Dr. Seuss Estate Returns to Market at $9.95M

Where the Wild Things Were Written: Dr. Seuss Home Back on Market

Oh, the places your money could go.

The legendary La Jolla estate where Theodor Seuss Geisel penned the whimsical worlds that shaped childhoods everywhere is back on the market for $9.95 million. That's right, you could own the very hilltop where The Cat in the Hat first tipped his signature chapeau.

UC San Diego, which inherited the property from the Geisel Trust in 2019, is giving buyers another shot at literary history. The university first listed the estate in 2022 for nearly $19 million, but none of the sealed bids made the cut. Two surrounding lots did sell last year for a combined $9 million.

The approximately 5,000-square-foot Mediterranean-style home at 7301 Encelia Drive sits on 1.51 acres and features four bedrooms, four bathrooms, a pool, and a pool house. The panoramic coastal views stretch from Catalina to Mexico, which helps explain why Geisel chose this particular perch after he could have lived anywhere in the world.

Master architect Thomas Shepherd designed the home in 1950, cleverly building around a Spanish Revival observation tower dating to 1923. From this creative sanctuary, Geisel wrote 42 of his 68 published works, including timeless favorites like The Lorax and Green Eggs and Ham.

The tower and adjoining office have been designated historic landmarks and must remain through any future renovations. So, no knocking down where Thing One and Thing Two were born.

Interested buyers must submit sealed bids by April 15, with UC leaders reviewing offers the following day. Proceeds will benefit UCSD through the Geisel Fund.

For San Diegans, this property represents something money cannot truly measure: the birthplace of imagination itself.

Sources: San Diego Union-Tribune | Coldwell Banker | NBC San Diego | Fox 5 San Diego