Newsletter: Hot Property: Make room on the marquee
There’s lots of movement in the celebrity-owned housing market these days. Between Julia Roberts and Bob Hope, this week’s big names are fighting for top billing on the marquee.
But our round-up also includes some stellar homes themselves. Noteworthy digs include the historic tudor that “LA Ink” star Kat Von D picked up in Windsor Square and the awesome Venice residence of a record industry executive. Prepare to be wowed.
– Neal J. Leitereg and Lauren Beale
Actress says aloha
Julia Roberts parted with her oceanfront home in Hawaii for $16.2 million — close to half of her original asking price of about $30 million. The leading lady bought the property five years ago for $13.375 million.
Boasting 231 feet of beach frontage on the crest of Kauai’s Hanalei Bay, the two-house plantation-style compound includes more than two acres of grounds.
The 49-year-old Roberts won an Oscar in 2000 for the title role in “Erin Brockovich” and was nominated for her work in the films “August: Osage County” (2013), “Pretty Woman” (1990) and “Steel Magnolias” (1989).
Roberts sold her oceanfront home in Hawaii for $16.2 million. (Hawaii Life Real Estate | Inset: Associated Press)
Hoping for more?
No doubt the sellers were hoping for more. The Bob and Dolores Hope estate in Palm Springs, designed by renowned Modernist architect John Lautner, has sold for $13 million. That’s just over half the $24.999 million asking price and considerably less than the original list price of $50 million.
The landmark does rank among the priciest home sales ever in the Coachella Valley community, however.
Set on 6.2 acres, the concrete, steel and glass house was built for the Hopes in 1979 and contains a vast 23,366 square feet of living space.
The Hope estate in Palm Springs sold for $13 million. (Brian Thomas Jones | NBCUniversal)
Something on the side
Supermodel Cindy Crawford and her husband, nightlife industry businessman Rande Gerber, don’t seem to need day jobs. They’re doing quite the quick turn at house-flipping.
A year ago they more than doubled their investment on a traditional-style home in Malibu. Now they have listed a compound in the Encinal Bluffs area for $60 million — $8.5 million more than what they paid for it a year ago.
Set on a bluff of approximately 3.2 acres, the gated estate has a tennis court, park-like grounds and a footpath to the beach. The Mediterranean-style main house, built in 1944 and newly renovated, contains 5,300 square feet of interior space. There’s also a swimming pool and a spa.
Crawford and Gerber listed the compound in Malibu for sale at $60 million. (Redfin.com | Los Angeles Times)
Vintage good looks
Tattoo artist and television personality Kat Von D inked a deal in Windsor Square, buying a Victorian-style home for $6.5 million.
The three-story home retains its vintage good looks with extensive brickwork, decorative trim and stained glass windows. A steep cross-gabled roof and domed turret lend a whimsical note to the exterior.
A grand entry, a wood-paneled sitting room, a library, a den and a ballroom/living room are within approximately 12,600 square feet of interior space. In a nod to the Prohibition era, a hidden speakeasy features hand-carved walls and a secret door to the outside — perfect for a quick exit.
Kat Von D paid $6.5 million for the 1890 Victorian that was originally built in Westlake and later moved to its current location in Windsor Square. (Jeffrey Ong / PostRAIN | Los Angeles Times)
High style in Venice
Neil Jacobson, an executive vice president at Interscope Records, and wife Celine Gumbiner Jacobson, chairman of the integrated textile purveyor Brookwood Companies Inc., sold their home in Venice for $6.1 million.
The 3,639-square-foot showplace was designed by Venice-based home builder Kim Gordon. Vaulted ceilings, reclaimed barn wood siding and an artistic wood-and-steel staircase are among the standout features.
Atop the home is a roof deck with an outdoor kitchen, a trellised dining area and a putting green. Views take in surrounding treetops and mountains.
Jacobson, 39, has worked with such artists as the Black Eyed Peas, will.i.am, Fergie, LMFAO and Robin Thicke.
The Jacobsons sold their house in Venice for $6.1 million. (Halton Pardee + Partners)
Speaking of the Black Eyed Peas
Taboo, the recording artist, DJ and member of the Grammy-winning group the Black Eyed Peas, has put his home with a recording studio in Altadena on the market for $2.175 million.
The Mediterranean Revival, built in 1940 and updated in 2007, opens to a formal living room with a two-way fireplace shared by the adjacent dining room. Box-beam ceilings and white wainscoting give the interiors a traditional vibe.
A soundproof recording studio and an office/library are among other rooms in the 4,555 square feet of living space. Patios and balconies extend the living space outdoors.
Taboo, whose legal name is Jaime Luis Gomez, is a six-time Grammy Award winner as a member of the Black Eyed Peas. Among the bestselling artists of all time, the pop/hip-hop group has hits that include “Where Is the Love,” “My Humps” and “I Gotta Feeling.”
Taboo listed his home with a recording studio for sale in Altadena at $2.175 million. (Erik Grammer / EGP Imaging | Los Angeles Times)
From the archives
Ten years ago, Grammy-winning pop-singer-turned-country artist Michelle Branch and her husband, Wreckers’ bass player Teddy Landau, listed their Calabasas home at close to $3.3 million. The couple had only owned the one-story, 5,300-square-foot home for a year and spent much of that time touring. They planned to move to Nashville.
Twenty years ago, pop star Paula Abdul listed her Beverly Hills-area home of five years at about $2.7 million. The property, set in a gated community, featured 6,800 square feet of living space, a lagoon-style pool with an island and a koi pond. Described as “Gothic Spanish” in style, the gated and walled house had a rotunda entry with a fresco on the ceiling, heavy beams and carved stone fireplaces.
What we’re reading
— Donald Trump’s first home in the Jamaica Estates area of Queens is still up for grabs. The owners postponed its sale at auction and may profit from having waited in light of the presidential election results, Newsday reported.
— Seeing doom and gloom ahead? A $300-million luxury community with underground homes and air-lock blast doors is being planned northeast of Dallas, reports the Associated Press. The “long-term sustainable community” will cover 700 acres and include such amenities as an 18-hole golf course, gun ranges, zip lines, shops, restaurants, helipads and an equestrian center. The 400 condos will have 90% of their living space underground.
For more luxury real estate, visit us at the Hot Property blog and follow us on Twitter and Instagram.
