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      Kanye West Is Now Facing an $18 Million Loss on His Tadao Ando-Designed Malibu House

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      Four months ago, Kanye West put his infamously wrecked Malibu house on the market, asking a steep $53 million. To nobody’s particular surprise, there were no takers. This week, the price tag was slashed all the way down to $39 million by the home’s listing agent, Selling Sunset star Jason Oppenheim.

      It’s worth noting that the current ask is a staggering $18 million less than what West himself paid for the place less than three years ago, back in September 2021. The music mogul-turned-Yeezy fashion designer shelled out $57.3 million—in cash—for the 4,000 square foot residence, which was completed circa 2013 and designed by famed Pritzker Prize-winning Japanese architect Tadao Ando.

      But it remains unclear if West ever spent a night at the oceanfront home, which sits cheek-to-jowl between two other houses on surfer-friendly Malibu Road. Almost immediately after he bought it, West set about tearing the place apart, ripping out all the windows, doors and interior finishes. The formerly four-bedroom, five-bath house is now a vacant and uninhabitable concrete shell, with its rooms open and exposed to the unforgivingly corrosive sea air.

      Shortly after buying the house in 2021, West tore out all the furnishings and fixtures, leaving it a concrete shell.

      Backgrid

      Despite the big price reduction, buyers should be warned that the house will require many months and likely millions of dollars in renovation costs. And the current $39 million ask, while substantially improved, is a lofty figure. Other homes along this same stretch of sand typically top out around $20 million—and that’s for a brand-new or freshly rehabbed residence.

      Still, those other homes lack a Tadao Ando pedigree. West’s Brutalist white elephant remains one of only a handful of U.S. buildings designed by the 82-year-old, who’s been called “Hollywood’s favorite starchitect” and whose homes are “the hottest must-have[s] among the super wealthy.”

      Last year, Jay-Z and Beyoncé paid $190 million for a different—and substantially larger—Malibu estate designed by Ando, an amount that remains the most ever paid for a California home. Kim Kardashian is planning to built an extravagant Ando-designed vacation mansion near Palm Springs. In 2021, Slack co-founder Stewart Butterfield and his wife Jen Rubio dropped $40 million to buy a Tom Ford’s Ands-designed New Mexico ranch.

      West, who remains one of the world’s most successful record producers and one of the best-selling musicians of all time, seems to be shifting away from real estate ownership—when he’s not out traveling the globe with wife Bianca Censori, he frequently bunks up for months at a time in some of L.A.’s poshest hotels, including the oceanfront Nobu Ryokan. More

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      Former Google Cloud CFO Picks Up Midcentury L.A. House With Jetliner Views

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      Veteran finance and technology executive Steffan Tomlinson has found a new place to hang his hat, having picked up a midcentury-modern gem in the steep hills directly above L.A.’s bustling Sunset Strip. On and off the market since spring of last year, initially for $4.6 million, the home’s listing price was reduced three times before going to the current Stripe CFO for a smidge over $4 million.

      Property records reveal the seller was Katie Goldsmith, the daughter of retired City National Bank CEO Russell Goldsmith and his wife, TV producer Karen Mack, who purchased the place for almost the same exact price almost six years ago, back in summer 2018. The premises also were occupied at one time by the late singer-turned-stage and screen actor Richard Eastham, who is probably most known for starring on Broadway opposite Mary Martin in South Pacific and appearing in the 1950s TV western Tombstone Territory.

      Hidden away behind a privacy wall and tall hedges, amid a secluded dead-end street, Tomlinson’s newly acquired post-and-beam structure is nestled on less than a quarter-acre parcel of land offering picturesque ocean and city lights views. Built in 1956 and “upgraded with no expense spared” since then, per the listing, the single-level residence features three bedrooms and a matching number of bathrooms filtered across a little more than 2,600 square feet of treehouse-like living space rife with dark hardwood floors and vast expanses of glass.

      A wood deck off the main living area is ideal for al fresco lounging with its fire-pit and breathtaking skyline views.

      Jeremy Spann

      Highlights include a spacious living room resting beneath a high wood-paneled ceiling, and displaying a striking marble-clad linear fireplace, built-in bookshelves and walls of glass overlooking the eye-catching vistas. The dining area adjoins a galley-style kitchen, which is outfitted with sleek cabinetry, a subway tile backsplash, wine refrigerator, and top-tier KitchenAid and Sub-Zero appliances.

      There also are secluded sleeping wings on either side of the house—one with a pair of bedrooms that each have their own bath, and another holding a primary suite that comes complete with a floating-hearth fireplace, walk-in closet, and spa-inspired bath equipped with dual vanities, a soaking tub and large shower. Outdoors, the leafy grounds host an expansive glass-enclosed deck warmed by a fire-pit, as well as an attached two-car garage.

      Tomlinson, who worked at corporations such as Palo Alto Networks, Google Cloud and Confluent before joining Stripe last summer, also still maintains a 1950s Andrew Skurman-renovated home in the affluent Silicon Valley enclave of Atherton that he paid $12 million for back in spring 2017.

      The listing was held by Zach Goldsmith of The Agency; Tori Horowitz of Compass repped the buyer.

      Click here for more photos of Steffan Tomlinson’s house.

      Jeremy Spann More

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      Facebook’s Former CFO Drops a Record $52 Million for a Mansion on Malibu’s Point Dume

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      Three years ago, after many years of living in California‘s Silicon Valley, Gideon Yu traded his Atherton mansion for the bright lights of Los Angeles. The veteran technology executive and his longtime wife Susie dropped $9.5 million on a large house in the suburban neighborhood of Sherman Oaks, where the couple has quietly resided ever since.

      But with the heat of summer approaching, the Yus have done what countless other wealthy L.A. families before them already did—they’ve bought an expensive vacation home in the seaside town of Malibu. Records indicate the Yus were the buyers who recently shelled out $52 million—in cash—for a blufftop estate on Malibu’s Point Dume.

      Never on the market, the $52 million house recently underwent a major contemporary remodel.

      Google Earth

      That sale price ranks as the most ever paid for a single-family house on Point Dume, a neighborhood known for its many famous faces. Current residents include Bob Dylan, Sean Penn, Chris Martin, Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson; also in the area are high-profile businesspeople and political figures—Google co-founder Sergey Brin, Jordan’s King Abdullah, billionaire hedge fund manager Chase Coleman and Jeff Bezos, who rents a compound owned by Kenny G.

      Because Yu’s new house was never on the market, photos are scant and current details few. But the 0.76-acre property last sold in summer 2020 for $22 million to Stuart and Stephanie Liner, the married real estate developers who have bought and flipped dozens of other luxury estates in the Los Angeles area.

      At the time of the Liners’ acquisition, the blufftop compound was an extravagant fixer, supremely well-located but saddled with dated interiors and amenities. The couple subsequently embarked on a multi-year, multimillion-dollar remodel that transformed the 1980s modern-style structure into a chicly contemporary home that happens to feature unobstructed ocean views.

      The house sits behind gates and a full-size, lighted tennis court.

      James McClain

      Robb Report is not sure if these figures are still accurate, but tax records say the house offers five bedrooms and seven bathrooms in about 6,000 square feet of living space. There’s also a full-size tennis court and a backyard swimming pool overlooking the Malibu coastline. Naturally, the residence also transferred with a coveted key to Little Dume Beach, the semi-private and difficult-to-access beach that lies just below the cliffs of Point Dume.

      The clifftop property happens to sit right next door to Johnny Carson’s former compound, which was sold in 2019 for $40 million to billionaire Juul investor Riaz Valani. The previous Point Dume sales record was held by another blufftop mansion that transferred for $49 million in early 2022.

      Yu, 52, has held multiple high-level tech executive positions over his career, including at both Yahoo and YouTube. However, he’s perhaps best-known for serving as CFO of Facebook from July 2007 until March 2009. Despite Yu’s relatively short stint as CFO, unconfirmed reports say he may have left the social media giant with as much as $500 million in stock.

      Today, Yu is a private investor and a member of the ownership group that controls the San Francisco 49ers football team. In 2012, he became the first president of color in NFL history. More

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      A Baby Formula Billionaire Just Dropped $27 Million on This Massive Beverly Hills Estate

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      In a prime pocket of Beverly Hills, just a literal stone’s throw from the longtime 90210 estate of Taylor Swift, this grand Spanish-meets-Mediterranean-influenced house was on the market for nearly a year, originally listed with an asking price of $33 million. The exceedingly lavish spread just sold for nearly $27 million—or $26.8 million, to be exact. Despite the discount, the deal still ranks among the priciest real estate transfers recorded in Los Angeles so far this year.

      Records indicate the all-cash buyer is an entity tied to billionaire “Roger” Hua Liu, the vice chairman and CFO of Feihe International Inc. Headquartered in Beijing, Feihe is the largest and most famous supplier of infant formula milk in China, with approximately 20% of the country’s market share. Per Forbes, Liu’s personal net worth tops $1.4 billion.

      The 15,000-square-foot house was completed in 2000 and lies just a short walk from Taylor Swift’s home.

      Google Earth

      According to records, the sizable 90210 property last sold back in 2011 for $17.5 million. The buyer then was Russian oligarch Sergey Sarkisov, who amassed a fortune in Russia’s insurance industry and later dabbled in film production.

      If Sarkisov’s name sounds familiar, it’s probably because he also owned the smaller tennis court estate next door to this $27 million compound. Sarkisov’s smaller “spare” property was sold last year for $15 million, and the buyer was prominent Hollywood actress Mindy Kaling, who reportedly intends to radically redesign and refurbish the house.

      Set high above the street, the giant house is mostly obscured from public view by a sea of trees and hedges.

      Google Earth

      As for Liu’s larger house next door, photos are scant and details remain sparse. But tax records confirm the mansion was built circa 2000 and is sited on a knoll-top lot of nearly 1.5 acres. Spanning more than 15,000 square feet of living space, the house is large even for this affluent neighborhood, and includes some 10 bedrooms and 13 bathrooms. Despite its size, the place is mostly invisible from the public roadway out front, carefully cloaked behind big gates, a very long driveway, and a forest-like canopy of mature trees and other shrubbery.

      In addition to the main house, there’s a backyard swimming pool and a full-size tennis court on the south side of the There’s also a detached guesthouse or staff building of some sort on the premises, which itself stands some two or even three stories tall. In addition to garaging for four cars, the property features off-street parking for up to 15 more vehicles. The entire property is ringed by a collection of specimen trees, and there are also rose gardens and several patches of grassy lawn. More

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      ‘Star Wars’ Filmmaker Kathleen Kennedy Sells Malibu Beach House to Prominent Video Game Exec

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      Eight months after it first popped up for sale with an impressive $18.5 million ask, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy and her producer husband Frank Marshall have officially handed over the keys to their longtime Malibu getaway.

      The new owner is digital media and technology veteran Tim O’Brien, chief revenue officer and board member of the interactive entertainment company and mobile games publisher Scopely, who paid roughly $6 million less than the couple originally wanted. But it’s still around $3 million more than the Oscar-nominated filmmakers—collectively known for blockbuster hits such as E.T., Indiana Jones and the Star Wars franchise—doled out for the place nine years ago, back in spring 2015.

      Perched atop a gated 2.2-acre promontory in the exclusive Carbon Mesa enclave, at the end of a secluded cul-de-sac high above La Costa Beach, the modern gray-hued structure was built in the mid-1990s. Renovated in the years since, the single-story home includes four bedrooms and an equal number of baths filtered across nearly 4,000 square feet of living space adorned throughout with wide-plank hardwood floors, high ceilings and walls of glass providing sweeping coastal vistas.

      Among the highlights: an expansive great room holding a living area resting beneath a vaulted wood-beam ceiling, and sporting a decorative fireplace, seated bar and Fleetwood sliding glass doors spilling outside. The formal dining room opens to a garden, while a gourmet kitchen is outfitted with an eat-in island, top-tier stainless appliances and a cozy fireside breakfast nook.

      Elsewhere is a spacious primary bedroom suite that comes complete with a fireside sitting area, private patio, large walk-in closet, and luxe bath equipped with dual vanities, a spa tub and glass-encased shower; and outdoors, the leafy grounds host an infinity pool and spa, a built-in barbecue, custom fire-pit, several lounging areas and an al fresco shower. There’s also a detached two-car garage and an additional gated entrance for guests or services, plus deeded rights to the La Costa Beach & Tennis Club.

      In addition to their recently sold Malibu property, Kennedy and Marshall also still maintain a permanent residence in the Sullivan Canyon area of Los Angeles that was previously owned by Bea Arthur. More

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      Chris Pratt and Katherine Schwarzenegger Just Tore Down This Stunning Midcentury Modern Home

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      Last year, preservation-minded fans of midcentury modern architecture were devastated when another one of L.A.’s historic gems was surreptitiously demolished with little warning. Located on one of Brentwood’s most prestigious streets, the so-called Zimmerman House by modernist architect Craig Ellwood was razed in a matter of days. In its place, a new and much larger mansion is currently rising.

      According to the USModernist nonprofit, the Zimmerman house was commissioned in 1949 by Martin and Eva Zimmerman, and completed in 1950. Once featured in Progressive Architecture magazine, the 0.83-acre estate featured gardens and mature trees carefully placed by esteemed landscape designer Garrett Eckbo. Inside, the blocky modernist structure offered five bedrooms and three bathrooms in 2,770 square feet of single-story living space.

      Completed in 1950, the Zimmerman House was one of pioneering modernist architect Craig Ellwood’s earliest projects.

      Julius Schulman/The J. Paul Getty Trust/Getty Research Institute

      The house changed hands in 1968 and again in 1975, when it sold for the paltry sum of $205,000 to Sam and Hilda Rolfe, he the co-creator of the classic 1960s spy series The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and the CBS series Have Gun — Will Travel. Sam Rolfe died in 1993, but his widow Hilda continued to own and reside at the property until her own death nearly 30 years later.

      Although the Zimmerman house was never listed on the open market, the property was quietly sold last January, just months after Hilda’s death, for $12.5 million. The off-market buyers were Hollywood actor Chris Pratt and author Katherine Schwarzenegger, who wasted little time in demolishing the midcentury structure to make way for their own new Brentwood dream home—which is currently still in the early stages of construction.

      After buying the property for $12.5 million, Pratt and Schwarzenegger quickly razed the house.

      Google Earth

      Permit records indicate the upcoming new house, which stands two stories tall and includes a full basement, was designed by prolific L.A. architect Ken Ungar, perhaps one of the Westside’s most prolific and successful designers of large modern farmhouse-style mansions.

      The property will also contain a backyard swimming pool, plus a pool house or poolside cabana of some sort. No word about whether it will feature a full-size tennis court, however, as the original Zimmerman property did.

      The Zimmerman House (right) sits almost directly across the street from two Brentwood homes owned by Maria Shriver.

      Google Earth

      It’s probably little wonder that Pratt and Schwarzenegger selected the Zimmerman house as the lot they wanted, because the tree-shaded property happens to sit almost directly across the street from a two-house compound owned by Schwarzenegger’s mother Maria Shriver. Other nearby neighbors include Arianna Huffington and Sofia Richie.

      While they wait for their new Brentwood digs to be completed, Pratt and Schwarzenegger continue to own their “old” house, a heavily renovated mansion in the hills of Pacific Palisades. The contemporary Mediterranean-style manor, given an extensive refresh during the couple’s tenure, remains on the open market, asking $30 million. More

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      Two Days After Selling for $17 Million, a Sleek Beverly Hills Mansion Pops Up for Rent

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      Alon Abady was busy wheeling and dealing in 2023. Not only did the Los Angeles-based real estate investor buy and then flip Simon Cowell’s former Beverly Hills mansion for nearly $34 million—in what was one of the priciest deals ever closed south of Sunset Boulevard—but he also sold an extravagant Coachella Valley estate in The Madison Club to Justin Bieber and his wife Hailey for well over double what he paid for the place in 2019.

      Now, in his latest off-market transaction, the managing partner of the commercial and residential reaal estate investment firm Waterfall Bridge Capital has picked up yet another Beverly Hills home. Records show Abady paid $17 million in March for the Laurel Way residence, which was previously owned by prominent conservationists Dan and Susan Gottlieb, of Gottlieb Native Garden fame, then immediately hoisted the contemporary spread onto the rental market with a steep $125,000-per-month price tag.

      The Gottliebs paid $18 million for the for the contemporary Paul McClean-designed mansion back in late 2019, right around the time it was completed and outfitted with interiors by Plus Design Studio. Boasting a striking glass and stone exterior, the multi-level structure has five bedrooms and nine baths in a little more than 11,200 square feet of travertine- and wood-clad living space, all accessible via an eye-catching bridge entryway overlooking an inviting lounge area flanked by a living wall and water feature enhanced with a fanciful tree sculpture.

      A tree sculpture nestled amid the lower-level water feature serves as a focal point for surrounding living and wellness spaces.

      Ryan Lahiff

      Other highlights include glitzy amenities, such as a wet bar-equipped game room, tiered movie theater, fitness studio sporting a sauna and six-car garage. A formal living room displays an eye-catching linear fireplace, custom seated bar and walls of glass spilling outside, while a family room and dining area connect to a gourmet kitchen outfitted with dual islands and high-end appliances.

      There’s also a glass-lined master retreat offering a fireside sitting area, private balcony overlooking city and ocean vistas, walk-in closet, and luxe bath spotlighted by an oval soaking tub and large glass-encased shower; and outdoors, the landscaped grounds span a half-acre, and host an infinity-edge pool with a spa and sunken fire-pit, along with numerous spots ideal for al fresco lounging and entertaining.

      The listing was held by Ernie Carswell of Douglas Elliman and Lea Porter of The Beverly Hills Estates. Branden Williams and Rayni Williams of Beverly Hills Estates repped the buyer, with Rayni Williams now serving as the rental listing agent.

      Click here for more photos of the Laurel Way House.

      Ryan Lahiff More

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      Former Talk Show Host Jenny Jones Sells $8 Million Beverly Hills Mansion

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      Three years ago, Jenny Jones—who long lived in L.A.’s exclusive Mulholland Estates community—bought a $3.7 million house in the far-flung L.A. suburb of Westlake Village, within the posh Sherwood Country Club guard-gated enclave. The house, which sits on a particularly pretty 0.67-acre lot with views of golf greens and the surrounding hills, offers four bedrooms and 4.5 baths in nearly 5,000 square feet of luxe living space. So it’s not entirely surprising that records reveal Jones has now sold her old L.A. house, in an $8 million deal inked last month.

      Though she may no longer sport a high-profile name recognizable to most young people, Jenny Jones was a talk show titan of her day, right up there with veterans that included Geraldo Rivera, Phil Donahue, Leeza Gibbons, Arsenio Hall and Rosie O’Donnell. Originally introduced in 1991, The Jenny Jones Show lasted until 2003, and during its run the series helped usher in a new wave of internet-fueled, more intimate pop culture.

      Jones, now 77 and born in Palestine but raised in Canada, enjoyed 12 lucrative years of TV syndication through her Warner Bros. distributor. In its first two seasons, her show had a traditional, Oprah-style talk show bent, but later seasons moved toward Maury Povitch and Jerry Springer territory with themes that included paternity tests and makeovers for strippers. Unfortunately, The Jenny Jones Show is probably best-remembered today for its part in a 1995 murder; in March, a Michigan man named Scott Amedure and his neighbor Jonathan Schmitz were featured on a taped episode in which Amedure confessed his love to an unsuspecting Schmitz. Three days later, Schmitz shot and killed Amedure. (Though Amedure’s family later sued Jones’ show for $25 million and initially won, the case was ultimately overturned.)

      Located in an exclusive gated community, the 90210 estate was owned by Jones for nearly 20 years.

      As for Jones’s old Mulholland Estates house, the large clapboard-sided, Cape Cod-inspired traditional mansion sits high in the mountains between Beverly Hills and Sherman Oaks. Though the $8 million deal was inked off-market, thus rendering photos and details scant, tax records indicate the 7,600-square-foot residence features five bedrooms and seven bathrooms. While the home’s new owners are not famous the ex-Jones property sits right next door to the longtime home of reality TV superstar Kendall Jenner. Other celebrity homeowners in the same neighborhood include Christina Aguilera, Rob Dyrdek, Vanna White and Paris Hilton.

      Built in 1991, Jones acquired the property in 2005 for $6.4 million. Other features and amenities include a lagoon-style pool and spa surrounded by a flagstone patio and white picket fence, a private tennis court and a three-car garage, all of it set on a nearly one-acre lot shaded by mature trees. More