Estate Sale at 9828 Newville Avenue

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I'm confused every time I see pictures of the inside of the Carpenters home with furniture, clothes in the closets, etc...? I recall seeing a picture of the walk-in closet where Karen was found the morning of her collapse... The closet is full of clothes and other items...

Did they move out and just leave everything...? An estate sale...? What's the story here?
 
Rod Reynolds posted his encounter at the estate sale on the Captain & Tennille board. It's a sad commentary. After seeing the pictures, I am glad I have the memories of the Newell House before this.

It's been a day to remember. I was so worn out that when I got home at 2pm,
I went directly to bed; it was that hard a day.

A few days ago, we got notice that the owners of the home that Karen and
Richard Carpenter lived in in Downey were having a yard sale, advertising
several Carpenters items. I picked Jeff up in Long Beach early this morning,
and having no idea what to expect, we arrived at 9828 Newville Ave at around
9am. There were seven people there. As I said, having no idea what to
expect, we were still shocked that there were only seven people there. We
quickly sorted them into Carpenters fans (three) and yard sale people
(four). One of the Carpenters fans was Joe from San Diego, who I have
"known" for many years online in various Carpenters fan forums, but never
met.

Since we were there so early, and there basically was no line up, we
wandered into the back yard, which was gated but unlocked. It was truly
sad. Jeff and Joe had been to the house a few times over the years, and they
were appalled at the condition of the yard. I took several pictures, which
I will show you in a minute. Complete disarray, what was once a
meticulously maintained Japanese garden is now barren. The bridges are
decayed, the foliage is all dead.

The owners of the home, who purchased the property about ten years ago when
mother Carpenter died, have split the house into two, erecting a brick wall
down the property line and literally sawing the house, the back yard, and
everything in it, into two. There is a bridge in the centre of the yard
that now goes right into the fence. It is very odd. We took several pictures
in the back yard but were interrupted by a young man who ran out of the
house claiming this area is prohibited and made us get back in line.

We were let into the house at 10am by a young latina woman, early twenties,
with orange curly hair balanced precariously atop her head, and clearly
overwhelmed by even the very small group of us. She initially wanted to let
only five people in at once, but we protested quite loudly, and, while
clearly exasperated, let us all in.

Once we were inside, though, the thrill dissipated. I had never been to the
famed house before. I had no idea what to expect. Although, about 15 years
ago I visited Graceland. I was so excited to see where Elvis lived; from
the pictures I imagined it a castle. The reality was quite a shock. It's
small, it's terribly decorated (maintained in its original 70s white trash
"glory") and it's claustrophobic. And tacky.

The Newville house had a similar effect on me. Although it is (or at least,
was) a very large house, still it has low ceilings, and is very dark. White
(yellowed with age) stippled ceilings and dark wood beams. The style is
Mediterranean, a lot of dark polished wood, faux bolts sticking out,
Medieval style handles, etc. See (below) the photos I took of the wall
sized wine rack. My point is, it's a home that is not at all to my taste,
although one must keep in mind that it hasn't been updated for more than
thirty years.

And it smelled bad. B-A-D bad. Musty, moldy, smelly, dusty. Upon closer
inspection, I realized that there appeared to be water damage on the walls.
Perhaps there is a legitimate reason to tear the building down, perhaps it
is on its last legs, or if there is mold, the building may be uninhabitable.

The seller led us through the house (only the recreation side, though, not
the living side) and pointed out the few, over priced Carpenters related
items. There was the Japanese bridge, disassembled from the back yard, in a
pile on the floor in the garage, for $500. A nice piece perhaps, but rotted
and unwieldy. There was an array of records, laid out on a table, which she
said belonged to Karen and Richard, for which she was asking an outrageous
10 a piece. (I noticed when we were leaving, much later, that the sign had
been changed to $5 each. Still, no one had bought a single one.)

There were a few lamps, four stained glass, one lamp from Karen's bedroom
(missing the shade), and metallic pot lamps from the music room. She was
asking $200 for the lamps, which I though was about 400% more than they are
worth, even if they are from a pop star's home.

She was selling the Carpenters' pool table, which was in a room of it's own,
and has a small gold face plate with an inscription, something like "built
for the Carpenters." Not worth the $5000 asking price (or was it $3000, but
still too much).

They were also selling the carpet from the music room, a rich, soft and very
red shag carpet, which Joe cut a small piece off as a memento, it was the
very spot Karen had stood during a tv interview in the late 70s. (Don¹t ask
me how much he paid for the "privilege." LOL.)

They also had a huge wall-sized storage of wine, and were asking $100-500
per bottle. One of the yard sale people was a wine collector and had come
specifically for the wine. However, a quick inspection revealed that most
if not all the wine had spoiled due to incorrect storage, and he deemed it
worthless. Although, curiously, he did buy several bottles at $1 each. The
fans then took his cue and picked up a couple bottles each at the same
price, purely for sentimental value.

Jeff had specifically expressed interest in the advertised item "Karen's
bed," as he recently moved here from Sweden and doesn't have a bed. We
asked about this several times, but were consistently refused permission to
see it. She said she had an internet offer from the UK for $5000, and would
only show us the suite if we were prepared to better that offer. I argued
that we couldn't really make on offer on something like that without at
least seeing it first. She agreed, but still refused to let us see the set.
She said her cousin was sleeping in the bed and she didn't want to disturb
her. This was at 10am. We were there for about two hours, and even after
repeated inquiries were still informed that the cousin was still sleeping.

The owner of the house, the mother of the two daughters who were running the
sale, had bought the house from Richard himself, was quite friendly and
answered our endless Carpenters questions.

She said she had divided the house into two properties and is going to tear
the first house (the one on the left, that we were in) down and build a new
house for one of her daughters (I'm not sure which one). And then once that
house is finished, they will tear down the main house and build another
house for the other daughter.

Of course, this is horrifying news to Carpenters fans. We probably all agree
that this house is sacred ground, this is where the Carpenters lived, and
where Karen died. It should be a shrine, it should be a museum.

The mother said that there are many fans who come by the house, especially
in the summer and especially from Japan and Europe, and there are quite
often fans who leave flowers for Karen on the front steps. The eldest
daughter said she was in high school when they moved into the house, and she
didn't know who the Carpenters were, only that Karen was "that singer who
died of anorexia." But the three of them were quite happy to talk about the
Carpenters, especially the younger daughter.

There were a couple things that I would have liked to have bought, but, as I
said, everything was frighteningly over-priced. Especially given that there
was a less than stellar turn out. A couple more people wandered through
while we were there (almost all of them gay), but I'm sure in total there
was less than 15 people who attended the sale. I'm sure the girl had
thought she would make off with thousands of dollars in one morning, and we
die hard fans scoffed at that the big ticket items (like the bedroom set and
the pool table and the bridge), not to mention discovering that her wine
collection, which she had priced at over $100 a bottle and there must have
been at least 500 bottles of wine there. She was understandably a little
cranky.

Meanwhile, another friend of mine (Tom) that I had emailed the ad to,
appeared in the doorway. I quickly gave him the run-down, and we hatched a
plot to get into Karen's bedroom to see the suite. He told the girl in
charge that he was interested in the suite, but couldn't make an offer on it
sight unseen. Which is what I had told her about an hour earlier. But she
eventually relented and took the four of us into the main house.

First, that was a shock as I never really imagined I would be inside the
house. Suddenly, there we were, in the foyer. Sunken living room to the
left, white carpet, a white mini grand piano (not the Carpenters' - I
asked). A few more steps and you're in the dining room, with a glass top
Mediterranean style table and six bleached wood chairs (original Carpenters
furniture, for sale). To the left was another small room, and she said the
huge black leather L-shaped sofa in there was original and for sale. As
well as the white sofa and end tables in the living room. All of these
furniture items are HUGE. There is no way even one of the sofas would fit
into my truck, let alone my house.

Then she led us up the stairs. The stair case in complete disarray, the
yellowed wallpaper peeling, the low ceiling water damaged and chipping off,
carpet removed and not replaced; the hallway looked like a slum.

But then, at the top of the stairs, a quick turn into the first (small)
doorway on the right, and we were cautiously ushered into Karen's former
bedroom. She told us one person at a time, and no photographs because her
cousin was in there sleeping. But when she knocked on the door, she
discovered that her cousin wasn't there. So she relented and let the four
of us in the room all at once.

It was surreal. I was in Karen Carpenter's bedroom. Jeff leaned over to me
and whispered, "you realize you're standing in the exact spot Karen
collapsed in, the morning she died." I looked down at the floor, and then
up and I was indeed standing right in front of her closet, which is where
her mother discovered her, comatose, on that fateful, final day in 1983. I
reached out and touched the closet door handle, wondering if that was the
last thing Karen touched. The room was spinning.

The bedroom itself was a mass of clutter; I believe a teenager is living in
there now. Stuff everywhere, the bed a mess, the room in complete disarray.
But with all of Karen's original furniture and bed. I was surprised to
realize that the bed is a king size, and brass, with no footer. The
mattress was low, uneven and sagging horribly; I looked underneath and the
box spring was nearly touching the ground.

The bedroom suite includes the brass bed, two yellow wood night tables, a
huge dresser with two ceiling high mirrors, and a huge armoire. The set is
massive, the armoire is taller than me, and we guessed six and a half feet
high at least, and easily five feet across. All bright lemon yellow, all
meticulously carved, again, Mediterranean style. As much as I would have
loved to have plunked down the cash and loaded the set into my truck, the
set is so huge there would be no place for me to use it, I would have to put
it in storage. And who's to say how much it's really worth. If I were to
use it, I'm sorry to say, I'd have to strip it, there's no way I could live
with that bright a color, even if it was Karen's selection. Not to mention
the normal wear and tear of wood furniture that has been used for decades.
Although, all things considered, in remarkably good condition. I imagine
that that room sat untouched for over 15 years, before the house was sold.

All the way home, I was thinking what would I do with it, how often does an
opportunity like this come along. To own Karen Carpenter's bedroom set.
Wow.

So Jeff bought a couple small things, including six $1 wine bottles,
spending $10; Joe bought quite few things, including the desk out of Karen's
bedroom and the stained glass lamp from over the pool table, but Tom didn't
buy anything, and, sadly, neither did I. We went for a quick lunch in a
place we mistakenly thought was a 'Karen and Agnes haunt' back in the day,
but the food was all right and a generous Joe picked up the tab (thanks
again, Joe!). We then made a quick stop at the Downey library where they
have a Carpenters shrine in the lobby (we took pictures and were quickly
chastised by the staff), who then informed us of a binder chock full of
Carpenters clippings, including what appears to be a complete set of fan
club notices. Something to do on a rainy day.

The last thing we did before we said our sad goodbyes to the house for the
last time was I posed in my truck in a re-creation of the famous "Now and
Then" LP cover, which features Richard and Karen in their car in front of
their house. You can see how it turned out (not exactly perfect, but we
were going from memory only), in addition to pictures of the house (inside
and out), the back yard, the division fence, the garage sale items and the
Carpenters shrine at the library, all on my website. (No pictures of inside
the main house or of Karen's bedroom, sadly.)
http://rocketmanla.com/newville1.html

I think Richard (and Karen) would be horrified to see these pictures. A
bitter-sweet day.

Rod Reynolds
Los Angeles CA USA
 
This is a very sad state of affairs regarding the Newville house, but big thanks to Rod for keeping us informed.

On a more positive note, Rod's website is absolutely fabulous, I was supposed to ironing tonight, its now half ten and I realize I've been on his website for nearly 2 hours !

Guess what I'm doing tomorrow night ! - Cheers Rod
 
Rod's account of the Newville house was enough...the pictures really drove it all the way home. *sigh* Sad to see a former family house reduced to something you'd see in the slums.

I would guess that if the house is badly infested with mildew, there really is no choice but to tear it down. I thought it was somewhat odd to see the house was actually cut in half and separated into two units.
 
Tell me about it... I was there with Rod and Jeffrey. We could not believe our eyes. Rod's account is dead-on accurate.

BTW, I purchased Karen's bedroom desk/drawers. It fits perfectly in my apartement. It will be cherished and well cared for from this day on.

I also bought all the track lighting fixtures from the music room, the two Tiffany style lamps that were over the pool table, a few bottles of wine, one of the red lights that hung over the bar and Karen's bedroom lamp.
 
I'm just surprised that so much of the furnishings in the house remained there. Usually when selling a home for an estate, you hold an auction or estate sale to clear out all the contents before you even list it for sale. Unless their intention was to sell the house as "fully furnished".

It's incredible. I wonder if the family has seen those pictures...it's sad. It's like driving into my grandmother's old neighborhood and seeing all the vacant lots and burned out houses. (And this was 14 years ago when I drove through there.) It wasn't the best neighborhood even when I was a tot, but now it's pure 100% ghetto.
 
I'm suprised that there is no mention about APPLIANCES, nor have I seen any pictures of any when that Link, which has unfortunately been disabled, actually once WORKED...! :mad:

Brands...Colors...Gas or Electric? I'm an ENTHUSIAST!!! :wave: :wink:



Dave
 
Thanks for letting us know what happened at the sale, although I wish I hadn't of found out about it now. It saddens me that the house that Richard and Karen were probably very proud of is in such a sad state.
 
I thought Karen died in the wardrobe closet in Richard's bedroom where she spent the night, as he had a VCR attached and she wanted to watch a movie. Wasn't Richard's bedroom on the left side of the hallway, across from Karen's bedroom. I can never figure out the layout of the home. And has anyone seen what the fan club, run in their home, looked like, and where was it? Was it by front door?

Cameron
 
Moderator note: Discussion of the details of Karen's death is generally not allowed on A&M Corner. Please keep this discussion on track.
 
Mike

I didn't know that. Isn't that a bit strict considering it's common knowledge and discussed at length and detail in the book co-written by Richard? :rolleyes:

Stephen
 
The feeling is that there are plenty of other places where it's been documented (not just in the book, but on the web as well), therefore it's just not a necessary subject here. But there's nothing wrong with comments about the house itself, which is part of the subject of the thread.
 
We try to be sensitive to the personal lives of the artists we discuss here. There is enough to discuss without delving into the private doings of these people. When in doubt, be respectful and try to imagine someone on a public forum discussing such matters about *your* life. If it would make you uncomfortable, it probably would them too.

Harry
 
Oh ok, no worries. If I may answer cam's question briefly, Karen spent that night watching a video in Richard's room, but slept in her own room, no? Hence she was in her own room the next day.

And yes cam, the layout of the house confuses the heck out of me too! Very sad to see it in the delapidated state it's now in. From the front of the house, on the street, it looks magnificent, with the gardens looking fine around the main part of the house. Goes to show the owners obviously were not able financially keep up the inside of the house and the rear part, both of which are out of sight. What were they thinking letting strangers in to roam around the place, given the state it's in?

Stephen
 
Thanks Rob for taking and sharing the pictures and writing the great narrative of your experience. I am jealous that you were able to actually go in the house (even in its current state). Thank you for taking us along with you. Especially since the house may not be there much longer.

One of the first things that came to mind for me after reading this is the total shock that someone who could afford the house (and apparently afford to raze it and build a new one) would live in such squalor. I know it’s not a mansion or anything, but it is a larger than average house on a double lot. A comparable house here (in Ohio) would be in the $400 – 500K range easy and I’m sure real estate is at least double (if not more) in Southern California. Even back in the mid-90s when I assume they bought it from Richard, it would still likely have been pretty expensive. (I’m sure he would have gotten a good price for it. It’s not like he needed the money and had to get rid of it quickly.) It just blows my mind that someone would spend that kind of money and then just trash the place.

My next thought… it’s not uncommon for a house to be “duplexed” but I have never seen nor heard of a house being literally CUT IN HALF! That is just too bizarre for words. I wonder if the water damage and mold issues were a result of this modification. And what is up with the mural painted on the new “sides” of the house(s)? Very odd.

I am a bit confused about the wine, though. Is this wine allegedly left over from when the Carpenter family lived there? I can understand Richard leaving behind the furniture (a lot of which may have been custom made to fit the house) but why would he leave behind hundreds of bottles of wine? But if for some reason he did, then it’s just been sitting there in the rack for the past decade or so? No one drank any of it or gave it away as gifts or something? Not trying the judge the current owners, but that’s seems pretty bizarre to me.

On the positive side, I thought it was really interesting how close the house is to the street with no fence or wall or gate or anything in front. It’s amazing to think that there was a time when world-famous superstars could live on a regular street and not be bothered. That couldn’t happen today with all the crazy psychos and stalkers out there (not to mention paparazzi!)

It saddens me that I will never get to see the house. I had planned on doing a drive by the next time I visit LA which will probably be next year. Half or maybe even all of it will most likely be torn down by then. :sad:

Does anyone know for sure, how old the house actually is? (Richard and Karen were not the first owners, correct?)
 
Richard and Karen bought the original 'half' of the house in late 1970, then bought the empty plot next door and extended the property in late 1970/early 1971.

It's interesting that one of the newsletters, that it was mentioned Richard and Karen 'bought' their parents a renovation of the entire house as a wedding anniversary gift. Shame the current owners didn't have such generous kids lol
 
It's all speculation on anyone's part, but it's possible that someone could have been well-enough off in the '90s to afford a house and then fallen upon hard times in recent years. Again, that's no-one's business but the people involved. I'm simply stating a possible scenario.

Harry
 
Just for clarification, the landscape of Downey has changed a great deal since Karen & Richard lived there. It's a much rougher part of town than in the 70's. Much of the city seems run down.

Not to throw arrows at Downey, because it does have a lot to offer. But times have changed. I am sure this is one reason Richard moved out of the city and up to Thousand Oaks. I am sure he feels much safer there.
 
JAZZ4JEFF said:
Just for clarification, the landscape of Downey has changed a great deal since Karen & Richard lived there. It's a much rougher part of town than in the 70's. Much of the city seems run down.

Not to throw arrows at Downey, because it does have a lot to offer. But times have changed. I am sure this is one reason Richard moved out of the city and up to Thousand Oaks. I am sure he feels much safer there.
Click to expand...

I can definitely attest to this.... the city is run down and it has changed a lot since the 70's.

However, the North residential area of Downey (where the Newville house is) is still a fairly nice neighborhood.
 
This depresses me on so many levels. I've always had dreams of driving out to California and touring the place. Now I guess that's pointless...
 
Harry said:
It's all speculation on anyone's part, but it's possible that someone could have been well-enough off in the '90s to afford a house and then fallen upon hard times in recent years. Again, that's no-one's business but the people involved. I'm simply stating a possible scenario.
Click to expand...
I'd find it hard to believe that someone who could afford to split the house in two, then demolish the whole thing and build two brand new houses, couldn't have afforded to maintain the house in the first place. :confused:

Maybe the owners are simply the type of people who just don't care about the condition of their property. I've know a few people who are like that.

But you're right, ultimately it's all pointless speculation...
 
If only a fan had bought the house from Richard and up kept it. It was one of my dreams to travel to the US again and visit the house and other Carpenters landmarks (which I will still do by I think 9828 Newville Ave will be out of my itinerary!). I was in the LA area in 1990 (i'd just become a Carpenters fan and musician after seeing The Karen Carpenter Story) Wish I had of persuaded my parents to bypass the house then.... I wonder if it would be possible to find out Richards thoughts on whats happening. He must have a few sentimental feelings towards the house now that his parents and Karen are gone and that quite a few Carpenters hits were probably born there.
 
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