Raphael Stevens
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The Creator of ‘Bob’s Burgers’ Just Snapped Up This Historic $5 Million Pasadena Estate
After decades in the same family, this 110-year-old Pasadena home hit the block this summer, asking just under $5 million. A bidding war pushed the final sale price up to $5.3 million—a lot of money, but still arguably a decent deal for a 1.6-acre estate in a prestigious area of Pasadena. And this house has a very special architectural pedigree courtesy of Myron Hunt, who also designed the Rose Bowl and Pasadena’s Langham Huntington hotel.
The estate’s new owner is veteran Hollywood producer Loren Bouchard, creator and/or executive producer of many animated sitcoms (Bob’s Burgers, Central Park and The Great North, to name a few). Presumably Bouchard and his longtime wife Holly Kretschmar will put their own personal design stamp on the property, though whatever changes they plan to make remain a mystery—for now. But “the possibilities are endless and exciting,” says the listing, which notes that one could remodel the home, add a pool or build an additional home on the property.
Still, the place is great just as is. Set privately at the very end of a hidden lane and directly overlooking Pasadena’s park-like Arroyo Seco, it’s essentially neighbor-free. A long blacktopped driveway winds up to the main house, which has seven bedrooms and five bathrooms in 4,800 square feet. Also on the premises are a three-car garage and separate carriage house/guesthouse with one bedroom, one bathroom and a kitchenette.
David Davidson of Compass jointly held the listing with Rita Whitney of The Agency; David Lao of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties repped the buyer.
The front of the property with a winding driveway.
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The estate is sell well above the street, behind a winding driveway. A double-trunk sycamore tree shades the main house, offering relief from the occasionally blistering San Gabriel Valley heat.
The front yard of home featuring a beautiful garden.
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With grounds reminiscent of an English garden, the place feels rather like a countryside escape than just another mansion in suburban Los Angeles.
Front door to the Pasadena estate.
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The front door opens into a long corridor featuring a wooden staircase—original to the house—and hardwood floors.
The entrance corridor showcasing hardwood floors and fixtures.
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The various rooms are wallpapered, many of them with a floral theme. The grand formal dining room overlooks the gardens and boasts a brass chandelier.
The dining room inside the home.
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There’s also a wood-paneled library, plus a fireplace-equipped living room with charmingly dated decor.
The wood-paneled library.
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Both vintage and modern, the wallpapered kitchen has stainless appliances and an antique range.
The eye-catching kitchen.
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Upstairs, the master suite includes an oversized fireplace, sitting area and separate window seat with leafy tree views.
The spacious bedroom.
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Ultra-dated but almost shockingly well maintained, the retro master bath includes a built-in soaking tub and dual vanities.
The maintained bathroom.
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While the property does not currently have a swimming pool, there are vast patios, balconies and loggia with ample space for large-scale al fresco entertaining.
The spacious backyard patio.
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Grassy lawns and mature oak trees surround the gorgeous estate.
The backyard lawn of the Pasadena home.
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Born in New York but raised in Massachusetts, Bouchard worked as a bartender before striking it rich in Tinseltown. The 52-year-old now lives primarily in Los Angeles but still owns his longtime Victorian-style San Francisco condo, which served as inspiration for the juggernaut that is now Bob’s Burgers.
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Kanye West’s Massive Wyoming Ranch Just Hit the Market for $11 Million
Kanye West has placed his business properties and ranch in Cody, Wyo., up for sale.
The Yeezy designer has listed his ranch, formerly named Monster Lake Ranch, for $11 million as of this week. According to the DBW Realty listing, the six square miles of property include a lodge, horse facility, corrals, go-kart track and lakes. The rapper bought the ranch in 2019; though it’s unknown how much he paid for it, per Wyoming law, the property was originally listed for $13.3 million.
Before the ranch was for sale, West previously listed seven of his Cody commercial properties as well. The Cody Enterprise reported this week that altogether, the properties were worth over $3.2 million.
In 2019, West moved to Cody from California to continue operations for some business for his fashion and shoe label, Yeezy. It’s unknown if the new property listings mean that the rapper is permanently leaving Wyoming, or relocating his business in the state.
The musician has kept busy this year with his “Donda” album release, plus numerous drops for Yeezy — specifically, the brand’s shoe line with Adidas and new collaboration with Gap. In fact, his Yeezy Adidas collection has launched a range of footwear in 2021, including new colorways of the Yeezy 500 High, Foam Runner, Quantum and 450 shoes. His new Yeezy Knit Runners also debuted in late September, reselling at nearly four times their original price the following day. More - in Luxury
‘Daily Show’ Host Trevor Noah’s Sleek and Stylish Bel-Air Mansion Could Be Yours for $30 Million
Less than a year ago, Trevor Noah dropped $27.5 million on an extravagant Bel Air mansion—just months after selling another nearby Bel Air home to Bird founder Travis VanderZanden for a little over $21 million. Now the South African comedian and Emmy-winning host of “The Daily Show”—who also owns a $10 million penthouse in the New York City borough of Manhattan—has decided to clean house in California, flipping his recently purchased digs back onto the market.
Views of the outdoor landscape from the interior of the home.
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Noah is asking $29.75 million for the modern Bel Air structure, which was designed by architect Mark Rios as a personal residence for himself and his fertility doctor husband Guy Ringler. Composed of three white and windowless cubes out front, the rear of the six-bedroom, 9.5-bath home has floor-to-ceiling walls of glass with ocean and mountain views. Over-the-top amenities run rampant—a Japanese-style spa underneath the pool boasts a wooden tub, sauna, and massage and changing rooms, while a wine room has a hidden door that opens to a glass-encased elevator that travels to a gourmet kitchen sporting dark wood cabinetry. There’s also a stylish timber-clad library, plus a gym, club room and rooftop terrace that doubles as a screening room.
One of the property’s six bedrooms.
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Other highlights of the three-level residence include a living room adorned in wide-plank oak floors from Germany, which opens to an outdoor bar and kitchen topped by a terrace; and a formal dining room abutting a den. A swank master retreat is spotlighted by dual baths and walk-in wardrobes, and four additional ensuite guest bedrooms can be found elsewhere in the house. Then there are the lush manicured grounds, replete with a 15-by-60-foot infinity-edge pool, fireside conversation pit and the aforementioned outdoor kitchen.
The backyard of the home featuring an infinity-edge pool.
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Noah, 37, has helmed Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” since 2015. In 2017, he inked a contract extension that will keep him in the host’s chair through the end of 2022. He also recently embarked upon a “Back to Abnormal” world tour and relays on Instagram that he snagged a role in the upcoming “The Matrix 4: Resurrections” film, slated for release in December; according to the New York Post, Noah has rented another NYC penthouse, this one in Tribeca’s luxe 70 Vestry building at a rate of $52,000 a month.
Jonah Wilson of Hilton & Hyland holds the listing.
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Home of the Week: Singer Robbie Williams’s $9.2 Million English Manor House Sits on 72 Acres of Verdant Countryside
Singer Robbie Williams’s revelations about the “creepiness” of his rambling English country manor house may come back to haunt him.
Speaking about the home last year on Instagram Live, the British superstar said the house, parts of which date back to the 17th century, “gives (him) the creeps”, and that his eldest daughter had been scared to sleep in one of the rooms. “I said to her, ‘Do you like the bedroom? Do you like the house?’ And she said, ‘That room scares me’. I said, ‘OK, it scares me too. You don’t have to sleep there anymore,’” the 47-year-old former Take That lead singer explained.
While the comments no doubt made for fun Instagram Live fan interaction, they might not help Williams’ British realtor Knight Frank find a buyer for the newly-listed property. But there is good news for any potential non-ghost-fearing house-hunters: The current $9.2 (£6.75) million asking price is around $1.8 million less than the roughly $11 million Williams paid for the estate back in 2009.
The great room.
Photo: Knight Frank
Williams’ Compton Bassett House, named after the leafy country hamlet of Compton Bassett in rural Wiltshire county, around 85 miles west of London, dates all the way back to 1659. The current house was built in 1935 on the site of the original home’s stable block, and was extensively modified in the 1990s, when it was owned by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Sir Norman Foster. (Among Sir Norman’s impressive body of work is Apple’s HQ in Cupertino, California, the Millau Viaduct in southern France and the pickle-shaped 30 St. Mary Axe tower in London, affectionately known as “the Gherkin”.)
The tennis court with gazebo.
Photo: Knight Frank
Today Compton Bassett House stands in roughly 72 acres of picturesque countryside. A meandering driveway from the main gated entrance, just opposite the 11th century St. Swithin’s Church, leads to the home’s graveled entrance. The main house itself is a long, narrow, three-story structure which sprawls over almost 20,000 square feet and features seven bedrooms and eight bathrooms.
A true surprise-and-delight highlight of the home is the so-called “leisure complex” filling most of the lower level. Here, as an escape from the fickle British weather, is a 73-foot indoor heated swimming pool, a hot tub, an adjoining sauna and steam room and a health-club-sized gym. This level also features a large wine cave and self-contained one-bedroom apartment for staff.
The indoor pool is part of the lower level health club.
Photo: Knight Frank
Up on the first floor is a magnificent 43-foot drawing room with billiards table and stone fireplace. Down a long hallway you’ll find the vast principal bedroom suite with his and hers bathrooms, dressing rooms and a study. On the roof level there are five more ensuite bedrooms (unfortunately, the listing doesn’t reveal which of these gave Williams and his daughter “the creeps”.)
One of the bedroom suites.
Photo: Knight Frank
Step outside and you’ll find acres of manicured gardens, rolling lawns and woodlands. There’s also Williams’ beloved soccer pitch, a tennis court with summerhouse and a one-bedroom, tile-roofed, 732-square-foot guest cottage. The expansive grounds also feature endless walking trails, horse riding paths and even a quad bike trail which Williams reportedly used for “rage racing” to blow off steam.
Can’t be bothered with the drive or the 65-minute train ride to London? The house also comes with its own helicopter landing pad, plus a stand-alone hangar and workshop.
The kitchen.
Photo: Knight Frank
Don’t expect to see the Williams family (the singer is married to American model and actress Ayda Field) during any viewings, as they recently moved to a $32 million secluded villa overlooking Switzerland’s Lake Geneva. The couple also owns a 10-bedroom mansion in Beverly Hills that the singer bought in 2015 for $32.7 million, as well as a home in London’s tony Kensington neighborhood that the he snapped-up in 2014 for $24 million.
Check out more images of the estate below:The property spans 72 acres.
Photo: Knight Frank
The guest cottage.
Photo: Knight Frank
A bedroom.
Photo: Knight Frank
A bathroom.
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