High on a mountaintop above Malibu, California, stands a stone house that looks as if Fred and Wilma might walk out of the front door at any moment. It belonged to Dick Clark, the American television host and producer famous for American Bandstand and New Year's Rockin' Eve, and it became known everywhere as the “Flintstone house”.

Coastal homes beside a sandy beach in Malibu, California
Malibu, California. The Clark retreat stands in the hills above the coast.
The curved roof and irregular openings of Dick Clark’s former Malibu-area retreat
The curved roof and irregular openings of Dick Clark’s former Malibu-area retreat.

Dick Clark's Malibu weekend retreat

Dick Clark and his wife Kari used the house as a weekend retreat for many years, according to listing agent Diane Carter. The property sits on a 22.89-acre site on a bluff above Malibu, a few minutes' drive from the beach. Its stone walls, rounded roofline and windows of every shape echo the cave-like homes of Bedrock in the classic Hanna-Barbera cartoon The Flintstones, first shown in 1960, which is where the nickname comes from.

The house is compact for an estate of this size: the listing described a single bedroom suite with two bathrooms, and its appeal lies in design and setting more than in floor space.

Animated Flintstones house with rounded walls and a blue doorway
The cartoon home of the Flintstones that inspired the nickname.
Dick Clark's former retreat set among shrubs and curved garden features
Cartoon stone house from The Flintstones with a red door and chimney
Another view of the Flintstones' home in Bedrock.

From a $3.25 million listing to a 2014 sale

After Clark's death in April 2012, his estate put the house on the market for $3.25 million. Buyers were slow to come: the price was cut by $250,000 in summer 2013 and again by $250,000 in March 2014. According to Forbes, the house finally sold on 17 December 2014 for $1,777,777, after about two and a half years on the market and at roughly 55 percent of the first asking price. It remains a private home.

Inside: curved rooms, stone and glass

The interior carries the same idea through every room. Living and dining rooms have vaulted, sculpted ceilings; walls curve into built-in seating; a wood-burning fireplace anchors the living space; and the windows are cut in irregular shapes. Furniture was custom-made to follow the walls, so tables, chairs and kitchen counters all share the rounded, rock-like look.

Curving living room with a broad window and low seating in Dick Clark's former retreat
Rounded dining table and chairs beneath a sculpted ceiling in the Malibu-area retreat
Dining area surrounded by curved walls and irregular openings
Kitchen with rounded counters and irregular windows in Dick Clark's former retreat
Wilma Flintstone carrying a tray in an animated interior
Wilma Flintstone in her Bedrock kitchen.

The master suite is one of the highlights, with a sculpted column dividing bedroom and bathing area, a bedroom fireplace and a bathroom with a pebbled floor and small porthole-like windows.

Living room with curved seating, a fireplace and a large window facing the ocean outlook
Bedroom and bathing area divided by a broad sculpted column
Bedroom with curved walls, a fireplace and built-in bedside lighting
Bed beneath a sculpted ceiling with recessed lighting in the Malibu-area retreat
Bathtub beneath an irregular window overlooking the surrounding landscape
Curved bathroom interior with mirrors, small windows and a pebbled floor

Views over the Pacific and the Santa Monica Mountains

Large panes of glass were placed to capture the view from every room. The listing promised panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean and the Channel Islands, the Boney Mountains and the Serrano Valley, plus sunsets and the lights of Los Angeles at night. The Boney Mountains are the western end of the Santa Monica Mountains, a rugged range that rises straight from the Malibu coast.

Dick Clark's former retreat illuminated after dark beside an outdoor seating area
Layered mountain ridges in the landscape around the Malibu-area property

More unusual houses to explore

For more homes with a fairy-tale streak, see our storybook architecture feature, Hobbiton’s movie-set world and Steve Areen’s dome project in Thailand.

Sources

Photos: property listing images and stills from The Flintstones, first shared by Viral Nova.