Tech entrepreneur snaps up the former Eddie Albert estate in Pacific Palisades
The buyer of actor Eddie Albert’s former estate in Pacific Palisades has come into focus.
Bobby Murphy, co-founder and chief technology officer of Snapchat parent company Snap Inc., paid the asking price of $19.5 million for the California hacienda, according to sources not authorized to comment on the sale. The deal, which closed earlier this month, was made through a corporate entity.
Designed by John Byers and built in 1933, the well-preserved home is where Albert lived for nearly five decades. The film and television actor, who starred as lawyer-turned-farmer Oliver Wendell Douglas on the 1960s sitcom “Green Acres,” once planted corn in the home’s frontyard.
More recently, the house had been owned for more than a decade by noted landscape designer Jay Griffith.
The house, which maintains its period style, has more than 4,800 square feet of living space that includes a two-story foyer, a living room with an oversized fireplace, a dining room, five bedrooms and six bathrooms. A vintage pub room is awash in rustic wood paneling.
In addition to the main house, the three-quarter-acre estate includes several outdoor pavilions and a swimming pool surrounded by lawn. Views take in the surrounding canyon, mountains and ocean.
Murphy, 29, founded the social media and technology company Snapchat in 2011 with Evan Spiegel and Reggie Brown. Later rebranded as Snap, the company is among L.A.’s biggest in the tech field, with a market capitalization of more than $20 billion.
Albert, who died in 2005 at 99, earned Oscar nominations for his performances in the films “Roman Holiday” (1953) and “The Heartbreak Kid” (1972). His “Green Acres” character also appeared on the shows “The Beverly Hillbillies” and “Petticoat Junction.”
Fran Flanagan of Coldwell Banker Global Luxury and Brett Lawyer of Hilton & Hyland, an affiliate of Christie’s International Real Estate, were the listing agents. Todd Stein of Campbell Wellman Properties represented Murphy.
Properties run deep in the talent pool
Adam Levine is keeping his real estate agent busy so far this year.
The Maroon 5 singer and TV competition judge has bought the Beverly Hills home of “Will & Grace” creator Max Mutchnick for $33.9 million and has a deal in place to sell his house in Beverly Crest to crooner John Mayer for $13.5 million, sources told The Times.
Earlier this year, Levine sold another property in Holmby Hills for $18 million.
The Beverly Crest house was built in 1940 and extensively renovated during the singer’s ownership. It has 7,100 square feet of living space that includes an expansive great room, a media room, a den and a gym.
The gated property spans roughly 3.6 acres of grounds that hold a swimming pool and spa and a lighted basketball court. There are also a two-car garage with a hydraulic lift and a speak-easy-style card room.
Levine’s new home in Beverly Hills comes with a celebrity pedigree that extends beyond television comedy. The English Tudor-style house was previously owned by tennis star Pete Sampras, who sold it to Mutchnick a decade ago for $16.98 million.
The roughly 10,400-square-foot house has five bedrooms and eight full bathrooms. There are a detached guesthouse and a separate gym.
Levine, 38, is the lead vocalist and guitarist for Maroon 5. The Grammy-winning pop-rock group has hits that include “She Will Be Loved,” “This Love” and “Moves Like Jagger.”
Mayer, 40, has won Grammys for such songs as “Your Body Is a Wonderland,” “Daughters” and “Say.” His most recent studio album, “The Search for Everything,” was released last year.
Kurt Rappaport of Westside Estate Agency holds the listing for the Beverly Crest property. The Beverly Hills home was sold outside the Multiple Listing Service.
Unchained from his paradise
Rock icon Sammy Hagar has bid farewell to his longtime Hawaiian retreat, selling the clifftop home in Maui’s Haiku area for $3.1 million.
What’s outside the three-bedroom cottage is just as important as what’s inside. Spanning roughly 10 acres, the tropical grounds offer a tiki bar, a 1,500-square-foot pool and spa, a 400-foot well and a trove of palm-lined paths dotted with Hawaiian fruit trees.
Inside, the 2,247-square-foot main house holds an upgraded kitchen, a spacious living room and wet bar. It has wood-beamed ceilings and custom windows that bring in ocean views.
Also on the property is a one-bedroom guesthouse.
Hagar bought the home 23 years ago after vacationing in Hawaii following a Van Halen world tour. His personal additions include an outdoor brick oven and a tilapia pond.
The Red Rocker, 70, rose to prominence with the hard-rock band Montrose before replacing David Lee Roth as the lead singer of Van Halen in 1985. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.
Becky Hanna of Island Sotheby’s International Realty handled both ends of the deal.
It’s got a lot going for it
Keenen Ivory Wayans is ready to give up the dream in Malibu. The actor and filmmaker has listed a 7-acre lot where he once planned to build for sale at $9.995 million.
The three-parcel property sits on the land side of Pacific Coast Highway and overlooks the heart of Broad Beach. The acreage is mostly flat, park-like and takes in panoramic ocean views, according to listing agents Rick Hilton and Rodrigo Iglesias of Hilton & Hyland.
“It’s elevated enough to see the entire beach and ocean,” Iglesias said. “The coastline views are spectacular.”
Wayans had intended to build a family compound with an 11,000-square-foot main house, a 5,600-square-foot guesthouse and equestrian facilities but decided not to go forward with the project, according to Iglesias.
Wayans, 59, is one of 10 siblings and has five children. He gained fame in the late 1980s as the writer, director and star of the parody-comedy film “I’m Gonna Git You Sucka.” In the ’90s, he created and hosted the sketch-comedy series “In Living Color,” which featured other members of the Wayans family as well as comedians Jim Carrey, David Alan Grier and Jamie Foxx.
More recently, Wayans served as a judge on the comedy competition series “Last Comic Standing.”
He acquired the parcels more than a decade ago in separate transactions, records show.
A sellout in Silver Lake
After such a smooth transaction, Scott Shriner might have to come back for an encore.
The bassist of Weezer fame sold his modern treehouse in Silver Lake last month for $2.4 million, or about $250,000 more than the asking price.
Dense landscaping shields the home from the street. A garden leads residents to the front door, which opens to a bright open floor plan with wide wood-plank floors and a free-standing fireplace.
Views of the city are served up from picture windows that line the space. A private balcony hanging off the upstairs master suite takes advantage of the scenic spot as well.
The home, built in 1940, holds three bedrooms and three bathrooms across two stories. Downstairs, sliding glass doors in the second master suite open to a patio.
Shriner paid $1.725 million for the home in 2014, records show. Linda Chamberlain of Nourmand and Associates was the listing agent. Sara Lov of Maisonre Real Estate represented the buyer.
Shriner, 52, is the rock band’s longest serving bassist, recording seven albums with the group.
Twitter: @LATHotProperty
