Hollywood Hills Mansion Listed for $4.4M After Squatter Occupation

A six-bedroom, 12-bath mansion located at 1754 Sunset Plaza in the Hollywood Hills, previously occupied by squatters and covered in graffiti, has been renovated and relisted for sale. The property, which had become a significant eyesore and hazard for its neighbors, is now on the market with an asking price of $4.4 million. The mansion will also be subject to an auction on October 10, with a reserve price of $2.2 million. The listing agent, Phil Boroda of Coldwell Banker, anticipates the auction will draw bids significantly higher than the reserve.

For years, the mansion remained vacant after its owner, John Powers Middleton, a Hollywood producer and son of Philadelphia Phillies owner John Middleton, appeared to abandon the property. The extent of the squatter occupation became evident in 2022 when police arrested an armed man and his dog residing on the premises. The following year, authorities returned to arrest three more individuals, though reports indicated that as many as 20 people were living in the house at the time, defacing its walls with anti-wealth graffiti. Middleton, who also owned a second neglected property on Mullholland Drive, publicly apologized to his neighbors and the city of Los Angeles in 2024 via Fox News, acknowledging the unacceptable state of his properties.

The legal entanglements surrounding the property escalated when, in 2025, a judge ordered Middleton to sell the Sunset Plaza residence to satisfy debts owed to the Sitrick Group, a crisis management firm he had engaged during a lawsuit against a former producing partner. The court determined Middleton owed Sitrick Group nearly $2 million. However, instead of complying with the sale order, Middleton reportedly allowed the property to go into foreclosure in February of this year. The property is now being managed by listing agents Phil Boroda and Rosa Valencia, who are handling both the private sale and the upcoming auction.

The mansion's history of neglect and subsequent occupation highlights a broader issue of vacant properties becoming targets for illegal activity in desirable urban areas. The renovation and relisting of the property signal a potential resolution to years of community concern and legal disputes. The final sale price, whether through private negotiation or auction, will determine the outcome for the property and its former owner's financial obligations.