His home away from ‘House’
Is there a doctor in the house?
No, but this new Sherman Oaks homeowner plays one on TV. Omar Epps, Dr. Eric Foreman on Fox’s hit TV series “House,” and his wife, Keisha Spivey, are the buyers of a Mediterranean-style house behind gates. They recently purchased the home for about $2.2 million.
In the flats of Sherman Oaks, the 2003 house has six bedrooms and 5 1/2 bathrooms in 5,500-plus square feet. There is a three-car garage with built-in cabinetry. Inside, there’s a wrought-iron staircase, 9-foot ceilings, 8-foot interior doors, Brazilian cherry floors and an imported French limestone fireplace. Other features include an office, media room, breakfast room and remote-controlled pool and spa. There is a wet bar in the family room.
The kitchen has granite counters, stainless-steel appliances, a walk-in pantry, four dishwashers and a breakfast bar.
The master bedroom suite has a sitting room, walk-in closet and a two-sided fireplace. The master bathroom has a steam shower, spa tub and dual sinks.
Epps, 32, made his TV debut as Vanessa Huxtable’s first boyfriend on “The Cosby Show,” then appeared on “E.R.” as Dr. Dennis Gant, who died tragically during the season. Spivey is a singer for the all-female R&B; group Total.
Jennifer Niman of Prudential, John Aaroe Estates in Sherman Oaks had the listing, and Jo-Anne McKenzie of Sotheby’s International Realty, Sunset, represented Epps, according to the Multiple Listing Service.
For a swimmer, he does a mean flip
A four-time Olympic gold medalist, swimmer Lenny Krayzelburg is training for the next Summer Games in two years.
Krayzelburg took a break from the backstroke to fix up and flip a 1923 home in the Hollywood Hills, buying it for slightly more than $1 million, refurbishing it, then selling it for $2.5 million.
The house has three bedrooms and 3 1/2 bathrooms in 3,100 square feet. There is a media room, wine cellar and walk-in closets.
Krayzelburg, 31, and his wife, Irena, have twin toddlers.
He and Philip Buck, who had the listing on the house that the swimmer flipped, are looking for property in the Hollywood Hills where Krayzelburg might redo another house or build condominiums.
Buck is with Rodeo Realty Inc., now in Bel-Air.
His latest project is in the hills
Josh Cooke, the 27-year-old actor who played Ben on three 2006 TV episodes of “Four Kings” and portrayed Danny on six 2006 episodes of “Big Day” on ABC, has purchased the Hollywood Hills home of Dennis Hammer, executive producer of “Heroes” and “Crossing Jordan,” for about $1.3 million.
The one-story, 1,600-square-foot house, built in 1951, has two bedrooms, two bathrooms, cathedral ceilings, hardwood floors and French doors. There is a private garden and an outdoor spa.
Carl Romeo of Sotheby’s International Realty, Sunset, had the listing, and Joan Duffy of Ewing & Associates, Sotheby’s, was the selling agent, the Multiple Listing Service reported.
Photogenic in Silver Lake
The Lipetz House, the Silver Lake home that launched the long and stellar career of architectural photographer Julius Shulman and was California Modernist Raphael Soriano’s first residential commission as an architect, has been purchased for slightly more than $1 million.
The new owners are Annie Weisman and Bill Macomber. Weisman’s play “The Surf Report” has been commissioned by South Bay Repertory, and Macomber is founder of the Silver Lake film production house known as Fancy Film. They plan to restore the house.
They are the third owners of the home, which last changed hands in the early ‘40s. The house was built in 1936 for Emmanuel and Helen Lipetz, a concert pianist. The music room was built to accommodate her grand piano.
Shulman’s photographs of the Lipetz House were displayed at the 1937 International Architectural Exhibition in Paris.
The photographer was so impressed with Soriano’s work that he commissioned the architect to build a home and studio in the Hollywood Hills, where he still lives. The home was completed in 1950.
Joyce and Richard Weisdorf of Coldwell Banker, Westwood/Westside, had the listing, and Michael Goldstein of Park Place Home Mortgage was the selling agent.
To see previous columns on celebrity realty transactions, go to latimes.com/hotproperty.
