Hot Property: Holmby Hills estate sells for $13.2 million

A 1937 estate in Holmby Hills owned by radio and TV host Art Linkletter in the 1950s, Oscar-winning composer Henry Mancini in the 1990s and former Hollywood Park owner Marge Everett until 2005 has sold for $13.2 million.

The Georgian-style traditional house includes nine bedrooms and nine bathrooms in about 12,000 square feet. The gated two-story has a formal entry with a sweeping spiral staircase, a paneled library with a hidden door to the wine cellar, a 50-foot-long screening room and staff quarters.

The 2,500-square-foot master bedroom wing contains a sitting room, his and hers bathrooms, four of the home’s eight fireplaces, a sauna and a terrace overlooking the grounds.

The remodeled property originally came on the market in May 2008 at $27.5 million and previously sold in 2006 for $10.25 million, according to public records.

There are more photos at latimes.com.

--Lauren Beale

Thoughts? Comments?

Photo: The house sits on about three-quarters of an acre with a front motor court, a swimming pool, a spa and a two-bedroom guesthouse. Jeeb Naiman O’Reilly of Hilton & Hyland, Beverly Hills, and Stephen Resnick of Westside Estate Agency, Beverly Hills, had the listing. Eric Hassan of Coldwell Banker’s Beverly Hills East office represented the buyer. Credit: Adrian Anz

 

Frank and Jamie McCourt have bought several area homes since 2004

 The separation of Dodgers owner Frank McCourt and his wife, Jamie, the team's chief executive -- and what that may mean for the baseball franchise -- is the subject of a story today at latimes.com. The pair have done their share of real-estate shopping since they moved to Los Angeles, buying two neighboring properties in Holmby Hills and two next door to each other in Malibu.

The Holmby Hills residence, a 20,000-square-foot villa that had been listed at $29 million, was purchased in April 2004.

Six months later an adjacent French country fixer of 8,385 square feet for $6.5 million was purchased, according to Multiple Listing Service records.

In August 2007, the John Launter-designed Segel Residence in Malibu was bought for $27,250,272 from actors Courteney Cox and David Arquette, and a beachfront bungalow next door in early 2008 for $18,975,000.

A check Wednesday revealed that none of these properties had been listed on the MLS for sale.

-- Lauren Beale

Thoughts? Comments?

Photo: The Segel residence in Malibu is owned by the McCourts. Credit: Michael McCreary

 

Hot Property: Gerard Colcord-designed Bel-Air estate listed for $12.95 million

 
  
A restored Bel-Air estate, built in 1932 and designed by architect Gerard Colcord, is on the market for $12.95 million.

The gated traditional home, which today has eight bedrooms and 10 1/2 bathrooms in about 10,000 square feet, was one of Colcord’s last French farmhouses. Known as the Horton House for its original owners, it has been home to such Hollywood personalities as former Univision Chairman and Chief Executive Jerry Perenchio, actor Bob Newhart and soap star Deidre Hall, according to "Colcord Home" by Bret Parsons.
 
A long driveway leads to a motor court with a fountain at the front door, and manicured lawns and gardens surround the multi-gabled house. Inside is a dramatic two-story entry with a sweeping staircase, a spacious formal living room with a fireplace, an office-library and a formal dining room with a bay window. The open kitchen has a large center island and was combined with the family room and breakfast room. There is a pub room, a screening room, a temperature-controlled wine cellar and a four-car garage. A separate entrance leads upstairs to a guesthouse.

The house cost $45,000 in 1932, according to Parsons’ book. The property, more than a half-acre, most recently sold for $6.6 million in 2006, public records show. Myra Nourmand and Michael Nourmand of Nourmand & Associates, Beverly Hills, have the listing.

There are more photos at latimes.com.

-- Lauren Beale

Thoughts? Comments?

Photos: The house today, top. Credit: Howard Nourmand. The Bel-Air house as Colcord envisioned it, inset. Credit: W.P. Woodcock / Angel City Press

 

Hot Property: Does Nicolas Cage have a buyer on the hook?

The sealed-offer sale of Academy Award-winning actor Nicolas Cage’s Bel-Air Tudor may have had the desired effect. The property is now “looking for backup offers,” according to its status on the Multiple Listing Service.

The sale was to take place Sept. 24 with the minimum opening offer set at $9.95 million.
Known as Harris House for its original owner, the estate has been on and off the market since October 2006, when Cage listed it for $35 million. It had been priced earlier this year at $17.5 million.

The 1940 baronial mansion, clad in decorative brickwork, has six bedrooms, nine bathrooms, five fireplaces, stained glass and period details in 11,817 square feet. There is a theater, a library and a 1,800-bottle wine cellar. The acre of grounds includes a swimming pool, an outdoor kitchen with a brick oven and a gated circular motor court.

The Gerard Colcord-designed house was based on British manor homes of the 15th and 16th centuries, according to “Colcord Home” by Bret Parsons, but its central square tower and entrance “hints that they are the remains of a castle that has been encapsulated by an expanded Tudor residence.”

Its chain of celebrity owners includes singer and entertainer Dean Martin, who bought it in 1972, and singer Tom Jones, who took ownership in 1976. Martin commissioned architect Colcord and his associate Liza Kent to add the 2,500-square-foot entertainment complex.

Cage, 45, who won an Oscar for “Leaving Las Vegas” (1995), bought the property in 1998 for less than $7 million. Parsons’ book places the original permit valuation at $85,000, plus a land cost of $25,000.

The listing agent is Stephen Shapiro of Westside Estate Agency, Beverly Hills, according to the MLS. There are current photos of the house at the WEA website. I think it's well worth a look before the photos come down. Because I don't know who took them, I can't seek permission to put them up at L.A. Land and save you the step. Check out the entry stairway, my personal favorite, and the exterior shot that shows a motorcycle leaned up against a tree.

-- Lauren Beale

Thoughts? Comments?

Related item: Hot Property: Nicolas Cage estate, once listed at $35 million, looking for offers from $9.95 million

 

[UPDATED] Hot Property: Nicolas Cage estate, once listed at $35 million, looking for offers from $9.95 million

For the record: An earlier version of this story used the word bid, which might seem to indicate the house is being auctioned. The sale is not an auction.

The price on Academy Award-winning actor Nicolas Cage’s Bel-Air Tudor has been reduced to $9.95 million on the Multiple Listing Service, but read the fine print. A sealed-offer sale is scheduled to take place Sept. 24, and it's the minimum opening offer that is $9.95 million.

The estate has been on and off the market since October 2006, when Cage listed it for $35 million. It had been priced this year at $17.5 million. He bought the property in 1998 for less than $7 million.

With hidden rooms and staircases and a tower, the 1940 baronial mansion sounds as if it’s straight out of a movie. The 11,817-square-foot home has six bedrooms, nine bathrooms, five fireplaces, a theater, a library, a 1,800-bottle wine cellar and a swimming pool on about an acre.

The MLS shows that Stephen Shapiro of Westside Estate Agency has the current listing. Its website features recent photos of the home.

-- Lauren Beale

Thoughts? Comments?

Photo: An early photo of the home. Owners have included Tom Jones and Dean Martin. Credit: Maynard Parker

Hot Property: Actress Pamela Bowen lists Bel-Air home

 

TV actress Pamela Bowen, who is also the former wife of Kiss frontman Paul Stanley, has listed her Bel-Air home at $5,495,000.

The five-bedroom, 5 1/2-bathroom traditional house, with 4,307 square feet of living space, sits on a knoll, according to the Multiple Listing Service. It has a swimming pool, a guesthouse and 180-degree views extending from downtown to the Pacific.

The gated house was built in 1952. Public records show Bowen bought the property in 2003 for $2,435,000.

-- Lauren Beale

Thoughts? Comments?

Photo: Bowen's house has a swimming pool, a guesthouse and 180-degree views extending from downtown to the Pacific. Credit: Jeff Ong/ Postrain Productions

Michael Jackson is leasing for $100,000 a month

Although it’s unlikely that a Ferris wheel will sprout on the lawn or an exotic animal wander down Sunset, perhaps it’s time for community vigilance: Michael Jackson is back in town.

The Bel-Air mansion that he has leased for $100,000 a month is no Neverland, but the Gloved One is making do. According to Tohme Tohme, Jackson’s manager-spokesman, the pop icon moved back to Los Angeles to be closer to "where all the action is" in the entertainment industry.

The gated estate that Jackson is leasing was one of the most expensive L.A. homes offered for sale last year. It was taken off the market after Jackson signed a one-year lease.

Tohme suggested that Jackson might use the time to "build his own dream house." (Wasn’t Neverland his dream house?)

So for now, Jackson will be hanging his surgical mask in a French Chateau-style estate that was built in 2002 with all the bells and whistles that architect Richard Landry could conceive. It’s a voluminous 17,000-square-foot place that shouts Old World elegance at you -- not exactly what one might envision for the fun-loving Jackson.

The house has seven bedrooms, 13 bathrooms, 12 fireplaces and a theater. There is a multi-story grand entry, parquet hardwood floors, elaborate wrought-iron railings, a formal dining room worthy of entertaining his Dubai royalty friends, and a wood-paneled den-library with coffered ceilings. There’s a butler’s pantry off the state-of-the-art kitchen, and a wine cellar and tasting room. The pool area is quite stunning as well, although given that Jackson doesn’t allow sun to touch him, it may be under-utilized.

Jackson, who can’t stay out of the public eye no matter how hard he doesn’t try, was photographed on New Year's Eve wearing his pajamas in a Santa Monica bookstore as he browsed among the racks. He was shielded by a black umbrella and sported dark glasses and a face mask. Surprise, surprise -- he was recognized anyway.

Unofficial biographer Ian Halperin claimed last month that Jackson was suffering from a life-threatening lung ailment and might be seeking medical treatment at a major U.S. hospital. The Jackson camp denied all such allegations, dismissing them as a publicity stunt to help boost sales of Halperin’s books. Spokesman Tohme says Jackson is well and weighing various entertainment projects.

Gone from the picture for now is the 120-acre estate in the hills outside Santa Barbara that Jackson called home for years. The Neverland Ranch featured a zoo, roller coaster, game arcades and a Ferris wheel, but it fell into disrepair after Jackson left the country for Bahrain following his acquittal on child molestation charges in 2005.

The compound hovered on the brink of foreclosure for an Ed McMahon-like eternity. In November, it was reported that Jackson surrendered title to the Neverland Ranch to the Sycamore Valley Ranch Co. -- a joint venture between Jackson and an affiliate of Colony Capital LLC.

And soon to be gone for good is Jackson’s glittery glove. The trademark glove, along with the Neverland Ranch gates and more than 2,000 other personal items, are scheduled to be auctioned in Beverly Hills in April by Julien’s Auctions.

--Ann Brenoff

Thoughts? Comments?

Letter from Bel Air: A $19.9 million teardown

No, that's not the $19.9-million teardown pictured, it's a reader photo of a dream house. It's Friday, indulge me for just a second to link to Business Week's look at the high-end markets, entitled "Down and out in Beverly Hills?"

Highlights: The cheaper dollar is helping move high-end properties: "Hilton & Hyland broker Aaron Kirman says half of the eight homes he has in escrow were sold to foreign clients."

A $2-million price reduction -- Story tells of a 1988-built home in Holmby Hills that was originally listed for $12 million; now it's $9.99 million.

The $19.9-million teardown is on a Bel-Air lot measuring 55,000 square feet with magnificent city views.

Bottom line: The high-end market is softening but doing OK: "... even in Beverly Hills, settling for less has become a fact of life.... Like the rest of the country, higher-end properties are holding up better than lower-end ones in Los Angeles."

Your thoughts? Comments? Email story tips to peter.viles@latimes.com.
Hat tip: Todd in WeHo via email.
Photo Credit: "Nr. Palm Dr," by Mel, submitted to Your Dream House on the LA Land section of Your Scene at LATimes.com. The LA Land section of Your Scene includes five categories: Your Dream House, Foreclosures, Under Construction, Tree of the Week and Weird LA Houses.

$19.95 Million for a Neutra?

We've been writing for a while that the high end of L.A. real estate has been pretty strong. If this item in Curbed L.A. is accurate -- and they're usually on the money -- the high end market is, as they say on ESPN, en fuego. That is, On Fire.

Curbed L.A.: "'The Singleton House Is For Sale! The Singleton House Is For Sale!' writes an excited Curbed reader. And so it is. Listed at $19.955 million, the Richard Neutra-designed 1959 home sits on 5.2 acres in Bel Air. 'Two potential extra building pads on site," notes the listing. And there's a "long, imposing private drive.'"

More: "Unless we've lost our minds, which we might have, it appears that the home was put on the market in 2004 for $5.9 million. According to this article, back then it sold for $6 million. That's some damn fast appreciation."

Neutra in a Nutshell (Hey, I wasn't all that sure, so I went to Wikipedia): "Considered one of modernism's most important architects.... He was famous for the great attention he gave to defining the real needs of his clients, whether he was commissioned to build a simple house or a mansion.... His domestic architecture was a blend of Art, landscape and practical comfort.... The revival in the late '90s of mid-century modernism has given new cachet to his work, as it's become (along with Lautner and Schindler's) trophy property for wide variety of Los Angeles pop culture, arts and media figures."

Comments? Thoughts?
Photo Credit: Curbed L.A.