An oceanside villa for the sporting life
This is the Newport Coast home of Dwight Manley, the high-profile sports agent who has represented such NBA players as Karl Malone and Dennis Rodman.
Manley, in his late 30s, is also a rare-coin collector and dealer, and he is known for his 1999 purchase of sunken treasure from the 1857 voyage of the steamship Central America.
Born and raised in Brea, Manley made headlines in 2003 when he and his wife, Sahar, purchased apartments and retail space in the heart of downtown Brea as an investment for nearly $13 million.
Manley has owned his Newport Coast home, which he had built, for 1 1/2 years. He is selling, he said, is because he had the chance to buy in the Irvine golf development of Shady Canyon, across the street from the home of his children’s best friends.
About this house: The Italianate villa was inspired by the 16th century Villa Gamberaia in Tuscany with its formal gardens, water features and panoramic views. Villa Gamberaia has views of olive groves and Florence, four miles away. Manley’s mansion surveys the ocean, harbor and Catalina Island.
Asking price: $17.9 million
Size: The home has six bedrooms and 10 bathrooms in about 12,000 square feet. The lot size is 19,936 square feet.
Features: A fitness facility contains a racquetball court that converts to a basketball half-court. There is a spa facility with wet and dry saunas. A game room and a bar open to the pool and fire pit. There is a theater with a 120-inch screen and 14 leather stadium seats. The master bedroom suite has a sitting room and fireplace and a terrace with an outdoor fireplace. The home also has an office, an elevator, a guesthouse and a nine-car garage. Fari International Inc. designed and built the home, its landscaping and its interiors, including walls upholstered in silk damask and suede.
Where: The home is in Pelican Crest, near the Pelican Hill Golf Club and its two golf courses. The area is in the larger development of Newport Coast, between Newport Beach and Laguna Beach.
Listing agent: John McMonigle, Strada Properties, now part of Coldwell Banker, (949) 640-3604, Newport Beach.
