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    Kurdistan’s Barzani Family Sells Bowling Alley-Equipped Beverly Hills Mansion for $24 Million

    Roughly a year after it first appeared on the market carrying a $30 million price tag, one of Beverly Hills‘ most visible residential tributes to Old-World decadence has sold for a still-hefty $24.6 million. The buyers are reportedly a family hailing from Mainland China.

    Located in the prime Beverly Hills Flats neighborhood and built new in 2016, the almost shockingly extravagant house last sold in September 2018 for $27 million to the Barzani family, a wealthy clan that has been the de facto ruler of Iraq’s Kurdistan region for generations. Spanning nearly 21,000 square feet of living space, he giant house sits behind gates on an unusually deep 0.72-acre lot, the property itself set mid-block on one of the most coveted streets in the Flats.

    Although the mansion was long connected to the Barzanis, It’s still not entirely clear which family member actually owned it. But by far the most obvious candidate is Mansour Barzani, the globetrotting son of Masoud Barzani, who was president of Kurdistan from 2005-2017. Mansour is also the brother of Masrour Barzani, Kurdistan’s current prime minister.

    The property took nearly 19 years to plan and complete, custom-built to exacting detail for a businessman who died soon after it was finished.

    Google Earth

    In any case, the 90210 manor is indeed a veritable monument to neoclassical opulence. Beyond the elaborate moldings and Louis XV-inspired furniture, there are two family rooms, a kitchen with top-of-the-line Wolf and Sub-Zero appliances, a commercial-grade elevator, gym, a wood-paneled library and multiple imported fireplaces, per the listing. All of the bedrooms feature ensuite full bathrooms, and the property is outfitted with the most advanced security, lighting and sound systems on the market.

    There’s also a two-lane bowling alley, an indoor basketball court, a beauty salon and a primary bedroom suite with its own outdoor jacuzzi on a private terrace. The movie theater flaunts a fiberoptic starry sky, akin to a new Rolls Royce, and at the far rear of the lot lies a detached guesthouse. 

    Although this deal represents a $2.4 million loss for them, even before maintenance and closing costs are considered, the Barzanis likely aren’t hurting for money. According to investigative journalist Zack Kopplin, the family is worth billions today. Some critics have claimed that much of this wealth stems from the Barzanis’ virtual monopoly on the Kurdistan region’s telecom, real estate and vast oil resources. More

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    Featured in ‘The Dropout,’ This Extravagant Los Angeles Mansion Has Sold for $34.5 Million

    It took roughly four years and a couple of big price chops, but a Los Angeles real estate investor has finally managed to unload his lavish Neoclassical-style estate in a prime Holmby Hills neighborhood for $34.5 million. And though that’s far less than the $49.5 million Saeed Farkhondehpour originally wanted, it’s still loads more than the $4.5 million he paid for the place just over two decades ago.

    Records indicate the discount-minded buyer is local interventional cardiologist Vinod Jivrajka, who currently serves as chairman of Episource Clarity Platform, which specializes in risk-adjustment services, software and solutions for health-care providers. He previously founded AppleCare Medical Group, where he was president and CEO for more than 20 years. 

    The entry foyer opens to a soaring atrium-style living area.

    Ryan Lahiff

    Tucked away behind walls and gates—just a few doors down from the Playboy Mansion, and not too far from Spelling Manor—the mansion was custom-built by Farkhondehpour in 2020. Records show the real estate investor paid roughly $4.5 million in late 2002 for the 1.5-acre parcel, then subsequently razed an existing 1940s home originally designed by architect A. Quincy Jones to make way for the new residence.

    If this particular house looks familiar, it might be due to its starring role in The Dropout, the Hulu limited series that became a huge hit last year. On camera, the massive estate portrayed the real-life Atherton, Calif., mansion once owned by disgraced biotech entrepreneur Elizabeth Holmes (Amanda Seyfried) and Sunny Balwani (Naveen Andrews).

    A fireside office space has its own entrance.

    Ryan Lahiff

    Per Zac Mostame of Carolwood Estates, who held the listing with Lea Porter of The Beverly Hills Estates, the property features a main three-story house with six bedrooms and 10 baths, plus a separate two-story guesthouse with four bedrooms and three baths—for a whopping total of 21,000 square feet of European-inspired living space decked out with its share of modern amenities.

    As for the primary quarters, main-level highlights include a soaring entry foyer displaying a dual glass staircase that flows seamlessly to an expansive atrium-style living area boasting a linear fireplace and floor-to-ceiling walls of glass. There’s also a fireside living room, formal dining room, and gourmet kitchen outfitted with two islands, top-tier Gaggenau appliances and an accompanying breakfast nook, as well as an upstairs master retreat flaunting a balcony, showroom-style closet and luxe bath.

    A wine cellar is just one of the home’s many amenities.

    Ryan Lahiff

    Elsewhere is a bookshelf-lined office, high-tech movie theater, wet bar-equipped game room, wine cellar, gym, sauna and subterranean garage with room for at least 13 vehicles; and outdoors, the picturesque grounds are laced with gardens, and host a pond sporting fountains and a footbridge, along with a pool and spa flanked by a pergola with a barbecue and bar setup, sunken fire-pit, gazebo and tennis court.

    Jivrajka was repped in the deal by Ram Handa of Hilton & Hyland.

    Click here for more photos of The Dropout mansion.

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    Danny McBride’s Duplex Penthouse in the Heart of Hollywood Can Be Yours for $1.8 Million

    The year before Danny McBride’s HBO series Eastbound and Down premiered in 2009, the showbiz multihyphenate plunked down a tad more than $1.4 million for a duplex penthouse in the heart of Hollywood that he’s now got on the market for a sliver under $1.8 million. The condo, with HOA fees of almost $2,500 a month, is available with Deedee Howard of The Agency.

    McBride, who also co-created and starred in Vice Principals and the skewering comedy series The Righteous Gemstones, has had the one-bedroom, two-bath aerie on and off the sales and rental market several times in previous years, according to online records, including in 2013 when it was available to lease at $8,500 per month as well as in 2020 when it popped up for sale for $1.85 million.

    The double-height penthouse has unobstructed views of The Hollywood Sign and the Capital Records building.

    Jason Shaltz

    Perched ten floors above the corner of Hollywood and Vine within the landmark Broadway Hollywood building, the not-quite 2,200-square-foot loft-style condo has soaring, double-height ceilings and broad ribbons of windows with panoramic views of the iconic Capital Records building as well as The Hollywood Sign.

    Dark brown hardwood floors reflect the copious sunlight that pours in while also grounding the voluminous spaces that offer vast expanses of cotton-white walls ideal for artwork. Exposed ductwork nods to the classic industrial loft style. Below the lofted bedroom, the kitchen has stainless-steel cabinetry and premium-grade appliances. And beyond the kitchen, near the entrance, there’s a cozy media lounge.

    Off the kitchen and near the front door is a cozy media lounge.

    Jason Shaltz

    At the foot of the staircase, a small area is well suited as a home office, and at the top, the bedroom hovers above the living space below and looks out over the city through the massive windows. A spacious walk-in closet and an Art Deco-inspired marble bathroom complete the suite, while a second bathroom on the main floor is also decadently dressed in marble tiles. The penthouse transfers with two parking spaces with 24-hour valet service, a nice feature in a car-centric city where people have been known to drive half a block to the corner supermarket.

    The building, with a lively Katsuya sushi restaurant as its primary ground-floor retail tenant, has long been a favorite with showbiz movers and shakers. Previous owners and past tenants include Jason Statham, Charlize Theron, and Erika Jayne of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, who once maintained her “Pretty Mess” clubhouse in the building.

    The marble bathrooms evoke the glossy glamour of Old Hollywood.

    Jason Shaltz

    The building offers residents secured access via an attended lobby dripping in Old Hollywood glamour. A recently refurbished rooftop includes a swimming pool and a spa with wraparound views, along with a fitness center. The Broadway Hollywood, built in the late 1920s as the B.H. Dyas Company Department Store and converted to condos in 2005, currently falls under the Mills Act, which reduces property taxes in exchange for maintaining the historic integrity of the building. 

    McBride and his family have lived primarily in South Carolina since 2017, when they sold their Hollywood Hills home for $3.5 million and picked up a waterfront spread near Charleston for $4 million.

    Click here for more photos of Danny McBride’s Hollywood penthouse.

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    A Billionaire’s Daughter Is Asking $26.5 Million for Her Oceanfront SoCal Retreat

    Now that Catherina Gores has had some time to settle into her new $25 million mansion in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Pacific Palisades, the 26-year-old daughter of billionaire investor and Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores has decided to hoist her other residence in the exclusive gated Malibu Colony enclave up for sale.

    The co-founder of the nonprofit group EpiPals is asking $26.5 million for the oceanfront digs, which she acquired from the late Seinfeld executive producer George Shapiro a little less than two years ago, paying a speck under $17 million.

    Built in the early 1990s, previously decorated by Barack Obama’s White House designer Michael S. Smith and updated during Gores’ tenure, the wood-sided structure features four bedrooms and six baths filtered across nearly 5,000 square feet of living space boasting hardwood floors throughout. The place—which also is available for lease at $145,000 per month—comes complete with an attached two-car garage and wide driveway in the front, plus easy access to the beach out back.

    A doorway next to the garage leads into the ground floor of the three-story home, which is spotlighted by a living room displaying a fireplace flanked by built-in arched bookshelves, as well as French doors spilling out to a patio ideal for al fresco lounging and entertaining with a hot tub and built-in barbecue. An adjacent kitchen sports a butcher block-topped island with a wine cooler, top-tier Wolf appliances and a spacious dining area.

    Warmed by a fireplace, the bright and airy living room opens to an ocean-view patio.

    Marc Angeles

    Upstairs, a spacious master retreat has a slender balcony overlooking the ocean, along with a spa-inspired bath hosting a dressing area, freestanding soaking tub and glass-encased shower; and though compact at well under a quarter-acre, the backyard does include the aforementioned patio space, which steps up to wood deck offering direct beach access.

    Tom Gores, founder of Platinum Equity, has clearly passed down his love of real estate to his daughter. The 59-year-old’s $250 million property portfolio includes lavish homes in Holmby Hills, Malibu, Beverly Park and his native Michigan, where the Gores family still frequently vacations. Per Forbes, his estimated net worth is $8.1 billion.

    Speaking of family, the listing is shared by Tom Gores’ sister Samira Gores, and his nieces Christine Martin and Tiffany Martin, all of The Agency.

    Click here for more photos of Catherina Gores’ Malibu Colony retreat.

    Marc Angeles More

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    Willem Dafoe Seeks $1.3 Million for a Bucolic Getaway in Upstate New York

    Willem Dafoe, one of Hollywood’s most versatile and accomplished actors, has put his longtime getaway in Upstate New York on the market for $1.275 million. The Hudson Valley property is listed by Christopher Pomeroy and Nancy Falcetto of Brown Harris Stevens.

    Tax records indicate the four-time Oscar nominee, whose last Oscar nom came in 2019 for At Eternity’s Gate and who appeared earlier this year in Wes Anderson’s characteristically quirky ensemble film Asteroid City, ponied up not quite $400,000 for a one-acre country estate in New York’s Hudson River Valley in 2008. About five years later, records show he shelled out another $60,000 for an undeveloped neighboring parcel of 4.7 acres.

    The densely wooded acreage, about 90 miles north of Manhattan, on the outskirts of the tiny hamlet of High Falls, where painter Marc Chagall took refuge for a few years after he fled Europe during WWII, includes a 1920s farmhouse that marries period details with contemporary accents, a vintage red barn, and a charming writer’s cabin.

    The 1920s farmhouse marries vintage details with contemporary accents.

    Chase Pierson for Brown Harris Stevens

    All but hidden behind a thicket of trees and foliage on a picturesque country lane, the carefully restored and artfully renovated three-bedroom and two-and-a-half-bath residence measures roughly 1,800 square feet, much of it outfitted with radiant heated hardwood flooring. Beyond the slender front porch, a minimalist fireplace warms the spacious living room. Sash windows provide ample light and sylvan views, while French doors swing open to a heated sunroom overlooking the backyard. 

    The up-to-date kitchen, with polished concrete countertops, two sinks, and designer appliances, is configured around a center island alongside a casual dining area. Nearby is a screened porch with a concrete floor and an oversized utility sink.

    The country estate’s three buildings are set in a grassy clearing surrounded by dense woodlands.

    Chase Pierson for Brown Harris Stevens

    Upstairs, two guest bedrooms share a bathroom fitted with a classic claw-footed tub, and the ample primary bedroom offers lots of custom closet space and a compartmentalized bathroom with a floating two-sink poured concrete vanity and a deep soaking tub set into a windowed corner.

    The property’s trio of buildings are sprinkled along the wooded edge of a sunny clearing where a rolling expanse of grass is broken by a sinuous, stacked stone wall. The red barn stands beneath the branches of a huge apple tree, and the simple writer’s cabin, the roof dotted with several skylights, is set on a high point with a view toward the house and barn.

    Records show that the Platoon star and his wife, Italian actress Giada Colagrande, also maintain a two-bedroom residence in Manhattan’s West Village that was purchased almost a decade ago for almost $3.9 million.

    Click here for more photos of Willem Dafoe’s Upstate New York home.

    Chase Pierson for Brown Harris Stevens More

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    A London Townhouse Once Owned by the Manager of The Beatles Just Listed for $10.6 Million

    Not only did Brian Epstein launch The Beatles into superstardom, he also offered up his home in London as a hideout for the Fab Four to escape their hordes of screaming fans. Fast forward to today, and the late manager’s Mayfair townhouse has hit the market for £8.75 million (or roughly $10.7 million).

    The Grade II-listed Georgian dwelling measures 3,800 square feet and features five bedrooms plus an adjoining mews house. The latter is connected to the main house through the basement and is where Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr used to hang. It’s also believed to be the place where they worked on their eighth studio album, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.

    Originally built in the 1750s, Epstein acquired the swank abode in the 1960s as his private residence. He later turned the townhouse into an early version of the Apple Corps headquarters before he died of an accidental overdose in 1967. Following Epstein’s passing, the residence was purchased by author and politician Norman St John-Stevas, Lord St John of Fawsley, a close advisor to Margaret Thatcher.

    The Beatles used to hide out and hang out in the home’s adjoining mews house.

    Wetherell

    “This Charles Street townhouse and mews was the Mayfair base of two famous showmen, firstly Beatles manager Brian Epstein, who allowed the Fab Four to use the mews as their bolthole, and later Norman St John-Stevas, one of British politics’ most colorful characters,” explains Peter Wetherell, founder and executive chairman of Wetherell, in a press statement. 

    The Charles Street townhouse dates to the 1750s.

    Wetherell

    The 18th-century pad spans six floors and was designed by master carpenter John Phillips. On the outside, you’ll find tons of period details like a slate roof, sash windows, and wrought-iron railings. Internally, the reception spaces are decked out with parquet flooring, fireplaces, plaster paneling, and gilded ceiling motifs. The various living and entertaining spaces include a drawing room, a home office, a modern kitchen, and a roof terrace. Fun fact: Lennon once tagged the kitchen tiles with graffiti, but they were later removed and sold at auction. 

    “It is extremely rare to find a Grade II listed townhouse in the heart of Mayfair that has not only retained so many wonderful traditional Georgian features but comes with its original mews house intact and several private outdoor spaces,” adds Wetherell. 

    Click here to see all the photos of Brian Epstein’s Charles Street townhouse. 

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    Ellen DeGeneres Puts Her Palatial Montecito Estate Up for Grabs at $46 Million

    Ellen DeGeneres has always preferred to update historic estates rather than buying land and building anew. Over the years, the former talk show host has remodeled numerous homes, and now she’s got the often challenging process honed to a science. Witness this spectacular estate in Montecito, which she and Portia de Rossi bought this June. In just four months, the couple and their skilled team have already given the 8-acre property a complete renovation and hoisted it back up for sale.

    That expertise won’t come cheap; the asking price is $46.5 million, more than double the $22.5 million DeGeneres and de Rossi originally paid. But the scale and historical nature of the estate ranks it among the grandest in all of Montecito.

    Built in 1919 and known as Pompeiian Court, the house and its grounds are hidden behind an enormous iron gate and a quarter-mile-long driveway that ends in a circular motorcourt surrounded by olive trees. Described as a “classic Roman courtyard residence” in the listing, the palatial main structure was fully remodeled circa 2000 before being re-transformed by DeGeneres into a minimalist and soothingly neutral retreat that embodies the current trend of quiet luxury.

    Quiet, refined luxury is now Pompeiian Court’s ethos.

    Jason Rick / Blake Bronstad

    In contrast to many of Montecito’s other historic mansions, Pompeiian Court is a rare single-story manor, with all of its rooms opening to a central courtyard laced with Roman columns and warmed by an outdoor fireplace. In addition to the main house, there are four ancillary structures scattered around the 8-acre property: two guesthouses, a poolside cabana and a petite art studio.

    The exquisitely manicured grounds include formal hedgerows and lawns, mature Italian cypresses, ancient oaks and eucalyptus trees. Both the swimming pool and full-size tennis court are privately tucked well away from the main house, and there are several large fountains and walking paths on the premises. There’s also a chardonnay vineyard.

    Robert Riskin at Riskin Partners Group holds the listing.

    Click here for more photos of Ellen DeGeneres’ latest residential project. More