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      Inside the $11.9 Million East Hampton Retreat of an Emmy-Winning TV Anchor

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      Almost two months after it first hit the market with a $13 million price tag, a picturesque spread long owned by Doug Johnson and his late wife Liz Robbins is now available in the sought-after Georgica enclave of East Hampton with a newly reduced ask. Currently offered for $11.85 million, 38 Darby Lane is listed by Sheila Smith of The Corcoran Group.

      Records show the couple—he a former Emmy-winning news reporter for WABC-TV New York, and she a prominent Washington lobbyist who passed away last year at age 76—paid $4.2 million back in 2007 for the almost two-acre property, which is showcased by a traditional English-style home boasting seven bedrooms and eight baths in roughly 6,000 square feet of rambling living space adorned with six fireplaces. There’s also a one-bedroom guest cottage, plus a detached two-car garage that doubles as a party barn.

      The fireside living room is spotlighted by walls of windows and a high wood-beam ceiling.

      Brian Bailey/Media Hamptons

      RELATED: This $95 Million East Hampton Estate Has 1,200 Feet of Waterfront Along Georgica Pond

      Extensively renovated by Johnson and Robbins during their tenure, the charming shingle-clad structure is hidden away from the street behind a dense clump of shrubbery and trees. A gated driveway empties out at a parking area. Once inside, highlights include an entrance foyer that flows to a window-lined living and dining area resting beneath a soaring pitched ceiling. A country kitchen is outfitted with pine cabinetry, an eat-in island and a walk-in pantry, while the adjoining breakfast room and den sports French doors opening out to a brick patio.

      A brick-paved patio enveloped in greenery is ideal for alfresco lounging and entertaining.

      Brian Bailey/Media Hamptons

      RELATED: This Angular $3.2 Million East Hampton Retreat Puts a Twist on the Classic Beach House

      An upstairs primary suite flaunts a balcony and antique glass-paneled doors leading to a bath with a walk-in closet, while the finished basement level holds a screening room, a woodworking shop, and a gym.

      The grassy and rose-laced grounds, which are showcased by a heated lap-lane pool flanked by a raised spa. There’s also a spacious outdoor entertaining space that’s hosted luminaries the likes of Paul Newman, Jack Nicholson, Jimmy Fallon, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, Paul McCartney, Jimmy Buffett, Billy Joel, and Jon Bon Jovi, just to name a few.

      Click here for more photos of Liz Robbins and Doug Johnson’s East Hampton home.

      Brian Bailey/Media Hamptons More

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      Winston Churchill’s London Home Can Be Yours for $25.2 Million

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      A London home that once belonged to the late statesman Winston Churchill has hit the market for £19.5 million (or about $25.2 million). The Englishman served as the Prime Minister of the U.K. twice, first from 1940 to 1945 during World War II and then from 1951 to 1955. Following his election defeat in 1945, Churchill reportedly bought 27 Hyde Park Gate for about $310,000 to use as an office. The location was ideal, next door to a townhouse he already owned, and he soon combined the two homes into one giant mansion. However, following his death in 1965, the Grade II-listed spread, just over two miles west of Buckingham Palace, was divided back into separate dwellings. 

      “Having been the cherished home of Sir Winston Churchill during a defining era in British history, this property has an illustrious heritage,” James Pace, head of Kensington sales at Knight Frank, told Mansion Global. 

      The pale-blue reception room’s stately fireplace is embellished with fluted columns.

      Knight Frank

      The elegant abode last changed hands in 2001 and is currently configured with six bedrooms arranged over four floors. There’s also a private terrace and a rather sizable formal garden thanks to its prime location on a quiet cul-de-sac. Inside, you’ll find much of the original character and charm, like wood-paneled flooring, intricate moldings, and stately fireplaces, remains intact. 

      The ground floor holds a dramatic double-height reception room in addition to a library and a sitting room. During Churchill’s time, a bedroom was positioned on this level where he reportedly recovered after breaking his leg while on vacation in Monte Carlo. Elsewhere, there’s a fairly modern-looking chef’s kitchen on the lower ground floor along with a breakfast room and formal dining area. The home now also includes its own gym. Fun fact: per English Heritage, Churchill converted one room at the adjacent 28 Hyde Park into his “snob library,” lined with his collection of finely bound books and portraits of his ancestors.

      The formal dining room spills out to the garden.

      Knight Frank

      Kensington has long been a hotbed of high-profile residents who include Madonna, JK Rowling, Stella McCartney, and, most notably, the late Freddie Mercury, who also owned a Kensington home known as Garden Lodge. The storied estate was put up for sale in February of this year for £30 million (roughly $38 million) by his longtime friend and former fiancée, Mary Austin. According to the listing, which is also being represented by Knight Frank, the late Queen frontman helped design the garden and stored the grand piano that he used to compose Bohemian Rhapsody here. 

      Click here to see more photos of Winston Churchill’s London home. 

      Knight Frank

      Authors

      Abby Montanez

      Abigail Montanez is a staff writer at Robb Report. She has worked in both print and digital publishing for over half a decade, covering everything from real estate, entertainment, dining, travel to…

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      An Epic 60-Room Estate in Los Angeles Gets a Another Big Price Chop

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      A little over a year after it first hit the market with an eye-popping $250 million price tag—shortly after its longtime owner, billionaire telecom pioneer Gary Winnick, passed away at age 76—the Bel Air trophy estate widely known as Casa Encantada (loosely translated to Enchanted House) has popped up for sale again. After undergoing a dramatic price cut to $195 million last winter, the estate is now being offered at a newly reduced $165 million.

      “Casa Encantada is one of the finest residences in the United States,” says Josh Flagg of Compass, who shares the listing with Kurt Rappaport of Westside Estate Agency and Drew Fenton of Carolwood Estates. “If this was 2017, the house would be sold by now but given the state of the market, there aren’t buyers lining up around the block for any house over $100 million. With that said, there are people out there that can afford a house like this and it just takes that one person.”

      The home is fronted by a fountain and a neoclassical portico entrance.

      Nils Timm

      Originally designed and built in the 1930s by Russian-born architect James E. Dolena at a reported cost of around $2 million for Hilda Boldt Weber—a former New York City hospital nurse who married multimillionaire Cincinnati glass manufacturer Charles Boldt and then inherited a considerable fortune upon his death in the late 1920s—the dwelling was later sold to hotel magnate Conrad Hilton in 1950 for a mere $225,000.

      After Hilton passed away in 1979, retired Dole Food Products chairman David Murdock bought the place in 1980 for $12.4 million. He went on to transfer the estate in 2000 for $94 million to Winnick and his artist and author wife Karen, who spent almost two years and tens of millions of dollars extensively restoring the premises in collaboration with noted architect Peter Marino. Notably, the $94 million deal was long a residential record for California but was also a non-standard sale that involved both cash and two large pieces of land.

      A wood-clad lounge area is warmed by a fireplace.

      Nils Timm

      Hidden away behind walls and gates, amid an elevated 8.4-acre peninsula that juts out into the golf course of the Bel Air Country Club, the H-shaped mansion is fronted by a motor court bolstered by a bubbling fountain. An opulent neoclassical portico entrance leads into the 40,000-square-foot residence, which features seven bedrooms and a staggering 20 baths, plus posh amenities like a pool pavilion that doubles as a movie theater.

      A double-height entry foyer displaying a sweeping staircase greets and flows to a grand reception hall resting beneath a 14-foot ceiling. Other highlights include formal and casual dining and living areas, including a den/card room sporting an art-deco lucite wet bar, as well as a walnut-paneled study/office lined with floor-to-ceiling bookcases and a 3,500-square-foot primary suite flaunting dual sitting rooms, closets, and baths.

      The poolside pavilion is complete with a movie theater.

      Nils Timm

      The property, which has no neighbors on either side, sits atop a subterranean tunnel that connects two holes of the exclusive golf course and overlooks picturesque city, mountain, and ocean vistas. The Benjamin Purdy-landscaped grounds also host rose, herb, and tropical gardens, along with a 60-foot tiled pool, a desirable north/south tennis court with a viewing pavilion, an additional sports court, and plenty of spots for alfresco lounging and entertaining.

      In addition to the Bel Air estate, Winnick’s widow still maintains a Charles Gwathmey-designed apartment on the 20th floor of New York City’s iconic Sherry Netherland Hotel that’s currently on the market for just under $3.5 million.

      Click here for more photos of Casa Encantada.

      Nils Timm More

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      Kiefer Sutherland’s Former N.Y.C. Townhouse Hits the Market for $20.5 Million

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      A little more than 12 years after Kiefer Sutherland sold his 19th-century townhouse in the West Village neighborhood of Manhattan for $17.5 million—in less than 24 hours after it hit the market, no less—the actor and musician’s former residence has once again surfaced for sale. Greeting all who enter the front doors with a gilded sign above reading Beau Geste (meaning beautiful gesture), the Greek Revival-style abode is now asking $20.5 million.

      Records show Sutherland paid $8.25 million for the property in 2008. The 24 star then sold the place around four years later for $17.5 million to distressed-asset adviser David Matlin and his wife Lisa. They went on to offload the home in 2015 for $17.75 million to a trust linked to Thomas Brodsky, a Manhattan-based developer, owner, and manager of residential spaces in New York City.

      The phrase Beau Geste (meaning beautiful gesture) is etched above the front doors to the Greek Revival-style abode, perhaps hinting at what’s to come.

      Andrew Chui/MW Studio

      Originally built in the early 1800s but renovated during Sutherland’s tenure in collaboration with designer Steven Gambrel, the red brick structure has five bedrooms and seven baths spread across multiple levels accessible via both stairs and an elevator. Touted in marketing materials as offering “the rare and coveted combination of period detail and modern convenience,” the first floor is highlighted by a mud room that flows to an all-white kitchen outfitted with top-tier appliances. An adjacent family room with one of eight fireplaces found throughout opens to a landscaped courtyard garden via a breakfast nook featuring a wine fridge and banquette seating.

      A fireside living room boasts a wall of steel-framed windows overlooking the garden below.

      Andrew Chui/MW Studio

      RELATED: Star Moves: Byron Allen Sheds His Aspen Getaway, While Nicolas Cage and Claire Danes Pick Up New Digs

      Holding court on the second floor is a main entrance leading to formal living and dining rooms, and occupying the entire third level is a primary suite boasting a private terrace, two walk-in closets, and a marble-clad bath flaunting dual vanities, a built-in soaking tub, and a separate shower. Four more ensuite bedrooms can be found on the fourth and fifth floors, with a staircase ascending to a rooftop terrace equipped with lounging and dining areas, plus an outdoor kitchen and shower.

      A landscaped rooftop terrace is ideal for alfresco lounging and entertaining.

      Andrew Chui/MW Studio

      Rounding out the listing, which is shared by Chris Poore, Serena Boardman and Eyal Dagan of Sotheby’s International Realty, is a finished basement hosting a wine cellar, laundry facilities, and a cedar closet.

      The eldest son of late actor Donald Sutherland has since moved on to other residential circumstances. Earlier this year, he sold a modest English Tudor-style residence tucked away in the trendy Atwater Village neighborhood of L.A. for $1.6 million. And in 2022, around the same time he quietly sold his longtime estate in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Toluca Lake to engaged Hollywood couple Macauley Culkin and Brenda Song in an off-market deal for $8 million, he picked up a historic 73-acre retreat in New York’s Hudson Valley for $5 million.

      Click here for more photos of Kiefer Sutherland’s former Manhattan townhouse.

      Andrew Chui/MW Studio More

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      Richard Gere Gets $10.75 Million for His Bucolic Connecticut Estate

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      Now that he’s announced a move to Spain to be closer to his publicist wife Alejandra Silva’s family in Madrid, Golden Globe-winning actor Richard Gere has unsurprisingly handed over the keys to the sprawling Connecticut estate he paid married musicians Paul Simon and Edie Brickell $10.8 million for a little more than two years ago, back in summer 2022.

      “For me, going to Madrid is going to be a great adventure because I have never lived full-time outside the United States,” the Pretty Woman star said in a recent Vanity Fair España article. “For Alejandra, it will be wonderful to be closer to her family, her lifelong friends, and her culture. She was very generous in giving me six years living in my world, so I think it is only fair that I give her at least another six living in hers.”

      As first reported by the New Canaan Advertiser, Gere and Silva have now offloaded their New Canaan residence to an LLC tied to James Hoffman of the general contracting and real estate development company SBP Homes, which picked up the nearly 32-acre spread in a clandestine deal in early October for $10.75 million.

      Built in the late 1930s and designed by architect Harold Reeve Sleeper, the rambling estate features a five-bedroom, nine-bath English country-style main house and a three-bedroom, two-bath guest cottage that Simon previously used as a recording studio. Outdoor amenities include a swimming pool, terraced patios, gardens, woodland trails, a natural pond, and a waterfall.

      RELATED: This $9.2 Million Mansion in Connecticut Has a Hidden Staircase to Your Bedroom

      Because the deal was done off-market, current photos are scarce. But on-line listings from a few years ago show the primary dwelling has an entry foyer with a winding staircase topped by a chandelier. From there, a spacious fireside living room is lined with built-in shelving and the kitchen is outfitted with an eat-in island, stainless appliances, and an accompanying breakfast nook. Other highlights include a wood-paneled study and an airy sunroom that doubles as an office space, plus an upstairs primary suite decked out with a wood-burning fireplace, a private balcony, and a cedar closet. There’s also an attached three-car garage on the premises.

      Before Gere and Silva purchased the home at a substantially reduced price, Simon and Brickell resided there for almost two decades, paying $16.5 million for the place in 2002. As for Gere, he reportedly had plans to convert part of the New Canaan property into a private, low-impact farm for growing mushrooms and providing honey, as well as raising goats.

      The Buddhist actor, who sold a two-bedroom apartment in a historic building in Manhattan’s Gramercy Park in 2022 for $3.15 million, has owned several other notable homes with celebrity connections. He transferred a waterfront compound in the Hamptons back in 2016 to Matt Lauer for a whopping $36.5 million, and in 2022 Ryan Murphy shelled out a bit more than $24 million for Gere’s 50-acre spread in New York’s rural Pound Ridge community. More

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      Tom Ford Snaps Up a Posh London Mansion for $104 Million

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      Tom Ford is making headlines again, this time in the real estate arena, where he’s known as a regular buyer and seller of extraordinary homes.

      The billionaire fashion designer, who sold his eponymous label to Estée Lauder for $2.8 billion, has now broken a record for the priciest home sale in the U.K. this year after snapping up a London residence for a staggering £80 million ($104 million), The Times reported. The trophy dwelling, which is “believed to be a white stucco-fronted mansion,” is located in the city’s affluent Chelsea neighborhood near Hyde Park and the River Thames. However, further details regarding Ford’s new digs are still largely under wraps—other than it was last purchased for £16 million ($20 million) about two decades ago. 

      According to the British newspaper, the deal comes not long after Ford, the former creative director of Gucci, offloaded another of his residences, this one in tony Regent’s Park, for an impressive eight figures, and this latest transaction brings the value of his vast property portfolio to an eye-watering £270 million (or $351.6 million). One of Ford’s most notable holdings is Jackie Kennedy’s childhood summer home in the Hamptons, which he scooped up last summer for $52 million. The palatial East Hampton estate, known as Lasata, sits on a sprawling seven acres of land and features an eight-bedroom main residence, a guest house, a caretaker’s cottage, and a three-car garage. The Texas native bought the place from media producer David Zander, and before that, the big spread belonged to fashion designer and retail executive Reed Krakoff and his interior designer wife Delphine (who are currently selling another historic estate in New Canaan, Connecticut).

      So far, London has experienced a bit of a slump in the luxury real estate market in 2024 with a decline in high-end deals. It was previously reported that only 149 homes valued at £10 million (roughly $13.2 million) or more have traded hands in the past 12 months, compared with 192 in the prior period. In terms of who’s doing the buying, wealthy expats have been snapping up the city’s high-end properties thanks to favorable exchange rates. In fact, Knight Frank found that the percentage of U.S. buyers purchasing homes in London rose to 6.1 percent in the first six months of this year from 3.3 percent in the second part of 2023. 

      “There are obvious risks at the moment, but the super-prime market is still functioning, just at a reduced level,” Paddy Dring, global head of prime sales at Knight Frank, said in a statement. “It’s sometimes easy to forget just how attractive London is on the global stage.”

      Authors

      Abby Montanez

      Abigail Montanez is a staff writer at Robb Report. She has worked in both print and digital publishing for over half a decade, covering everything from real estate, entertainment, dining, travel to…

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      Red Hot Chili Peppers Frontman Anthony Kiedis’s Former L.A. Home Lists for $5.5 Million

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      Over a decade after rocker Anthony Kiedis sold his home in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles for nearly $1.9 million, the Red Hot Chili Peppers founder and lead singer’s former residence has once again surfaced for sale. Known as Castillo de la Esperanza (Castle of Hope), the Mediterranean-style abode is now on the market for $5.5 million. The listing is held by Markus Canter of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties.

      Records show Kiedis paid around $2.2 million for the property in 2000. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer then wound up selling the residence three years later for almost $1.9 million to New York Times bestselling author J. Randy Taraborrelli, best known for penning celebrity biographies. He went on to offload the place in 2009 for $3.1 million to Desperate Housewives producer Kevin Murphy and his TV producer wife Noreen Halpern, who sold it in late 2023 for $4 million.

      The ornate living room is enhanced with a vaulted wood-beam ceiling and a stone fireplace.

      Danny Farrell/Ingenious Media Lab, courtesy of St. James + Canter, Berkshire Hathaway Home Services California Properties

      Perched atop a walled and gated parcel spanning roughly a half-acre in the Hollywood Knolls enclave overlooking Lake Hollywood, the stucco and terracotta-roof structure was originally built in the mid-1930s. Remodeled through the years, the estate features a main home and a guesthouse that was tacked on in 2016—for a total of six bedrooms and an equal number of baths in 6,300 square feet.

      As for the primary four-bedroom, four-bath dwelling, it’s fronted by a fountain-clad courtyard and boasts a little more than 4,000 square feet of two-level living space accented with a mix of hardwood and stone floors, high wood-beam ceilings, hand-laid Spanish tile, and vintage-inspired light fixtures, plus picturesque city lights, mountain, and valley views from almost every room.

      Among the highlights are a chandelier-topped foyer displaying a wrought iron-railed staircase and a spacious living room sporting a decorative fireplace and a cozy library area with built-in shelving. A 12-seat dining room resting beneath a curved ceiling and donning a stained-glass window opens out onto a terrace ideal for alfresco dining, while the sky-lit kitchen is outfitted with custom cabinetry, a center island, top-tier stainless appliances, and an accompanying lounge/breakfast nook.

      The two-story guesthouse offers versatile living spaces, making it perfect for a variety of uses.

      Danny Farrell/Ingenious Media Lab, courtesy of St. James + Canter, Berkshire Hathaway Home Services California Properties

      Elsewhere is a bar/parlor room, as well as an inviting primary suite that comes complete with a Juliette balcony, a walk-in closet, and a luxe bath flaunting dual vanities and a large shower. Outdoors, the landscaped grounds are laced with water-wise gardens and meandering pathways and host numerous terraces and patios. A curving pool and spa are flanked by a sundeck and a rustic pavilion used for entertaining.

      Also holding court on the property is a two-story guesthouse with two bedrooms, two baths, a kitchenette, a living area, laundry facilities, a wine cellar, and a gym. There’s also an owned array of solar panels, along with two separate entrances that empty out at a detached three-car garage and an adjacent carport with room for one vehicle.

      Click here for more photos of Anthony Kiedis’s former house.

      Danny Farrell/Ingenious Media Lab, courtesy of St. James + Canter, Berkshire Hathaway Home Services California Properties More