After more than 30 years since Dr. Seuss Geisel passed away, a sprawling estate in La Jolla has finally been put on the market. There are four contiguous parcels on the property for sale, ranging in price from $3.9 million to just under $12 million, and the current owner, University of California San Diego, is asking $19 million for the entire property.
In 1948, the author and his first wife Helen, fondly remembered as “Ted” by neighbors, built the stucco and terracotta-roof structure around an old observation tower on Encelia Drive with the assistance of local architect Thomas Shepard. Geisel married Audrey after Helen’s death in 1967, and they lived together until Geisel passed away in September 1991. The Geisel Trust then gifted the property to UC San Diego, with proceeds going toward a Geisel Fund supporting future campus projects. Audrey Geisel passed away in 2018 at age 97.
Located near San Diego’s Mount Soledad on a hilltop knoll, much of the Mediterranean-style compound has been renovated over the years, and it features a nearly 5,000-square-foot main house with four bedrooms and five bathrooms, along with a pool and spa flanked by a poolhouse offering stunning views of the ocean, coastline, and mountains.
However, online articles and videos indicate that the office below the house’s original “tower” – where Geisel wrote and illustrated many books, including the Cat in the Hat, the Grinch, and Horton the Elephant, just to name a few – remains intact, complete with its original cork board walls, despite the scarce photos and listing details.
As an added bonus, the new pool’s bottom is decorated with the famous feline’s bowtie, and the double front door features a top hat from that rascally Cat in the Hat etched into it.
Geisel’s widow Audrey founded Dr. Seuss Enterprises in 1993 as a guardian of his legacy and overseer of the estate. It manages everything from film adaptations to Broadway shows like “Seussical.” Additionally, she was a dedicated philanthropist, donating $20 million and thousands of her husband’s drawings and manuscripts to the Geisel Library at UC San Diego.
