In August 1969, Sharon Tate, wife of Roman Polanski, and four others were brutally murdered in the hills of Beverly Hills in one of the most shocking crimes in U.S. history.
The house where Charles Manson and his “family” carried out the 1969 murders of Sharon Tate and four others remains a point of interest in Beverly Hills, California. This property, located at 10050 Cielo Drive in Benedict Canyon, was the scene of one of the most shocking crimes in American history. Although the original structure was demolished in 1994, the land and the history associated with it maintain a haunting presence that persists in popular culture and among area residents. Today, new construction occupies the site, and its appeal and real estate value are marked by the violent history that occurred there.
The house was inhabited in 1969 by actress Sharon Tate, wife of director Roman Polanski, who was out of the country at the time of the murders. The residence, designed in a rustic style and surrounded by greenery, offered its inhabitants privacy and tranquility, common characteristics of the Benedict Canyon area, known for being a refuge for movie stars and high-profile personalities. However, that apparent peace was shattered on August 8, 1969, when Manson’s followers, under his orders, stormed the site and committed an act of extreme violence that shocked the country and left an indelible mark on Hollywood history.
Since the murders, the site has undergone several transformations in an attempt to remove the stigma surrounding it. The house was rented in 1992 by musician Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails, who recorded an album at the property before deciding to abandon it because of the “heavy atmosphere” of the place. Two years later, the house was demolished and replaced by a new construction known as “Villa Bella,” and its address was changed to 10066 Cielo Drive. However, the change of address and remodeling failed to completely erase the property’s dark past, which continues to attract both the curious and those willing to pay a high rent to live in a place with such a notorious history.
This is the setting of the house on Cielo Drive
The Cielo Drive house was in an area known for its exclusivity, located in Benedict Canyon, a residential neighborhood in the hills of Beverly Hills. According to historical information cited by House Beautiful, the property was built in 1941, and its first inhabitants were Hollywood engineer Michele Morgan and his wife. In the 1960s, the house began to be rented to film industry personalities. The property, rustic in style and with classic Southern California architectural finishes, sat in a secluded wooded area that gave it a coveted privacy, ideal for the movie stars of the time.
The Night of the Cielo Drive Murders
On the night of August 8, 1969, Charles Manson, leader of the “Manson Family,” sent a group of his followers to the residence with orders to commit murder. According to testimony from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, Manson had instructed his followers to execute anyone in the house “in the bloodiest manner possible,” according to the Los Angeles Times. That night, five people were killed in a violent attack: Sharon Tate, actress and wife of director Roman Polanski, who was eight months pregnant; celebrity stylist Jay Sebring; heiress Abigail Folger; her partner Wojciech Frykowski; and Steven Parent, an occasional visitor who was the first victim to cross paths with the attackers.
The killers, who included Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel and Tex Watson, carried out Manson’s orders. As part of the ritual, they wrote the word “PIG” in blood on the front door of the house, in what was interpreted as a sign of hatred for the Hollywood celebrity lifestyle. The violence of the crimes and the notoriety of the victims immediately attracted media attention, marking an era of change in the public’s perception of celebrity safety in Los Angeles.
Charles Manson, born in 1934, was the leader of a group known as the “Manson Family,” a group of young and mostly vulnerable people who lived communally under Manson’s influence in California. The killer’s influence over his followers allowed him to carry out acts of violence, encouraging them to commit crimes without question, according to The New York Times. According to court records, Manson believed in a theory called “Helter Skelter,” a misinterpretation of a song by The Beatles that he associated with an impending race war. The Cielo Drive murders were part of Manson’s attempt to accelerate what he saw as an inevitable social conflict.
Manson and several of his followers were arrested shortly after the murders. In 1971, they were sentenced to death, but after a temporary stay of capital punishment in California, their sentence was commuted to life in prison. Manson died in prison in 2017, while other members of the “family” continue to serve their life sentences. These crimes, because of their brutality, continue to be referenced in popular culture and maintain their impact on collective memory, according to The Associated Press.
The Transformation of Cielo Drive: from 10050 to 10066
After the murders, the house at 10050 Cielo Drive remained vacant and became an attraction of sorts for curious onlookers and true-crime aficionados. Trent Reznor, musician for the band Nine Inch Nails, rented the house in 1992 to build a recording studio there. There, Reznor recorded the album The Downward Spiral, and although he claimed not to have been disturbed by the history of the place at first, he later admitted in an interview that he found the atmosphere in the house “eerie”. In 1994, Reznor left the property, taking the front door with him as a memento of his time there.
That same year, the house was demolished and a new residence was built on the site, called “Villa Bella”. The new owner decided to change the property’s address from 10050 Cielo Drive to 10066 Cielo Drive as a strategy to avoid constant attention from the curious and reduce the stigmatization of the property. However, the property’s dark past remains a recurring theme in the media and among Beverly Hills residents.
The real estate market and rental controversy
Currently, the property that sits on the original site of 10050 Cielo Drive continues to be the subject of interest. According to Zillow, the renovated mansion is available for rent for USD 225,000 per month. The home boasts extensive luxury amenities including a pool, gym, multiple bedrooms and canyon views, features befitting the high-profile Beverly Hills neighborhood. However, the property’s history remains a constant reference point in real estate listings, and many prospective tenants express trepidation about learning about the location’s past.
Despite the changes and the high rental price, the site maintains its appeal to people interested in America’s criminal history. Realtors have tried to dissuade interest with renovations and changes in management, although the legacy of Manson’s crimes and his “family” continues to attract casual visitors and true-crime fans, reflecting a paradoxical reality: the historical baggage of some places does not disappear with renovations or changes in ownership.
Persistent attraction and memory of a tragedy
Despite the demolition of the original structure and the reconstruction of the property as a modern residence, the new mansion on the Cielo Drive site continues to be featured on tours of famous crime sites in Los Angeles. Numerous authors and chroniclers have devoted sections of their works to the Manson “family” crimes, keeping the interest and relevance of the story alive for new generations.
The violence of 1969 remains a reminder of events that transformed the perception of Hollywood and altered public confidence in the safety of upscale residential areas. Regardless of structural changes or renovation of the home, the property remains known as the place where Sharon Tate and her guests lost their lives on an August night, drawing tourists and true crime fans to the hills of Beverly Hills.