A castle-like compound in the Carmel Highlands has been the inspiration for countless film soundtracks created on site by Grammy Award-winning composer Alan Silvestri. With careful attention to detail and using as many local materials and craftspeople as possible, Alan and wife Sandra spent 10 years painstakingly renovating the main home and three additional structures. During that time, Alan successfully relocated his career out of Los Angeles while composing for films like “Forrest Gump,” “Night at the Museum” and “The Avengers,” as he and Sandra hopped from building to building with their three children during construction of their compound.
Prior to the Silvestris purchasing the 14-acre property over 35 years ago, one of the smaller buildings was used as a children’s schoolhouse, and another structure once belonged to Stanford University, used as the Behavioral Sciences Institute. A local artist once lived on the property, creating plein air art, no doubt inspired by the stunning views of the Pacific Ocean and the many trees and wildlife. Other past residents included a doctor and an Italian philanthropist.
“It’s a well-loved house in the community, because people come up to us all the time and say, ‘Oh, I got married there,’ or ‘I went to language classes there,'” Sandra says.
The top floor of the largest guest house, with over 5,000 square feet, known as Studio House, was jokingly dubbed “The Party Room,” by the Silvestris when they started renovating. With stunning 360-degree panoramic views, the original terracotta floor was graded on a slope to a spout with hose bibs available to rinse away any evidence of wild nights. “Apparently whatever happened, could be rinsed out and you could start again,” Alan says. Now used as guest quarters, along with the main level, the building contributes to the total of nine bedrooms, 10 full and two half baths across the property.
The lower level of the Studio House hosts offices for Alan and his production staff, with walls covered with framed movie posters and awards from countless beloved movies, including “Lilo and Stitch,” “The Polar Express,” “Night at the Museum,” and “The Abyss.”
Prior to beginning the renovation, the Silvestris stayed at the Ahwahnee hotel in Yosemite and were inspired to use cedar elements, Carmel stone and a Craftsman-inspired style in their design. The work of local tilemakers and stonemasons along with natural materials were carefully woven into existing themes, such as an arch motif that is found throughout the home. They continued the arch design in windows, doors, bar stools, and ultimately used it as the logo for their wine bottles when the family launched Silvestri Vineyards, which has a tasting room in downtown Carmel-by-the-Sea. While the detailed touches took time, the Silvestris enjoyed every step of the process.
“We wanted to do everything right, and it was a joy for us,” says Alan.
This included, at times, having to redo countless hours of labor if a plug was off center or a light fixture wasn’t suitable.
“We had a very interesting moment when we went away for a trip to Europe, and we came back and were in our hot tub looking up at our house and saw the grout that had been added by a mason while we were gone,” Sandra shares.
Alan adds that while the stonemason was unbelievably talented, he had chosen a grey grout in a classic Italian style, and that Sandra felt it went against the organic sensibility of the Carmel stone which was complemented by a lighter, more natural grout on the rest of the buildings.
“We thought, ‘Maybe it’s okay, but let’s have our daughter be the taste tester,'” he recalls. “She was maybe 11, and we took her to look at the building with the beigey grout versus the other building, and asked her, ‘What do you think?’ She said, ‘Oh that one (with the beigey grout) looks happy, and that one (with the grey grout) looks sad.’ So, we had to have a team come in and jackhammer all the grout out of the entire house and put that happy grout in.”
Remarkably, while being present for so many construction details, Alan was constantly composing, sometimes finishing up a film score on his Steinway in the living room of the almost 5,700-square-foot main house while the family and dogs relaxed nearby, and despite having to move from building to building as each one was being remodeled.
“It was always great,” Alan shares. “I’ve never worked outside of the home. We’ve been married for a long time, almost 48 years, and I’ve always worked in a room in the house. I just always loved being around and we loved the idea that we could not leave the property during this renovation, which took over 10 years, because literally at the end of the day, when everybody leaves, we would catch lots of things. It allowed us to get it a lot more of the way we wanted it to be in the end.”
Over the years, the home became a gathering place for friends, family, neighbors and even the location for launching a chapter of a nonprofit.
“Our son was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes on the weekend we finished the kitchen,” Sandra says. The house became a natural place to bring awareness and much needed funds to the community.
“We had the first meeting of the Juvenile Dia-betes Research Foundation (JDRF) Monterey Bay Chapter in the living room of the main house with a couple of moms on a rainy, stormy night,” Alan shares. “They went on to raise a lot of money over the years for diabetes research.”
Most recently, Alan has been composing in the 641-square-foot Turret House, which has two turrets, one of which includes a spiral staircase leading down to a garage below. Despite the stunning views, Alan sometimes pulls down the blinds when entering into the minds of characters in dramatic scenes as he composes the thrilling soundtracks to go along with the action. When he’s ready for a break, the shades go back up, and he watches the sunset against the backdrop of Point Lobos with a glass of wine.
“There are fantastic possibilities for creative thought and creative work here,” he says. “One of the nice things is the diversity and privacy of the structures. I worked on ‘The Mummy Returns’ in the [just over 700-square-foot former schoolhouse], which is like being in a little log cabin with a warm fantastic feeling. I wrote the theme for ‘Forrest Gump’ on a little upright piano in the basement of the Party House, [aka Studio House], and the scene where Natasha Romanoff is hanging off the ledge in ‘Avengers: Endgame,’ in Turret House.”
Besides all the wonderful indoor spaces, the many outdoor areas include a large ocean-view swimming pool, hot tub, decks, tennis/pickleball court, pizza oven and gardens.
“It feels very private because you can’t see anyone in the hills above us,” Sandra says.
As for the recent decision to put the home on the market, it is bittersweet, but Sandra says they will be moving closer to their Carmel Valley vineyards.
“We didn’t plan on selling the place, and we aren’t leaving the area, but we want to do some other things, so this is time for us to move on,” she says.
For more information on 72 Fern Canyon Road, Carmel, visit www.FernCanyonCarmel.com or contact Broker Shelly Mitchell Lynch of Carmel Realty Company at 831/277-8044.