission,” said Duncan.
But agents handling the Trovato sale believe the prospective new owner would almost certainly see the building’s rich history as an asset, not a liability, particularly in light of its cinema CV. In addition to Home Alone 4 (2002), it featured in King Solomon’s Mines (2004), Amelia (2009), and several horror movies. Once, during the screening of a horror movie in the entrance hall, viewers were scared away by sounds of rattling chains and creaking stairs — lending some credence to the inevitable ghost stories attached to a historic building.
Once, during the screening of a horror movie, viewers were scared away by sounds of rattling chains and creaking stairs
“There’s not much like it in Cape Town — it really is something quite unbelievable,” said Julia Finnis-Bedford from Amazing Spaces, which is marketing the property along with Pam Golding Properties. “It has always been an incredibly popular location for the film industry because very few houses have that amount of space around them, plus all the other features such wood panelling, high ceilings and murals.”
“Yes you do get the rogue developer that ignores the rules, but those are few and far between. The kind of person who will be attracted to this property is one who truly appreciates the heritage and history behind it.”
Trovato’s owner, a local businessman who bought it as an investment, said he and his partners were mindful of their asset’s heritage value: “I am truly honoured to bring such a unique and cherished landmark to the market. This property holds a special place in the fabric of our community, not only for its gracious and striking presence but also for its rich history as a national monument. I am comforted knowing that, as a national monument, it will remain in its current format.”
Jeppe was a mining magnate and one-time CEO of the Chamber of Mines. Travato House was his dream retirement home, built between 1898 and 1902. It is so big it doubled as a four-ward hospital during World War 1, accommodating 80 patients.
“At that time, Wynberg was highly desirable as a country retreat, offering a peaceful escape from the hustle and bustle of Cape Town,” says one historical account of the home. “The elevation of Wynberg Hill with its breathtaking views of the Hottentots Holland mountain range and tranquil and enchanting, tree-lined ambience was irresistible to Jeppe.”
Since then urban creep has seen the estate carved up, but the manor house remains. It gained National Monument status in 1987.
Pam Golding Properties area manager Samantha Nel said: “There is definitely nothing to compare it to in southern suburbs or Cape Town.
“While this rarely found masterpiece would be worthy of an ambassadorial residence, the GB1 zoning promotes further opportunity as a bespoke business headquarters.”
SA History online described the property as “an impressive manor house with late Victorian and neoclassic architectural details designed by Herbert Baker.”
In addition to a list of Hollywood blockbusters, the house was also used as the set of South Africa’s first horror movie House of the Living Dead (1973).
In 1980, while owned by the Dutch Reformed Church it served as a rehabilitation centre for youth with drug and alcohol problems. In 1990 it was bought by Maughan and turned into the headquarters of his Forever Living Products company — “The world’s largest grower, manufacturer, and distributor of aloe vera products”.
Along the way the building has attracted its share of ghost stories.
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