Dolly Parton’s former Solvang triplex has hit the market for $1,995,000, putting a rare piece of the singer’s past up for sale at 561 Alisal Road. Cris Lapp, the current owner and a real estate broker with Black Oak Homes and Mortgages, said he wants a buyer who is more than just curious about the celebrity link.
“That is just me, I want a mega fan,” Lapp said of the buyer he hopes will step forward.
The property, built in 1920, is a triplex with a three-bedroom, two-bathroom front home, a three-bedroom, two-bathroom upper rear unit and a one-bedroom, three-quarter-bathroom lower unit. Each space has its own private enclosed patio. Lapp said the front house and rear units were part of a setup that helped make the property function as more than a single residence, and that structure is part of what makes the listing unusual today.
Parton owned the home for 10 years starting in 2004, and the units were used by her staff. Lapp said the upstairs once served as her makeup room, wig room and dressing room area, while the basement held more of her belongings, including western-themed home furnishings. He also said he found wooden angels and wooden tulips that he linked to Parton, along with lattice features and gold reflective film on the windows meant to block paparazzi photos.
The listing stands out because those traces are still visible enough to tell a story about how the property was used. But the ownership trail was not simple to follow. Lapp said the title initially looked scrubbed and suspicious, the sort of record that can hide a celebrity connection, before escrow records were later used to confirm a link to Dolly Parton Enterprises.
Lucy Padilla said the property was sold to a local family in 2014 and purchased from the Alisal Road Trust. She said the recorded deed shows Todd Gelfand as the trustee of The 561 Alisal Road Trust, and that he appears to be associated with Parton. That leaves the listing with a clear selling point and one unresolved test: whether a buyer will want the house for its history as much as its size, location and price.
