Lucille Ball was born in Jamestown, NY and moved to Hollywood in the ’30s to pursue her film career. In 1948, she was cast as the wife in “My Favorite Husband,” a CBS radio program. Due to the show’s success, it was developed for television as “I Love Lucy.”

Desi Arnaz and Ball were married for 20 years, and Arnaz played Lucy’s on-screen husband, Ricky Ricardo.

In December 1954, Lucy and Desi purchased a new home. Since shortly after their marriage, Lucy and Desi had lived at their Desilu Ranch in Chatsworth.

By 1954, the long commute to Desilu Studios in Hollywood had become too great. That, combined with a kidnapping threat against the children, convinced the couple they had to move.

For convenience sake, Lucy and Desi had rented a house in Beverly Hills to stay at while they were filming The Long, Long Trailer. They decided to look for a new house in that area.

When her realtor took her to Beverly Hills’ 1001 North Roxbury Drive, Lucy was not very impressed. The house across the street, 1000 North Roxbury, caught her eye. Lucy rang the doorbell of the home owned by Mr. and Mrs. F.F. Bangs. Lucy spoke to Mrs. Bangs and asked if she was interested in selling her house. It was fortuitous timing.

The Bangs had been thinking of moving. Their son had died and the home held too many memories. Lucy phoned Desi and told him she had found the perfect house. Desi told her to go ahead and buy it. Mr. and Mrs. Bangs agreed to sell the place, which had been built in 1936, for $85,000.

The two-story Colonial had four bedrooms plus a separate guest house. Lucy liked that it didn’t have a pool in the backyard (one would be added later when the children were older).

On the corner of Roxbury and Lexington, the front of the house was easily accessible and the backyard was enclosed by a brick wall. The street was home to many other show business personalities with Jack Benny and Mary Livingstone living right next door.

The Arnazes spent six months remodeling the house and the family stayed at the nearby Beverly Hills Hotel on Sunset Boulevard during this time. They bid a tearful goodbye to their beloved Chatsworth ranch, which was eventually sold to actress Jane Withers and her husband Kenneth Errair.

The couple lived here while producing and starring in I Love Lucy until 1957 and The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour until 1960, the year they divorced. Lucy retained the house while she continued in television with The Lucy Show from 1962 to 1966 and Here’s Lucy from 1968 to 1974. 

Ball used to personally hand out candy to trick-or-treaters on Halloween. Another neighbor was actor James Stewart. 

Lucy would live in the Roxbury Drive house for the rest of her life.

Arnaz died at age 69 in 1986; Ball died three years later at age 77.

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