Sale of Carmel Block Includes Historic Inn
One of the largest single sales of property in the history of that delightful Northern California community of Carmel.
That’s how the sale of the downtown block including the historic Pine Inn is being described. I’ve learned that the block (with seven shops and First Interstate Bank as well as the hostelry) went for close to $10 million.
The three-story, 49-room Pine Inn dates back to 1889 and was most recently owned by Carroll McKee, who acquired it in 1962.
The sale capped off a record year for the Royal LePage International Hotels Division of Toronto-based Royal LePage Commercial Real Estate Services, which recently merged with Fuller Commercial Brokerage Co. The hotels division also brokered the sale of a number of other Northern California hotels, including six in San Francisco: the Four Seasons Clift, Hyatt Union Square, Sir Francis Drake, the Bedford, Vintage Court and Galleria Park.
“Spiderman,” “The Hulk” and “Dungeons and Dragons”--those popular, Saturday morning television cartoon shows--are getting more room to be created.
Marvel Productions Ltd., which makes and distributes the shows, has leased a 14,000-square-foot building just down the street from its other facilities at 6840 Hayvenhurst Ave. in Van Nuys, and the firm is about to move some of its animation production and general offices into the structure.
The four-year lease was valued at about $1 million. Marvel was represented by Jeff Woolf and Craig Stevens of Zugsmith & Associates Inc. of Studio City.
That 120-room Birmingham, Ala., hotel owned in part by basketball superstar Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has been renovated at a cost of $6.5 million and held its soft opening with the grand one planned in late April.
So says David Brudney, president of Palos Verdes-based Karina Hotels, which manages the property, known as the Redmont Hotel. (It’s the only hotel in the city with 24-hour room service, he added.
The Lakers’ center and Ralph Sampson of the Houston Rockets are among 35 investors who deeded the land under the Redmont to the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, which leases the property back to the hotel’s owners, Brudney said. The symphony was apparently chosen to receive the gift because of Abdul-Jabbar’s lifelong interest in music.
Kurt Rambis of the Lakers, Steve Sax of the Dodgers and Vann McElroy of the Raiders must like the salt air. They all bought homes in the past few months at the 515-home Manhattan Village, being built in Manhattan Beach.
Good news for aviation! Helmsely-Spear Inc. has formed a service specializing in facility acquisition, disposition and relocation for air carriers and aviation-related businesses.
Aviation Real Estate Consulting Group is the name of the service, and it has offices at 400 Plaza Drive in Secaucus, N. J.
Architect William Pereira was the inspiration behind the design of many prominent buildings in his lifetime, which ended at the age of 76 last Nov. 13. He left his mark on the Malibu campus of Pepperdine University, Los Angeles International Airport, Marineland, CBS Television City, the Transamerica tower, St. Francis Hotel tower addition in San Francisco, Cape Canaveral and the Irvine master plan.
However, Pereira designed two homes during his career, according to a spokesman in his office. One, his personal residence, described as “a fabulous contemporary that takes full advantage of the Wilshire Country Club view and surrounding gardens,” is for sale in Hancock Park. Shirley Ebert of Dippell Realty has the listing, priced at $1.4 million.
Built in 1960, it has a marble floored entry, dramatic living room with hardwood floors, skylights and walls of glass; formal dining room, garden room, sun room, two guest suites and maid’s quarters--all behind high walls and electric gates.
When Pereira died, of heart failure, he left his wife, Bronya; two children, William L. Pereira Jr. and Monica Ferraro, and six grandchildren.
