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    Sculptor Alma Allen’s Former Joshua Tree Hideaway Just Listed for $3 Million

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    American artist Alma Allen is known for his large-scale outdoor sculptures, and the low-slung house he built in collaboration with Los Angeles-based architect Sophie Smits on a rocky hilltop out in Joshua Tree, California, could be considered one of his most impressive works to date. The sprawling property that abuts the famed Joshua Tree National Park is now listed for sale on the open market for the very first time, asking a speck under $3 million.

    Records show that the self-taught sculptor snapped up the 14-acre property back in 2005 and offloaded it in 2017 in an $875,000 off-market deal to architect David Davis of Rottet Studio and his husband Brad Wilson, CEO of the Ace Hotel Group. Since the tastemaking couple picked up the isolated desert retreat, they’ve put the place through a sensitive renovation that honors the artist’s original designs.

    The desert compound sits on 17 acres abutting Joshua Tree National Park.

    Brian Rawlins/Desert Views Photography

    The compound includes a funky, low-key trio of structures sprinkled across a plateau at the top of a remarkably steep driveway. Modest in size, the residence comprises two shingle-clad pavilions that are sandwiched between a pair of hand-built stone walls and separated by an enclosed courtyard.

    The home was updated in recent years at the hands of artist and designer Cannon Hudson, who helped Davis and Wilson with a total overhaul that included adding bedrooms and bathrooms as well as installing smart built-ins and unfussy, high-quality finishes. Allen’s presence is still evident throughout the light-filled rooms via his custom-designed cabinet pulls and signature metalwork. 

    One pavilion holds an open living and dining area and a simple timber-crafted kitchen with open shelving. A bank of sliding glass doors opens one side of the room to the serene, protected courtyard, while a wall of glass on the opposite side gives a cinematic sweep of the harsh high desert landscape. This part of the house also holds the main bedroom and bath, plus a half-bath and a laundry room. Venture across the courtyard and the second structure contains two spacious bedrooms, two more bathrooms, and a media lounge.

    The humble materiality of the living room let’s the desert view take center stage.

    Brian Rawlins/Desert Views Photography

    A few steps from the front entrance to the house, you’ll find a steel Quonset hut that used to double as Allen’s studio space, and across the driveway, two as-yet undeveloped shipping containers are joined in an L-shape.

    “This exceptional house epitomizes the unique intersection of art, architecture, and the natural environment: essences that define Joshua Tree today,” notes the listing, which is being held by Chris Menrad and Keith Markovitz of TTK Represents of Compass, along with Clayton Baldwin of Kinetic Properties. 

    Click here to see more photos of the Joshua Tree compound.

    Brian Rawlins/Desert Views Photography

    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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      in Vacation Homes

      A High Desert Compound Near Joshua Tree Offers Relaxation, Recreation, and Rental Revenue

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      An artfully updated four-bedroom ranch house, plus a couple of guest casitas, arresting views of the Sawtooth Mountain Range from the infinity-edge pool, and a party barn inspired by a cult-favorite bar in Hollywood, not to mention the potential to rake in hundreds of thousands of dollars in annual rental revenue, are just a few of the appealing features of the Know Where Ranch that sprawls over 2.5 acres in the historic High Desert community of Pioneertown, California. The compound, newly on the market at a sliver under $1.4 million, is listed with Shaun Alan-Lee of Carolwood Estates and Keith Markovitz and Clayton Baldwin at Compass.

      About 125 miles east of downtown Los Angeles, a 45-minute drive from Palm Springs, and a short hop to Joshua Tree, Pioneertown was established in the 1940s as an 1880s-themed town for use as a set for Western films and TV shows. It remains a working set. Gene Autry filmed his weekly show in Pioneertown in the 1950s, and in 2016, Cyndi Lauper shot her western-themed music video for Funnel of Love at the Pappy & Harriet’s, Pioneertown’s legendary roadhouse, barbeque restaurant, and music venue that has played host to a laundry list of performers, including Lucinda Williams, Paul McCartney, Lizzo, Neko Case, and Rufus Wainwright. 

      The 2,800-square-foot home features custom murals and artwork throughout.

      Will Edwards

      Record producer and DJ Aric Christopher acquired the property almost four years ago and has since transformed what was a perfectly ordinary four-bedroom ranch-style home and several unassuming outbuildings into an eclectic retreat for relaxation and recreation, a fashionably funky fusion of artistic élan, western allure, Hollywood glamour, and modern, low-key luxury.

      Beyond the cherry-red front door, animal skulls, cowboy hats, and reclaimed wood framing around the windows add rustic pizazz, while bespoke accents such as the dreamcatcher-like light fixture over the massive kitchen island, as well as custom murals and artworks by artists Penelope Misa and Ron The Killer, inject the house with a playful, one-of-a-kind High Desert bohemian vibe.

      The kitchen is configured around a huge island that will seat a dozen people.

      Will Edwards

      Other highlights include the kitchen, with its massive island that seats a dozen people on an array of vintage bar stools. Several more can gather around the built-in dining banquette in the adjoining breakfast nook. The spacious primary bedroom, dubbed The Roy Rogers Suite and clad in reclaimed wooden planks, includes a morning/evening bar, a claw-foot soaking tub that’s open to the bedroom, and a separate, marble-floored bathroom.

      Covered patios along the back of the house include one equipped with a large wall-mounted TV. Cool off in the infinity-edge pool, meditate or practice yoga on one of the poolside terraces, and watch the sunset while swaying gently in the hammocks hung around a gas fire pit. Elsewhere are a cowboy tub, a flat, raked area for bocce ball and cornhole, and a detached pool bath and outdoor shower. Considering the climate and location, the property includes a 4,500-gallon water storage tank and solar-powered exterior lighting.

      The party barn bar was inspired by the low-key Know Nothing Bar in Hollywood.

      Will Edwards

      In-the-know Angelenos may have already guessed that The Know Where Ranch takes its name from, and the bar inside the party barn takes its design cues from, The Know Where Bar, a beloved, under-the-radar but now shuttered Hollywood boîte that was long on laid-back charm and short on attitude, with sophisticated cocktails and yummy snacks. 

      And finally, the most enticing part of The Know Where Ranch, which has a dedicated Instagram with nearly 15,000 followers, just may be the potential to haul in hundreds of thousands of dollars in rental income. According to marketing materials, between private rental events and vacation rental income, The Know Where Ranch raked in more than $430,000 in total revenue in 2022, with a net income of almost $275,000.

      Click here for more photos of The Know Where Ranch.

      Will Edwards More

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      in Luxury

      Jack Nicholson’s Daughter Is Selling Her Desert Retreat Next Door to a Storied Old West Movie Set

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      Jack Nicholson might have acted in a few Westerns during his lengthy career, but his eldest daughter Jennifer one-upped him a few years back when the former actress and fashion designer plunked down around $525,000 for a 10-acre estate straddling an authentic Old West town in Southern California’s unincorporated community of Pioneertown. Now that contemporary residence is up for grabs, asking $3.7 million.

      Sited amid the Morongo Basin in eastern San Bernardino County’s High Desert region, near the Mojave Desert and Joshua Tree National Park, Pioneertown originated back in the 1940s when actor Dick Curtis collaborated with fellow actor Roy Rogers and other investors to buy 32,000 acres of land to create an authentic 1800s-themed town. The purpose: to serve as a filming locale and tourist destination, along with a permanent residence for folks working in the entertainment industry, ranchers and desert-lovers alike.

      More than 50 films and TV shows were ultimately shot in Pioneertown during the ’40s and ’50s, including The Cisco Kid and Annie Oakley. And though production worked died down in the ensuing years—and plans for a 40-acre lake, golf course, shopping center and an airport never came to fruition—the spot is still alive and kicking, complete with the Pioneertown Motel, as well as the popular Pappy & Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace, which is known for hosting live music by noted artists ranging from Paul McCartney to Lizzo.

      An expansive wood-paneled dining room has decorative glass doors spilling out to the grounds.

      Ed Tyler

      As for Nicholson’s home, the rustic wood-sided and metal-roof structure was custom-built in 1990, and rests down a driveway guarded by double wood gates. Inside, two bedrooms and three baths are filtered across almost 2,000 square feet of two-level living space boasting high ceilings, clerestory windows, ornate light fixtures and a unique circular stained-glass window, plus passive solar design.

      The centerpiece is a spacious fireside living room, which flows to a wood-clad dining room and kitchen outfitted with stainless appliances. The primary bedroom has a loft, built-in shelves, a walk-in closet, and bath equipped with a clawfoot soaking tub and large shower; and outdoors, the succulent-laced grounds hold a pool flanked by a sundeck, as well as an attached two-car garage and separate storage barn.

      Per the listing, which is held by Frank Sullivan and Jimmy Quill of Coldwell Banker Realty, there’s even a 1,000-year-old Joshua tree on the property.

      Click here for more photos of Jennifer Nicholson’s High Desert house. More