With a little help from Madonna
Madonna slept here. So did Diane Keaton. Before that, Lucille Ball lived across the street, and Jimmy Stewart and Rosemary Clooney were neighbors.
This is the house Madonna bought from Keaton about four years ago and then listed in May at $10.9 million. She recently lowered the price to $9.9 million. The market for Westside homes priced at $10 million and above has softened, and Madonna is more motivated to sell after buying actress Sela Ward’s Beverly Hills compound for $12 million last June.
The pop star, whose third children’s book is expected to be published in April, also has a home in London with her daughter, son and British husband, director Guy Ritchie.
About this house: Madonna put her touches -- costing an estimated $2 million -- on it, but Keaton is the one who totally refurbished the Spanish-style, Wallace Neff-designed house, built in 1926. The Oscar-winning Keaton, costar of the movie “Something’s Gotta Give,” has a passion for redoing fine old houses.
Asking price: $9.9 million
Size: The house has five bedrooms and 7 1/2 bathrooms in slightly less than 6,500 square feet. The lot size is 25,739 square feet.
Features: Much of the original detail of the house has been preserved while modern conveniences have been added. The home also has courtyards, an outdoor fireplace and dining area, a pool, detached offices and a guesthouse or caretaker’s quarters.
Where: Beverly Hills, on a street that still draws fans of celebrities who lived there during Hollywood’s golden era.
Listing agent: Barry Peele, Sotheby’s International Realty, Beverly Hills, (310) 278-0962
To submit a candidate for Home of the Week, send color interior and exterior photos (copies only, please; we cannot return the pictures) and a brief description of the house, including what makes the property unusual, to Ruth Ryon, Real Estate Section, Los Angeles Times, 202 W. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012; or e-mail homeoftheweek@latimes.com.
