Hot Property: Stars of past and present
From fallen TV and film stars to sitcom royalty to off-market action, this Friday-night lineup is ready for prime time. So sit back and enjoy the latest and greatest from this week of Hot Property.
A home retrospective
It’s true. We’re sentimental fools. When the homes of late entertainers sell, we see it as another chance to celebrate their lifeworks.
The Bea Arthur estate is on the market for nearly $16 million in Brentwood. The “Golden Girl’s” home is a graceful Spanish-style residence on four acres dotted with oaks and sycamore trees. One class act for one classy lady.
Years after his death due to pancreatic cancer, dancer-actor Patrick Swayze’s star power still draws. A 4.5-acre ranch in Sylmar that the “Dirty Dancing” and “Ghost” actor owned with wife Lisa Niemi recently sold off-market in an under-the-radar deal unearthed through public records. The $2.9-million property includes such equestrian amenities as horse corrals and a hot walker.
It’s the home that Taco Bell built. A Rancho Santa Fe estate formerly owned by late entrepreneur Glen Bell Jr., founder of the popular Mexican food chain, is on the market for $7.495 million. The loaded estate features two homes, multiple swimming pools, a sports court and an orchard on a combined 6.75 acres.
Prime-time lineup
There’s nothing like writing Hot Property to leave TV theme songs looping in our brains. A couple we just can’t shake include “The Ballad of Jed Clampett” and the “Gilligan’s Island” jingle.
The home of the late “Beverly Hillbillies” creator Paul Henning is for sale at close to $3.5 million in Toluca Lake. The whimsical Tudor of about 5,300 square feet has stained-glass windows and exposed beams. Henning not only created the show, he wrote the lyrics and composed the sitcom’s classic tune.
Late TV writer and producer Sherwood Schwartz, best known as the creator of iconic sitcoms “Gilligan’s Island” and “The Brady Bunch,” once made his home in the Trousdale area of Beverly Hills. The Donald Park and Wallace Benton-designed home was among L.A.’s top sales last week after it sold for top dollar -- $7.2 million, or $250,000 over the asking price.
Two-time Grammy winner Reba McEntire tuned up an impressive sale in North Beverly Park. The actress and country-music singer, who provided the vocals for the sitcom that bears her name, “Reba,” sold her 1.8-acre estate off-market for $22.25 million.
Making headlines
A pricey listing in Manhattan Beach is poised to shatter price records for the area. Listed for $28.9 million, the oceanfront property on The Strand would eclipse the previous top sale of $16 million by a wide margin should it sell close to its asking price.
Calvin Klein sure knows how to make an entrance. The fashion designer this week bought an eye-catching showplace in Hollywood Hills West for $25 million. Clad in glass and designer finishes, the Bird Streets contemporary features a water lounge, a glass-enclosed wine cellar and a bridged catwalk entry.
What we’re reading
If Chinese developers have their way, a former department store in Beverly Hills earmarked for new condominiums will also be getting a brand-new luxury hotel. The $1-billion condo project, designed by Getty Center architect Richard Meier, would be scaled back to include the proposed 134-room hotel.
Here’s a home worthy of a martini and a Lucky Strike: In Westchester County, N.Y., a Colonial-style home that served as the Draper residence in the first episode of “Mad Men” is on the market for $1.1 million, according to The Journal News. The stately home, built in 1914, is in the same neighborhood as the fictional residence of Rob and Laura Petrie on the “Dick Van Dyke Show.”
And finally, file this one under creepy. The story of one New Jersey couple’s “dream” home took a dark turn when they began receiving cryptic letters from a person identifying himself as “The Watcher.” The couple, who have fled the $1.3-million home, have filed suit against the prior owners, alleging they withheld knowledge of a disturbed letter-writer, reports NJ.com.
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