Top Sales: Bel-Air estate of daytime soap great pulls in $31 million
The onetime home of a studio mogul, a San Marino mansion with Pentagon ties and a prized estate in Hidden Hills were among the priciest properties that changed hands in L.A. County in June. Here’s a closer look.
$31 million — Bel-Air
On Bellagio Road, the estate of William J. Bell, the late Emmy-winning producer who co-created “The Young and the Restless” and “The Bold and the Beautiful,” sold for $6.5 million less than the asking price of $37.5 million. The buyer was a corporate entity tied to Stein Mart chairman Jay Stein.
The Mediterranean Revival-style mansion, designed by noted architect Wallace Neff, was built in 1931 for early film producer Sol M. Wurtzel. The 13,361-square-foot home sits on about 1.5 acres with formal gardens, terraces, loggias and a tennis court. An elaborate swimming pool pavilion evokes Hearst Castle’s Neptune Pool.
A circular, two-story foyer sits beyond the entry and opens through arched doors to various formal rooms. A wood-paneled library, a screening room and a spa are among amenities of note. There are five bedrooms and seven bathrooms plus separate guest/staff quarters.
The gated estate had been on the market since April 2018.
Kurt Rappaport of Westside Estate Agency was the listing agent. Jade Mills of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage represented the buyer.
$22.7 million — Brentwood
A development property located across from one of LeBron James’ Brentwood homes sold for $1.3 million less than the asking price. The buyer was a corporate entity tied to Formula One heiress Petra Ecclestone, according to people not authorized to speak publicly on the deal.
The roughly half-acre property was described in marketing materials as “shovel-ready” and included approved plans for a traditional-style home of more than 12,000 square feet. The proposed house would have eight bedrooms, 11 bathrooms, covered balconies and a swimming pool with a spa.
The property, once the site of a single-story ranch home, previously sold three years ago for $3.7 million, records show.
Santiago Arana of the Agency was the listing agent. Arana and Kevin Dees, also of the Agency, represented the buyer.
$22.2 million — Hidden Hills
Texas-based energy trader Michael Maggi and his wife, interior designer Erin Maggi, paid a Hidden Hills-record $22.2 million for a 7.4-acre estate in the guard-gated equestrian community.
The sale bested the previous high of $19.75 million set five years ago when Lisa Marie Presley sold her estate to hip-hop artist Kanye West and his wife, reality television personality Kim Kardashian West.
Marketed as a “Napa Valley farmhouse,” the multilevel home features 14,000 square feet of living space, a 65-foot swimming pool, a sand volleyball court, cart/walking trails and a barn. Covered patio space extends the living area outwards by some 1,800 square feet.
Indoor amenities include a movie theater, a game room, an onyx wet bar and a wellness center. The master suite — one of six bedrooms and eight bathrooms — opens to a balcony overlooking the grounds.
The property first listed in February for $25 million.
Marc and Sara Shevin of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices held the listing. Jordan Cohen of Re/Max Olson & Associates represented the buyer.
$19.85 million — Beverly Hills
A corporate entity tied to media mogul Byron Allen paid $145,000 less than the asking price for a newly built estate on North Rodeo Drive.
Designed by architect Ken Ungar, the 11,266-square-foot home brings to mind the Revival-style mansions of the 1920s and 1930s with its white brick facade, dormers and bump-out bay windows. Thin columns and a curving portico further the classic look.
A two-story entry, formal living and dining rooms, a home theater and a game room, eight bedrooms and 8.75 bathrooms are among living spaces. An oversize island anchors the chef’s kitchen. A wall of French doors open from the family room to a covered patio with a fireplace.
The house sits on more than a third of an acre and features a new swimming pool with a spa. Hedges and landscaping fill out the grounds.
David Offer of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties and Drew Fenton of Hilton & Hyland were the listing agents. Terence Hill of BT Equities represented the buyer.
$15.5 million — San Marino
On Virginia Road, a stellar example of an Italian Palladian-style villa sold for $1.3 million less than the asking price of $16.8 million.
Designed by Robert D. Farquhar, the noted architect who worked on the design of the Pentagon, the 1913 mansion sits on a gated lot of more than two acres. A swimming pool and spa, gardens, mature trees and a reflection pond make up the park-like grounds. Also on the property is a guest apartment.
Within some 9,900 square feet of the interior are a marble foyer, grand living and dining rooms, a solarium, a gym, seven bedrooms and seven bathrooms. An oval-shaped library is finished in walnut paneling. An elevator services three levels.
The property had been shopped on and off-market since 2013, records show. It previously changed hands in 2008 for $10.5 million.
Yennis Wong of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties was the listing agent. Cordelia Wong of Coldwell Banker represented the buyer.
neal.leitereg@latimes.com | Twitter: @LATHotProperty
