Hot Property: Movie mogul Jeffrey Katzenberg gives up high ground in Utah
On a scenic mountainside in Utah, the 14,100-square-foot vacation home of movie magnate Jeffrey Katzenberg has sold for $11.6 million.
The longtime Disney executive, who co-founded DreamWorks SKG in 1994, first listed the property seven years ago for $20.5 million, records show.
Set on 1.57 acres of grounds, the tree-filled retreat enjoys views of Deer Valley and nearby ski runs. Awash in wood and stone, the lodge-vibe interior was done by designer Naomi Leff, who also designed Ralph Lauren’s Double RL Ranch in Colorado.
Through a beamed-ceiling foyer with dual staircases, the entry descends to a two-story living room anchored by a stone fireplace. There’s also a dining room, a center-island kitchen and a breakfast nook with built-in seating. The family room centers on a wet bar.
Seven bedrooms, 9.25 bathrooms and a host of amenities such as a sauna and an indoor swimming pool fill out the rest of the tri-level floor plan.
Decking extends from the rear, taking in scenes of the trees and city below.
Paul Benson of Engel & Volkers Park City was the listing agent. Dena Eytan of Summit Sotheby’s International Realty represented the buyer.
Katzenberg, 68, spent a decade as chairman of Walt Disney Studios before co-founding DreamWorks Animation with Steven Spielberg and David Geffen. After serving as the studio’s CEO, he left in 2016 to lead the media and tech investment company WndrCo.
More wheeling and dealing for A-lister
Academy Award-winning actor Leonardo DiCaprio continues to be active in L.A.’s real estate scene, selling a Silver Lake property he owned in a trust for $1.555 million. Last year, he bought a Los Feliz home from musician Moby for a family member.
The Silver Lake property, built in 1931, was also occupied by one of DiCaprio’s relatives. Spanish tile rings the custom front door, and there’s a gated courtyard entry with a koi pond. Both entrances set the tone for a floor plan filled with original details.
Coved ceilings with wood beams top the living room, which features a fireplace sandwiched between a pair of French doors. The 3,560-square-foot interior also holds parquet floors, arched doorways and a kitchen rife with white-and-blue tile. There are four bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms.
A covered pavilion with a drop-down movie screen sits out back, and the lot also holds a patio and swimming pool.
Brett Lawyer of Hilton & Hyland held the listing. Manuel Fierros of Ontrac Real Estate represented the buyer.
DiCaprio, 44, won his first Academy Award for best actor for 2015’s “The Revenant.” Spanning decades and genres, his body of work includes “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape,” “Titanic,” “Catch Me If You Can” and “The Departed.”
He has also owned homes in the Hollywood Hills, Palm Springs, Studio City and Malibu.
A front-court canyon seat
Former Los Angeles Lakers forward Luol Deng has put his Brentwood home of more than two years in play at $7.45 million.
Built in 2016, the contemporary-style house was designed to maximize canyon, city and ocean views. Folding glass doors expand to a wealth of patio space, and there are balconies extending from six of seven bathrooms. Atop the home, a rooftop deck creates 1,000 square feet of additional space.
Inside, more than 6,500 square feet of interior space is distributed across three levels. A great room with a wall fireplace opens to a formal dining room and chef’s kitchen on the main floor. An office has its own entry and a powder room.
Higher up, there’s a media room, a separate gym and a multi-room master suite. An elevator services each floor.
More than an acre of grounds feature upper and lower patios, a fire pit and a swimming pool.
Deng bought the property in July 2016 — the same month he inked a four-year, $72-million deal with the Lakers — for $6.15 million. He joined the Minnesota Timberwolves about four months ago after reaching a buyout agreement with the Lakers.
A two-time all-star, Deng is in his 15th NBA season. The 33-year-old began his professional basketball career as a first-round pick of the Chicago Bulls. He has also played for the Miami Heat and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Elana Fullmer and Cynthia Ann Festa of Compass hold the listing.
Artist prepares to chart new course
Glen Ballard, the Grammy Award-winning songwriter and producer, is ready to sell his slice of Malibu. His oceanfront cottage is on the market for $7.995 million.
Built in 1940, the 1,100-square-foot home holds a pair of bedrooms and bathrooms in one story. A dolphin-themed weather vane sits atop a rounded sun room toward the back, making the property a unique entry to the Malibu coastline.
Inside, living spaces include a kitchen with a breakfast bar and a living room with a white-painted brick fireplace. Hardwood lines the floors.
Outdoors, a wraparound deck with daybeds descends to 40 feet of water frontage. A brick patio and two-car garage are found at the front of the property.
Ballard, 65, has scores of songwriting and producer credits including Alanis Morissette’s “Jagged Little Pill,” Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” Aerosmith’s “Nine Lives” and Katy Perry’s “One of the Boys.” In 2006, he won the Grammy for song written for visual media with “Believe,” which was featured in the film “The Polar Express.”
Scott Moore of Douglas Elliman holds the listing.
Changing of the guard in Playa
Legendary basketball player and executive Jerry West has made a change to his home roster, selling a Mediterranean-style spread in Playa Vista he owns in a trust for $2.165 million.
The three-story house is on a corner lot and has a gated front courtyard and balconies that overlook a nearby park.
Within about 3,700 square feet of interior space are a living room with a fireplace, a family/media room, three bedrooms and four bathrooms. The kitchen, which has a center island and a breakfast bar, adjoins the dining room. Built-in bookshelves in the office give the space an executive air.
Sally Forster Jones and Meredith Schlosser of Compass were the listing agents. Forster Jones also repped the buyer.
West, 80, won an NCAA title at West Virginia University prior to embarking on a 14-year career with the Lakers in which he made 14 All-Star teams and won an NBA championship in 1972.
As general manager of the Lakers for two decades, West assembled six championship teams and was the NBA executive of the year in 1995. He won a second executive of the year award in 2004 as general manager of the Memphis Grizzlies.
He joined the Clippers organization last year as an executive board member.
Take me home, Aspen road
A Rocky Mountain property once owned by the late folk singer John Denver has come on the market in Aspen at $11 million.
Built in the early 1970s, the main house was remodeled in 1985, according to the Denver Post. The modern retreat has been further refurbished and updated since it changed hands in late 2016 for $2.75 million. That purchase and the current listing do not include a guest house, which served as the singer-songwriter’s recording studio and has another owner.
The recent renovation work included adding a bedroom and raising the kitchen ceiling. Also new are the roof, electrical and plumbing systems, the floors and the windows.
Among salvaged items kept in the house are the stained glass, sinks and four wood-burning fireplaces. A brick fireplace in the center-island kitchen is freestanding.
The 7,735 square feet of open-plan living space includes three wet bars, an office, a workout room, five bedrooms, five bathrooms and two powder rooms.
Views from the 2.6-acre lot take in the forest, the mountains and nearby ski slopes.
Denver, who died in 1997 at 53 while piloting an experimental aircraft, wrote the song “Starwood in Aspen” about the mountain home. Among his approximately 300 recorded songs were the hits “Take Me Home, Country Roads, ” “Rocky Mountain High” and “Sunshine on My Shoulders.”
The Bineau Team with Coldwell Banker Mason Morse-Aspen has the listing.
neal.leitereg@latimes.com | Twitter: @LATHotProperty
