In the 90210 Los Angeles community, modesty isn’t always considered a virtue.

The distinction of largest home in the 90210 belongstothe massive 49,000-square-foot mansion that HyattheirAnthony Pritzker carvedintothe side of amountain overlookingBeverlyGlen Boulevard.

In aneighborhoodnot known for shying away from outsized displays of wealth, Pritzker’shome and its myriad over-the-topluxury touches (bowling alley, game room and arts and craftsroom, for starters) represent peakostentation.

Which, in Beverly Crest, is a feature, not abug.

Thisisaneighborhood shoehorned between the lush lawns and old money of Bel-Airand the architecturally brash, nouveau riche environs of Hollywood Hills West, and whichhas made itself an appealing alternativetoboth largely on the basis of its prestigious 90210 ZipCode.

What drew the well-to-do to Beverly Crest in the 1920s wasn’t just aZIP Code, but also awillingness to markettoHollywood’s elite. Whereas haughtyBel-Air turned up its nose at the stars of the silver screen, to its east the hills above Sunset Boulevardsoon played host to legends suchas Harold Lloydand Rudolph Valentino.

George Read, Beverly Crest’s canny developer,was the first to capitalize on pent-up demand in the Hollywood communityfor luxuryliving near Beverly Hills. He called his subdivision “the balcony”ofBeverly Hills and heavily promoted it as ahaven for industrytypes.

Graceful gatesatthe entrance to histract mirrored the infinitely morefamous Bel-Airportals and markeditasaplace of refinement —aqualitythateverybody in déclassé Hollywood wanted to be seen to possess.

AfterWorld WarII, newengineering and home construction techniques alloweddevelopers to plungeeverfarther intorugged canyons and up previously unbuildablehillsides. The styles of the past —the Tudors, the Georgians, the Spanish Colonials — gave waytoglassy modernist homes that properlytook advantageofthe area’sstupendouscity and Valleyviews.

From therethe houses began to getbigger, and soon the baseline size of newhomes grew from the 5,000-square-foot houses of the 1920s to the 10,000-square-foot homes of the postwarera.

Now it comes to this: In this bravenew worldofsuper-massive luxuryhomes, it is possible —with enoughmoney,ofcourse —tohave anearly 50,000-square-foot house in the 90210.

Neighborhood highlights Beverly Hills Post Office: Even though Beverly Crest is actually in the city of Los Angeles, that everdesirable 90210 Zip Code adds Beverly Hills dollars to home values.

The good life: Beautiful homes, stunning views and privacy — there’s a lot to like about Beverly Crest, provided you can afford the price of entry.

Mountain high: When sipping Old Fashioneds by the infinity pool becomes tiresome, there are plenty of places to enjoy the great outdoors, including Franklin Canyon and nearby Coldwater Canyon.

Neighborhood challenges

The invasion of the mega-mansions: Neighbors have been on high alert since Pritzker sneaked his giant home in by building it in phases to hide the size, but the threat of intrusive new mansions is constant.

Expert insight Drew Mandile, a certified property specialist with Sotheby’s International Realty, said that despite its reputation as an exclusive neighborhood, Beverly Crest has “more variety than people might think” when it comes to home prices.

He noted prices range from $100-million guard-gated megamansions to $600,000 homes on smaller lots. Because of that diversity, clear-cut comps are hard to come by.

“It’s very difficult to appraise homes in a mixed neighborhood like that,” Mandile said. “So you could buy a home for a million and-a-half dollars for example, fix it up and sell it for $4 million because the comparable homes in that area are difficult to compare.”

Market snapshot In March, based on 21 sales, the median sales price for singlefamily homes in the 90210 ZIP Code was $6 million, according to CoreLogic. That was a136% increase in median price over the same month the previous year.

Report card There are three public elementary schools within the boundaries of Beverly Crest. Roscomare Road scored a 967 in the 2013 Academic Performance Index.

Warner Avenue and Wonderland Avenue scored 960 and 973, respectively.

hotproperty@latimes.com