Hot Property Newsletter: The lavish life
What does big money buy? Pretty much whatever a wealthy home buyer wants. This week’s roundup provides some examples, including a custom bowling alley, multiple kitchens and a one-hole golf course.
For a waltz through a $49.9-million home, click in to our Home of the Week feature. The Mediterranean compound in Bel-Air has an opulent look that evokes Old Hollywood. The 36,000-square-foot behemoth boasts an indoor pool, a spacious wine cellar with a wet bar and a pink and blue bowling alley. Take the video tour at Fox11.
Once you’re done reading about these deals, visit and like our Facebook page, where you can find Hot Property stories and updates throughout the week.
– Neal J. Leitereg and Lauren Beale
Moneyed in Montecito
Actor Rob Lowe and his wife, jewelry designer Sheryl Lowe, have listed their estate in Montecito for $47 million.
Set on 3.4 acres, the 10,000-square-foot main house has 20 rooms, including a den/music room with a bar, family room and commercial kitchens, an office, a screening room and a gym. The master suite has one of nine indoor fireplaces for a total of six bedrooms and 9.5 bathrooms.
Also on the property are guest and pool houses, a tennis court, vegetable gardens and a swimming pool and spa.
Lowe, 54, has scores of television and film credits including “St. Elmo’s Fire,” “The West Wing” and “Brothers & Sisters.” He most recently starred on the medical drama “Code Black,” and also appears with his sons on the reality show “The Lowe Files.”
No tee time needed
Los Angeles businessman Ron Burkle picked up late comic Bob Hope’s longtime Toluca Lake compound for $15 million.
The more than five-acre Toluca Lake estate was designed for Hope. The 14,876-square-foot house, a two-bedroom guesthouse and separate staff quarters and offices combine for a total eight bedrooms and eight bathrooms.
A swimming pool, a one-hole golf course, mature trees, rose gardens and a large expanse of lawn make up the grounds.
Hope, who died in 2003 at 100, had a prolific career as a comic actor, singer and dancer, appearing in scores of films that included the “Road” series with Bing Crosby.
Burkle, 65, built his fortune buying and selling supermarket chains.
Party-ready in the Hills
Actress Juliette Cummins, known for her work on “Friday the 13th: A New Beginning” and other horror films, has listed her party palace in Hollywood Hills West for lease at $22,000 a month or for sale off-market at an undisclosed price.
A brightly colored rooftop complete with a swimming pool, murals and a lounging area make the Mediterranean-style home stand out from the neighbors’ in the celebrity-hopping “bird streets” area.
Hand-painted beams relocated from actor Bela Lugosi’s 1930s home, vibrant mosaic murals and a vintage piano from 1937 are among the accouterments.
The more than 5,000 square feet of opulently decorated interiors contain living and family rooms, a lofted dining area, a bonus room, four fireplaces, five bedrooms and six bathrooms.
Drummer’s house finds a fan
Dean Butterworth, the drummer for Good Charlotte since 2005, has a buyer on the hook for his Woodland Hills home, listed for sale at $949,900.
Classic charm is mixed with contemporary design in this 1991 multiple-story house. The 2,136 square feet of white and bright interiors include an extra-wide double door that opens to a 25-foot-tall entry with a staircase.
There’s a living room with a fireplace, a dining area, a family room with a wet bar, a newer kitchen, a bonus room, three bedrooms and three bathrooms.
Butterworth, 41, previously worked with English alt-rock and indie-rock singer Morrissey and blues great John Lee Hooker.
Mansion draws celebrities
If the name ZaSu Pitts doesn’t ring any bells, perhaps the name Linda Ronstadt does. Both the early actress, who made the leap from silent to talking films, and the retired Grammy-winning pop singer are among former owners of a mansion in Brentwood listed at $16.25 million.
Former White House designer Michael Smith has updated the elegant 10,000 square feet of interiors in keeping with architect Paul R. Williams’ vision. Remaining are the signature winding staircase and a secret passageway from the library to the master suite. There are seven bedrooms and seven bathrooms.
Pitts, who died in 1963 at 69, starred in the silent film “Greed.” With the advent of sound, she worked almost exclusively in comedies including “Finn and Hattie” (1931) and “Blondie of the Follies” (1932).
Ronstadt, 71, enjoyed her heyday starting in the late 1960s with such hits as “Ohh Baby Baby” and “Blue Bayou.”
Facing reality in Miami
Reality TV star and model contestant judge Joanna Krupa has her contemporary condominium in Miami listed for sale at $1.595 million these days. In February the asking price was $1.9 million.
Encompassing 2,139 square feet of light and bright interior space, the high-ceilinged corner unit takes in skyline views. Designer touches include marble floors, LED mood lighting and motorized window treatments. The open place space has an eat-in-kitchen, two bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms.
Krupa, 39, has appeared on “The Real Housewives of Miami,” “Dancing With the Stars” and “Top Model.”
Her favorite room
Colleen Ballinger, known for her alter ego and YouTube character, Miranda Sings, does some of her best work in the office of her Encino home. The area serves as the backdrop for her YouTube videos and features an entire wall and bookshelf adorned with eccentric fan art and gifts. Included is a Mona Lisa-inspired drawing of Miranda with awkward bangs, a huge Miranda puppet and papier-mâché Miranda heads.
From the archives
Ten years ago, retired pro baseball player Lenny Dykstra listed his Lake Sherwood Georgian estate for $24.9 million. The seven-acre property included a 12,713-square-foot main house, verandas, a pool, a championship tennis court, staff quarters and manicured lawns and gardens.
Twenty years ago, movie producer-director Tim Burton sold his six-acre Ojai retreat for $1.7 million. Built in 1928, the Spanish-style home had five bedrooms and six baths in 6,300 square feet.
What we’re reading
Ever heard the expression, “There’s only so much waterfront”? Well that may not necessarily be so, according to an article in the San Francisco Chronicle. Many coastal properties – including 4,400 homes just in Marin County – may be flooded out by 2045, a climate report warns.
A block in Hollywood once slated to hold a museum dedicated to the Academy Awards is being transformed into a spacious $450-million campus of offices, apartments and stores, reports Los Angeles Times staff writer Roger Vincent. Kilroy Realty Corp. has broken ground on the long-anticipated project on 3.5 acres just south of the ArcLight Cinema complex.
