According to Curbed Los Angeles, the mansion was built in 1925 and remodeled by architect John Elgin Woolf before being purchased by director Vincente Minnelli.
The director died in 1986 and left two clauses about the house in his will — his wife Lee Minnelli was allowed to have unlimited, lifetime access to the house, but his daughter, actress Liza Minnelli, was in charge of the estate.
Liza decided to sell the Beverly Hills mansion in 2000 and reportedly offered to buy her 94-year-old step-mother a condo, according to Curbed.
When it sold in 2002, Lee refused to move out. In turn, Liza stopped paying for the electric bills and the staff — who continued to work for free, according to the Los Angeles Times. Lee filed a lawsuit against Liza, accusing her of breach of contract, elder abuse, and infliction of emotional distress. She also wanted a $1 million trust in her name from the sale of the home in order to secure herself new housing.
The lawsuit was dropped in 2002 and Liza made an arrangement with the new buyers, and paid them rent so that Lee could live in the house until her death.
The house closed escrow in 2006 — the new owners reportedly paid $2.3 million.
Lee died in 2009, and the new owners reportedly debated renovating the home or demolishing it, but a decision seems to never have been made because the home still stands abandoned.