Sale of Brody Estate will benefit the Huntington Library
The Brody Estate in Holmby Hills has sold for $14,888,000. The proceeds from the sale of the A. Quincy Jones house will go to the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens in San Marino.
In mid-November, the Huntington received a gift of more than $100 million from the Frances Brody estate. The combined funds, the largest single donation the institution has ever received, will be used for the 120-acre botanical gardens. Brody, who died in November 2009 at 93, sat on the gardens committee during her 20 years on the Huntington’s board. The arts advocate and philanthropist was the daughter of advertising giant Albert Lasker.
The two-story house, commissioned in 1949, sits on 2.3 acres and features a walled outdoor living room and floor-to-ceiling windows. There are nine bedrooms and 71/2 bathrooms in 11,511 square feet of interior space. Outdoor amenities include a swimming pool and a lighted tennis court on grounds designed by landscape architect Garrett Eckbo.
The mansion, which came on the market in May at $24.95 million, was most recently priced at $21 million.
Real estate agent Drew Fenton of Hilton & Hyland, Beverly Hills, described the buyer as local investor who plans to restore and enhance the property.
Jade Mills of Coldwell Banker, Beverly Hills South, and Linda May of Coldwell Banker, Beverly Hills North, had the listing.
Pat Boone buys home on the sea
Entertainer Pat Boone has purchased a second home on the residential ocean liner the Utopia.
Expected to launch in 2013, the ship will journey around the globe and stop at locales with sporting and cultural events such as the Cannes Film Festival in France, the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix and the Melbourne Cup horse race in Australia.
“Everyone in my family is thrilled about having future family reunions on the Utopia and traveling the world without leaving our home on the sea,” said Boone, a Beverly Hills resident.
The 199 residences range from 1,453 to 6,100 square feet and are priced from $3.9 million to $25 million. The listing price for a unit similar to the one Boone purchased is $4 million. The exact purchase price was not disclosed.
Buyers own a 70-year right to use the residence much like a land lease. Fees are about 4.5% of purchase price annually.
Boone’s 1,453-square-foot unit can be configured as a one-bedroom with a study/media /guest room or as a two-bedroom home with a third room for a library or office. It has a living room and a terrace with an ocean view. The unit is fully furnished, including multimedia equipment and even flatware and linens.
Boone, 76, enjoyed his heyday as a pop singer in the ‘50s and ‘60s and had his own variety show. Among his hit songs were “Love Letters in the Sand,” “April Love” and “Moody River.”
His leading man work included “Journey to the Center of the Earth” (1959) and “State Fair” (1962). He moved into country and gospel music and in 2003 was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.
Calabasas home sells at a loss
Actor Justin Berfield, the wise-aleck sibling Reese on “Malcolm in the Middle,” has sold a Calabasas house he bought for $3.75 million four years ago for $2.1 million, the Multiple Listing Service shows.
The Mediterranean home, on a half-acre in a gated community, had been listed as “approved for short sale at $2.5 million.” The 6,483-square-foot house has travertine floors, a home theater, a wine cellar, a bar, four sun decks, five bedrooms and seven bathrooms. A soundproof room can be used as a recording studio. The grounds include an infinity pool, an outdoor dining area and a built-in barbecue.
Berfield, 24, bought the house in 2006 from Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey. Since playing Malcolm’s second-oldest brother from 2000 to 2006, he has become a producer of films and shows such as “Sons of Tucson” (2010).
Sue Walsmith and Melinda Feldman at Ewing & Associates, Sotheby’s International Realty, handled both sides of the transaction, according to the MLS.
Man is no island, but he owns one
TV director Michael Caffey has listed an island off Santa Catalina Island for sale at $875,000.
White Rock Island, also known as Bird Rock, sits on the north side of Catalina about 1,500 feet off the mainland side of Isthmus Cove. The popular dive site is home to a variety of birds and has been used as a location for film shoots.
The 1.3-acre island has been privately owned since the 1920s. Plans for the site have included a casino and a yacht club, but none ever came to fruition.
Caffey inherited the property from his father and has enjoyed the novelty of owning it, even though he has not been able to do much with the property because of California Coastal Commission regulations.
“You have to look at it rationally as a trophy island,” he said. The father of 13, Caffey thinks selling it is a better alternative than passing it on to the next generation. “How do you divide an acre and a third 13 ways?”
Caffey, 80, worked on such hit shows as “The Mod Squad” (1968-71), “Barnaby Jones” (1973-80) and “MacGyver” (1989-91).
Bud Mauro and Susan Miller of Rodeo Realty are the listing agents.
Different clothes will hang here
Fashion designer Max Azria and his wife, Lubov, have sold their longtime home in the flats of Beverly Hills to Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos and his wife, ambassador Nicole Avant, for $5.41 million.
The 1923 Monterey Colonial-style two-story house sits on a walled and gated lot of more than a third of an acre. Designed for entertaining, the remodeled house has a master suite with a terrace and fireplace, four additional bedrooms and six bathrooms in more than 6,100 square feet.
Azria, 61, is the founder of BCBG Max Azria, which has numerous brands and lines of clothing. Sarandos, 46, is also a documentary producer. Avant, 42, is the U.S. Ambassador to the Bahamas, a life-long Beverly Hills resident and the daughter of music industry legend Clarence Avant.
The Azrias sold because they bought another residence. Sarandos and Avant plan to use the property as their family home.
Elena Jovis of Nourmand & Associates, Beverly Hills, was the listing agent. Jonah Wilson of Sotheby’s International Realty’s Sunset office represented the buyers.
