The Sharon Tate House

Posted: 04.22.2025 | Updated: 04.22.2025

At 10066 Cielo Drive, Los Angeles, CA, there stands a gorgeous luxury mansion currently owned by Jeff Franklin, the creator of Full House. “The Sharon Tate house” stands tall with 21,000 square feet of space. It features nine bedrooms, 18 bathrooms, a movie theater, spa, gym, and hair salon. But, despite its lavish beauty, the gruesome tales that hide behind this incredible Los Angeles mansion may surprise you. 

Because that’s not the first house to be built on that property—and it’s not the property’s original address, either. Long before the house at 10066 Cielo Drive was built, another luxury home stood proudly in its place. Built in the 1950s, this mid-century modern estate was home to high-profile celebrities, including actress Sharon Tate and film director Roman Polanski.

Often called the Tate-Polanski house, this marvel of a house was the site of one of America’s most shocking and gruesome murders. If you’re into true crime in Los Angeles, we’ve got a tale for you. Today, we’ll dive into what happened at the Sharon Tate house.

LA Ghost Tours offers a handful of historic Los Angeles ghost tours that are so spine-chilling that you won’t believe your eyes or ears. 

What Happened to the Sharon Tate House?

The Sharon Tate house was razed to the ground after becoming the site of one of the most shocking murders we’ve heard. On August 9, 1969, five people were murdered inside the home by followers of infamous serial killer Charles Manson. How did this horrific event come to pass? Let’s look at the history of the house and its owners to find out.

The History of the Sharon Tate House

The house, designed by architect Robert Byrd and built in 1941, was an escape for some of Hollywood’s biggest stars. Its long, winding drive and gate entrance discouraged passersby from checking it out. Set amongst the trees, the 3,200-square-foot Los Angeles house had a cottage-like feel. 

The property also had a 2,000 square foot guest house with a separate garage. Both homes were absolutely stunning. Former resident, actress Candice Bergen, said this of the house: 

“There was a cartoon-like perfection about it: You waited to find Bambi drinking from the pool, Thumper dozing in the flowers, to hear the dwarfs whistling home at the end of the day. It was a fairy-tale place, that house on the hill, a Never-Never Land far from the real world where nothing could go wrong.”

Who was Sharon Tate?

Sharon Tate was a famous actress in 1969. At the time of her death, she was quickly gaining popularity, having won a Golden Globe the previous year. You can see her in films like Valley of the Dolls and The Fearless Vampire Killers. Her filmography is ironically made up of mostly horror and thriller titles, but she never expected to live out a horror movie in real life.

Sharon and her husband, famous director Roman Polanski, moved into the house in February of 1969. They were expecting their first child shortly after moving into the house, making Sharon 8.5 months pregnant at the time of the murders.

On the night of August 8, 1969, Roman Polanski was out of the house, working in Europe. To keep Sharon company, Polanski’s friend Wojciech Frykowski was staying at the house along with his girlfriend, Abigail Folger. Frykowski was a prolific writer, while Folger was the heiress to the Folger coffee fortune. Sharon’s friend and celebrity hairstylist, Jay Sebring, was also present in the house.

Shortly before the murders took place, Steven Parent was visiting the estate’s caretaker, who lived in the guest house on the property. Parent was only 18 years old at the time.

The Murders at 10050 Cielo Drive

On August 8, Charles Manson ordered four members of his “Family” to go to 10050 Cielo Drive to kill everyone there “as gruesomely as you can.” So, Charles “Tex” Watson, Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel, and Linda Kasabian drove to the property under his direction.

When the four members of the Family arrived at the property, Watson first climbed a telephone pole to cut the phone line to the house. After they had made their way onto the property, headlights began approaching the group. Watson told the others to hide in the bushes while he killed the driver of the car. The driver was 18-year-old Steven Parent.

The group then entered the home, leaving Kasabian outside to keep watch. They first found Frykowski, kicking him in the head before rounding up the other occupants and bringing them into the living room.

There, the murderers began tying Sharon and her friend, Jay Sebring, together. Sebring was quite vocal about their rough handling of the very pregnant Sharon. He was shot and then stabbed seven times.

Frykowski and Folger both managed to escape temporarily, but were quickly tackled and taken out. Sharon was stabbed 16 times and then was hung with Sebring. Her cause of death was determined to be a massive hemorrhage. Before they left, the murderers used Sharon’s blood to write “PIG” on the front door. 

Allegedly, Charles Manson ordered the murder to ignite a race war that he called “Helter Skelter.” His diabolical plan involved blaming these murders and other actions on African-American people. But that may not be the only reason Manson targeted 10050 Cielo Drive.

Terry Melcher’s Connection to the Manson Family Tate Murders

Terry Melcher was a famous music producer who produced 1960s beach and surf music. He is known as a co-writer on the famous Beach Boys hit, “Kokomo.” Melcher and his girlfriend, Candice Bergen, were the previous residents of the Sharon Tate murder house. But just what did Melcher do to provoke Mason’s ire?

Well, ex-convict turned cult leader Charles Manson was actually an aspiring singer. He’d been looking for a recording contract when two of his followers, Ella Jo Bailey and Tate murder participant, Patricia Krenwrinkel, met Beach Boys co-founder Dennis Wilson in 1968. The women told Dennis Wilson of their spiritual guru, Charles Manson, and Wilson became enamored.

This brought the two social circles—the Manson Family and the music production industry—into contact with each other. Melcher began inviting Manson to parties that he and his girlfriend threw at their estate. Then, in 1969, Melcher visited Manson at his home at Spahn Ranch to audition him.

Melcher later told the police that he wanted to leave as soon as he arrived at the ranch. He felt there was no talent, so he refused to give a contract to Manson. Later, he cut ties. Manson continued to search for Melcher, even showing up at the 10050 Cielo Drive residence several times looking for him. 

Some speculate that Manson was trying to intimidate Melcher with the murders. Whether or not that was Manson’s intention, it worked. Melcher hired a bodyguard shortly after the murders. 

Haunted Los Angeles

Los Angeles isn’t just the site of a murder so notorious it required an address change. There are plenty of ghostly tales and true crime waiting in haunted Hollywood! The city of dreams is absolutely stunning until it turns into a world of nightmares.

But if that kind of thing is right up your alley, then we have a tour for you! LA Ghost Tours will take you on a historical adventure with tales so unnerving, you’ll be looking over your shoulder every step of the way. Look closely enough, and you might see one of the spirits that linger from LA’s dark past. 

Can’t wait for that tour? We have plenty of haunted history to keep you on the edge of your seat until your tour date. Check out our blog for more posts on haunted Los Angeles, or head over to our Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok for more general ghost business. We can’t wait to connect!

Sources:

• https://www.wtnh.com/entertainment-news/full-house-creator-selling-beverly-hills-mansion-built-on-site-of-manson-family-murders/amp/
• https://allthatsinteresting.com/wojciech-frykowski
• https://www.oxygen.com/crime-news/how-music-producer-terry-melcher-was-tied-to-charles-manson
• https://www.housebeautiful.com/lifestyle/a40834300/10050-cielo-drive-sharon-tate-house/
• https://www.cielodrive.com/tate-murders-photo-archive.php
• https://www.charlesmanson.com/vicinity-crimes/10050-cielo-drive/
• https://ftp.sullenbergeraviation.org/aextraupdate-008/10050-cielo-drive-now-the-iconic-address-that-shaped-hollywood-history.html
• https://www.nine.com.au/property/news/the-price-has-been-dropped-on-the-beverly-hills-manson-murders-home/5670f12a-72f8-4388-953a-d56ab8ca9723
• https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/05/arts/manson-tate-murder-tarantino.html
• https://people.com/sharon-tate-death-legacy-what-to-know-8666851
• https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/charles-manson-random-ties-musicians-actors-hollywood