Newsletter: Hot Property: Step away from the remote control
Between Major League Baseball playoff games and the occasional presidential debate, it’s sometimes hard to get off the couch. So hats off to home buyers and all those hard-working real estate agents who continue to keep the housing market humming along.
This week’s offerings include a Dodgers pitcher, a billionaire, a box-office giant and a soccer star — to name a few.
– Neal J. Leitereg and Lauren Beale
Pitcher perfect?
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Kenta Maeda has snagged a New England-inspired traditional-style house in Santa Monica for $3.795 million.
The new two-story home has an East Coast vibe exterior with light gray siding, crisp white trim and a slate-colored roof. Inside, nearly 5,000 square feet of white-walled space includes five bedrooms, seven bathrooms and such fun spaces as a wine room and a loft/bonus room.
Maeda, 28, signed an incentive-based contract with the Dodgers in January that could be worth more than $100 million over eight seasons. The Japanese pitching star went 16-11 with an earned run average of 3.48 in his first season with the team.
Maeda bought the newly built home in Santa Monica for $3.795 million. (Redfin | Inset: Los Angeles Times)
Scene change
That was fast. Box-office draw Johnny Depp has sold one of his penthouses at the Eastern Columbia Building in downtown Los Angeles for $2.545 million after a couple of weeks on the market.
The two-bedroom, three-bathroom residence was part of a five-penthouse collection in the Art Deco structure that Depp put up recently at $12.78 million. The remaining four penthouses are for sale individually or as a group.
The unit that sold has a vintage bar, a galley-style kitchen with stainless steel appliances and a private terrace. Steel-paned windows take in views of the Orpheum Theatre.
The “Pirates of the Caribbean” star acquired the penthouses in 2007 and kept the units mostly separate, with only select ones connecting on the upper level.
Depp sold one of his five penthouses at the Eastern Columbia Building for $2.545 million. (James Lang / Berlyn Photography | Los Angeles Times)
The sequel
Seems that Depp isn’t the only one saying a quick goodbye to the Eastern Columbia Building.
Los Angeles billionaire Ronald Burkle sold his penthouse in the downtown landmark for $2.5 million in just two weeks.
The three-story contemporary condo has polished concrete floors, subdued hues and modern fixtures. Exposed ductwork and a steel-frame staircase lend an industrial ambiance to the 2,010 square feet of interior space.
Atop the residence, a private terrace sits below one of the Art Deco building’s four clock faces and has an outdoor dining area and a lounge with a fireplace. Views take in the downtown corridor.
Burkle, 63, built his fortune buying and selling supermarket chains such as Ralphs, Fred Meyer Inc. and Food 4 Less.
Burkle sold a penthouse unit at the Eastern Columbia Building for $2.5 million. (James Lang / Berlyn Photography | Getty Images)
An oldie but goodie
Grammy-winning musician Kenny Loggins has found a new spot to cut loose, buying an updated 1950s home in the Montecito area for $2.945 million.
The Traditional-style 3,000-square-foot house sits behind gates on more than an acre of lush grounds. Vaulted and beamed ceilings, Saltillo tile floors and clerestory kitchens windows are among interior details. Designed for outdoor entertaining, the home has a wide back deck, a fire pit and a Bali-inspired playhouse.
Loggins, 68, composed songs for the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and released six albums as half of the rock-pop duo Loggins and Messina before he became a solo artist. He produced a string of soundtrack hits, including “I’m Alright” for “Caddyshack” (1980) and “Danger Zone” for “Top Gun” (1986).
The musician is turning his No. 1 hit “Footloose,” for the 1984 film of the same name, into a children’s book.
Loggins bought an updated single-story home in Montecito for $2.945 million. (Will Edwards Photography | Getty Images)
Changing direction
Soccer great Landon Donovan, who recently returned to the L.A. Galaxy, has sold an ocean-view home site in La Jolla for $2.9 million. He bought the land two years ago for $3.35 million.
The more than half-acre hillside lot includes a beach volleyball court. Plans for a 6,840-square-foot multi-level contemporary were included in the sale. Renderings show walls of glass, multiple ocean-facing decks and a detached guest/pool house.
Donovan, 34, ended a 21-month retirement in September when he re-signed with the Galaxy. A six-time winner of the MLS Cup (that’s Major League Soccer, not Multiple Listing Service), he is the all-time leader in goals and assists for both MLS and the U.S. national team.
Donovan sold an ocean-view parcel of land in La Jolla for $2.9 million. (Redfin | Los Angeles Times)
Hipster haven
Los Feliz has long been a hotbed of entertainment industry types. The location is central, the old homes are phenomenal and the views are awesome. Buying into the hood are actor-writer-comedian Paul Rust, star of the Netflix series “Love,” and his wife, writer-producer Lesley Arfin. The pair purchased a Georgian Colonial for about $2.2 million.
Originally designed and built in 1935 by architect Wallace Neff, the restored 3,200-square-foot house has original moldings, period hardware and hardwood floors. Large bay windows in the living and dining rooms take in garden views.
A mahogany-paneled library, a breakfast area with herringbone-patterned tile and a vintage claw-foot tub are among the cool features.
Rust and Arfin bought the home in Los Feliz for about $2.2 million. (Erik Grammer | Los Angeles Times)
From the archives
Ten years ago, actress Jennifer Aniston picked up a 1970s Hal Levitt-designed Modernist house for $15 million. The one-story house, set on half an acre, featured six bedrooms and seven bathrooms in 9,000-plus square feet.
Twenty years ago, the Beverly Hills home of the late Gene Kelly sold for nearly its $2-million asking price. The dancer and actor had rebuilt the Traditional-style house in 1984 after it was destroyed by fire.
Thirty years ago, singer and actor Frank Sinatra and his wife, Barbara, listed their Beverly Hills-area home for sale at $3 million. They listed the one-acre estate because they planned to live full time in Rancho Mirage.
What we’re reading
— While consumer interest in tiny houses is high, actually buying one and finding a lot to call home are another matter. Adventure Cabins, a company in San Bernardino, has learned this the hard way, selling only five cabins in five years. Among the roadblocks are finding land zoned for a tiny home, having enough cash to make a purchase and getting insurance.
— Architecture buffs take note: The final home that Frank Lloyd Wright designed is for sale in Phoenix for $3.25 million, reports Estately.com. Built in 1967, the rounded house sits on a hillside and takes in unobstructed city views. The 2,849 square feet of sculptural interiors feature porthole-like windows, original built-ins and wood-clad walls.
— ICYMI: A new room discovered at San Jose’s Winchester Mystery House is now open to the public. The attic space had been boarded after then-owner Sarah Winchester became trapped in the room during the massive 1906 earthquake. The California state landmark has 10,000 windows, 2,000 doors, 47 fireplaces, 40 staircases, and a total of 161 rooms.
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