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      A Late Billionaire’s Historic Mansion Gets Drastic $55 Million Price Cut

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      Almost five months after it officially hit the market with an eye-popping $250 million price tag—and just a few short weeks 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, this time with a substantially reduced $195 million ask. Back in 2019, it also was quietly floated as an off-market pocket listing, asking $225 million.

      Originally designed and built way back in the 1930s by architect James Dolena, to the reported tune 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 for a mere $225,000 in 1950.

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

      Simon Berlyn

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

      Tucked away behind walls and gates, amid an 8.4-acre hilltop parcel that juts out over the Bel Air Country Club golf course, the H-shaped mansion is fronted by a motorcourt bolstered by a bubbling fountain and an opulent neoclassical portico entrance, and features seven bedrooms and 20 baths filtered across 40,000 square feet. There also are plenty of glitzy amenities, including a pool pavilion with a bar and movie theater.

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

      Simon Berlyn

      Inside the primary 60-room residence, a grand double-height entry foyer displaying a sweeping staircase greets and flows to a reception hall resting beneath an 18-foot ceiling. From there, the living space is highlighted by dual living and dining rooms, along with a wet bar-equipped den/card room and handsome walnut-paneled study/office lined with floor-to-ceiling bookcases. There’s also a 3,500-square-foot master retreat boasting double sitting rooms and baths.

      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 views; and the resort-like grounds also host rose, herb and tropical gardens, as well as an 80-foot pool, a desirable north/south tennis court with a viewing pavilion, an additional sport court, and numerous spots ideal for al fresco lounging and entertaining.

      A poolside pavilion comes complete with a movie theater.

      Simon Berlyn

      In addition to the Bel Air estate, which is co-listed by Kurt Rappaport of Westside Estate Agency and Drew Fenton of Carolwood Estates, 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 $4.5 million.

      Click here for more photos of Casa Encantada.

      Simon Berlyn More

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      Melanie Martinez’s Stylish Los Angeles Retreat Is Up for Grabs

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      Now that she’s upgraded into a sprawling Mediterranean-style property in Topanga Canyon, an unincorporated Los Angeles neighborhood tucked into the remote hills between Malibu and the San Fernando Valley, Melanie Martinez has unsurprisingly put her custom-built equestrian spread in the prestigious guard-gated Bell Canyon community due north of Calabasas up for sale.

      Records show the singer, songwriter and producer—who first gained fame as a contestant on The Voice in 2012 at just 16 years old, and subsequently blossomed into a “pop star plucked from the imagination of Dr. Seuss”—doled out $3.1 million over the summer for her new home, which has three bedrooms and four baths in a little more than 3,300 square feet of living space.

      Martinez recently paid $3.1 million for this gated estate in semi-remote Topanga Canyon.

      Google Earth

      Meanwhile, the other place she paid $2.1 million for in an August 2022 bidding war is already up for sale at $2.85 million.

      Resting behind a gated brick driveway, amid a heavily wooded parcel spanning almost an acre, the creamy stucco and wood-trimmed structure was custom built in 1979. Stylishly updated during Martinez’s short tenure, the two-story house features four bedrooms and a matching number of baths in 3,420 square feet of open-concept living space adorned throughout with hardwood floors, high ceilings, arched doorways and detailed woodwork.

      Set behind gates and a private brick driveway, the custom-built home draws heavy inspiration from French Normandy architecture.

      Lacey Wood Photography

      Especially standing out is a portico entryway that opens into an eye-catching foyer displaying a vaulted ceiling and staircase. From there, steps descend to a living room sporting a stone fireplace, wall of windows and wet bar, while a family room boasting a two-way white brick fireplace connects to a “completely reimagined” kitchen outfitted with an eat-in island and top-tier stainless appliances. Elsewhere are an office space and a dining room topped by a wrought-iron chandelier.

      Upstairs, the spacious primary bedroom is showcased by a sitting area, walk-in closet, and spa-like bath equipped with dual vanities, a soaking tub and separate shower; and outdoors, the secluded backyard hosts a sundeck-encased pool and spa flanked by a barbecue and kitchen setup with a fireplace, along with a covered terrace ideal for al fresco entertaining. There’s also a barn with three horse stalls, as well as a motorcourt and an attached three-car garage out front.

      The formal living room is highlighted by an exposed-beam ceiling, a bay window and floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace incorporating built-in shelving.

      Lacey Wood Photography

      Listed by Steve Clark of Backbeat Homes, the Bell Canyon property also comes with a $280-per-month HOA fee that provides the new owner with access to the community’s clubhouse and fitness center, tennis courts, and hiking, biking and horse trails.

      Now 28, the New York native is signed to Atlantic Records, through which she released her debut single and EP Dollhouse. The eccentric, visually oriented musician followed that up with the studio albums Cry Baby and K-12 (with an accompanying film), and the EP After School. Most recently, Martinez released Portals, which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200.

      Click here for more photos of Melanie Martinez’s Bell Canyon house.

      Lacey Wood Photography More

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      Michelle Pfeiffer Pays $10 Million for a Sophisticated L.A. Estate on the Palisades Riviera

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      It’s no secret that Michelle Pfeiffer and her television producer husband David E. Kelley have a thing for the posh Westside of Los Angeles. The couple has bought and sold a number of homes there over the past few years, frequently at eye-popping prices. Two years ago, they inked a widely publicized deal to sell a Pacific Palisades mansion for $25 million to the ex-wife of a major TikTok investor. And way back in 2005, they sold a palatial Brentwood home for $18 million to its current owner—Disney CEO Bob Iger.

      Now the serial house flippers are at it again; records indicate they’ve ponied up $10.6 million to acquire a house located in a particularly prime pocket of the so-called Pacific Palisades Riviera. The 7,600-square-foot mansion happens to sit right next door to Bill Cosby’s longtime L.A. home, and it’s also sugar-borrowing distance from the lavish estates of Steven Spielberg, Sugar Ray Leonard and Dan Castellaneta.

      Built in 1993, the Mediterranean-inspired mansion last sold in 1995 for $2.8 million to legendary winemaker Al Scheid, who died in the house earlier this year. Kelley and Pfeiffer were eager to secure the keys to their very beige new castle, as they paid some $130,000 over the Scheid family’s initial asking price.

      The flat 0.38-acre lot is defined by the exceptionally tall trees that ring its perimeter; they dominate the front motorcourt, which is double-gated and features an attached three-car garage. Arched double front doors open into a grand formal entryway highlighted by a sweeping staircase. To the right of the foyer lies a fireplace-equipped living room brightened by multi-pane windows.

      Many of the other rooms are pleasingly luxurious ’90s decorative throwbacks, including the family room—with its granite-topped wet bar and burled hardwood floors—and the kitchen, which spills out into “an informal secondary family room,” per the listing. Upstairs are four of the home’s five bedrooms, all of them decked out in wall-to-wall carpeting. The supersized primary suite features a fireplace, dual closets, a sitting area and a private balcony overlooking the grassy yard.

      Out back, a vine-draped loggia hosts an outdoor dining patio, while terracotta tile steps lead down to rectangular swimming pool shaded by manicured hedgerows and multiple palm trees.

      Pfeiffer and Kelley also have ties to this smaller Palisades home, currently for sale at $7.4 million.

      Open House Foto

      Records also indicate that this is not the only Pacific Palisades property Pfeiffer and Kelley currently own. They’ve also got a far smaller and older house elsewhere in the neighborhood, which happens to be currently up for grabs at $7.4 million. The couple quietly bought that 1940s place in late 2021, paying $6.9 million. More

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      Rodney Dangerfield’s Widow Relists Snazzy Art Deco Home in L.A. at New Lower Price

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      This property surely deserves more respect! Almost nine months after it first hit the market with a nearly $18 million price tag, Joan Dangerfield’s contemporary art deco residence in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles has lingered on the market with no takers. But now it’s popped up for sale again, this time with freshly staged interiors, updated listing photos, a new agent and substantially reduced $17 million ask.

      The widow of legendary comedian Rodney Dangerfield, who passed away in 2004 due to heart surgery complications, plucked up the premises some 18 years ago for $6.25 million. She recently told The Wall Street Journal, “I stepped 3 feet into the house and I knew it was the place for me…It swept me away.”

      So why hasn’t the estate sold? Though it’s comparably priced with other homes in the area, perhaps one reason is because the full-price offers she has received to date have included complicated contingencies, per WSJ, such as requiring her to provide seller financing. “I figured it would sell in a week, but didn’t quite work out that way,” she has said, adding that it’s been a shock “to just watch it sit there on the market.”

      The two-story structure has been described in previous listings as a “rarified art deco contemporary home.”

      Built in 2004, and designed by John Andrews Group Architects, the two-story white structure features four bedrooms and six baths in around 5,400 square feet of living space boasting floor-to-ceiling walls of glass providing jetliner views stretching from Downtown L.A. to the ocean and Catalina Island.

      Tucked securely away behind lush greenery, on a corner parcel spanning over a quarter-acre of land on the coveted front row of the Bird Streets enclave of L.A., the dwelling is accessed via a gated driveway that empties out at a spacious motorcourt flanked by a two-car garage. A striking art deco-inspired entryway then opens via a glassy front door into a double-height foyer, which displays a circular skylight sporting a dangling chandelier and curving wrought-iron staircase heading up to the primary living area.

      A central living room is accented by a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows framing picturesque vistas.

      From there, a fireside living room is lined with retractable glass doors opening seamlessly to a backyard decked out with an infinity-edge pool and spa nestled alongside a fire-pit and bust of Dangerfield himself, plus a terrazzo-clad patio ideal for al fresco lounging and entertaining; and other highlights include a formal dining room, as well as a sleekly designed gourmet kitchen outfitted with top-tier stainless appliances, a center island and breakfast nook bathed in natural sunlight.

      Sequestered off by itself is a massive primary bedroom suite, which comes complete with a fireplace, “boutique-worthy” closet, and luxe bath equipped with dual vanities, a soaking tub and an oversized shower. Rounding it all out down below: a plush movie theater and direct access to the attached garage.

      The listing is held by Aaron Kirman of AKG | Christie’s International Real Estate.

      Click here for more photos of Joan Dangerfield’s House. More

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      Fashion Designer Gigi Caruso Spends $9.5 Million on a Dreamy California Home

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      She’s just 23 years old, but Gianna “Gigi” Caruso is already the CEO and founder of a successful clothing company with the sort of finger-on-the-collective-pulse clout many more established apparel moguls would kill to have. Founded in 2017, Caruso’s Gigi C swimwear line is a pricey hit, with her $200 bikini sets having racked up a host of celebrity fans that include Eva Longoria, January Jones, Selma Blair and Elizabeth Banks. And it’s no wonder that the brand’s continued growth, coupled with its owner’s chic personal style, has turned Caruso a popular social media influencer.

      Of course, it’s also worth noting that Caruso is the only daughter of Rick Caruso, the high-profile real estate developer and onetime L.A. mayoral candidate who has built and owns some of the country’s most successful shopping malls. The elder Caruso’s personal net worth tops $5.3 billion, per Forbes.

      So it’s hardly a surprise that Gigi Caruso can afford some very nice things. The recent USC grad recently forked out $9.5 million for a stunningly refined house in prime Pacific Palisades, the seaside neighborhood well known for the upscale, and Rick Caruso-developed, Palisades Village outdoor shopping area.

      The 100-year-old heritage olive trees arguably upstage the elegant house itself.

      Built in 2007 but extensively renovated in 2019, the contemporary quasi-Spanish-Mediterranean villa was in demand, with Caruso ponying up $30,000 over the asking price just to secure the keys. Gnarled, century-old olive tees line the long private driveway, which is guarded by an electronic gate and butts up against an attached two-car garage. Also on tap outside are tranquil gardens and a private studio space ideal for the at-home artist.

      Inside, the long and narrow house packs a generous seven bedrooms and seven baths into nearly 6,000 square feet of sun-drenched living space. Medium brown hardwood floors neatly contrast against the pale decor, a neutral palette filled mostly with whites and some pops of light gray.

      The main floor features numerous sets of French doors and multiple fireplaces.

      On the main floor are dual fireplaces and a dizzying number of open living and dining areas, plus two guest bedrooms and a fashionably updated chef’s kitchen. Upstairs is the primary suite, where a private balcony overlooks the lush backyard, along with four additional family bedrooms.

      Out back, the 0.33-acre lot is defined by its oversized swimming pool, which neatly connects the main house to a detached casita. Guests will enjoy dining al fresco amid the manicured gardens, along with a built-in bbq center and a separate lounge area with a fire pit overlooking impressive canyon views.

      Privately surrounded by hedges and eucalyptus trees, the backyard is a resort-style sanctuary.

      Records reveal the seller home’s was James Barker, a trucking mogul and private equity veteran who recently paid $16.5 million to upgrade into a significantly larger and more lavish estate elsewhere in the Palisades. As for Caruso, she’s certainly not new to the area. Her parents have long owned one of the largest properties in L.A.’s Brentwood Park community; Vanity Fair recently described the palatial Caruso family estate as “a creamy Italianate compound of rolling grasses, waterfalls, a pond, a rowboat, a tennis court, and an outdoor bar.” More

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      An MTV Founder Snaps Up a Stunning 1970s Time Capsule in Santa Monica for $8 Million

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      Looking for a real estate throwback? Check out this fun and funky—but still remarkably luxurious and searingly expensive—house on the Westside of Los Angeles. Situated mid-block on what has long been considered one of Santa Monica‘s most prestigious streets, the property boasts panoramic views that sweep from the mountains to the sea. Neighbors include Paul Attanasio, The Simpsons creator Matt Groening, and Steve Jobs’s sister Mona Simpson.

      The well-positioned house just sold for $7.9 million to John Sykes, a veteran entertainment industry executive who co-founded MTV and has been iHeartMedia’s president of entertainment enterprises for over a decade. Sykes, 68, is also the former president of VH1 and the current chairman of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation.

      Built in 1941 and expanded in the late 1940s, the offbeat traditional-style house sold in 1972 for just $150,000. Those lucky buyers held onto the property for 50 years, selling it last fall for exactly $9 million to a non-famous L.A. family. But unfortunately for them, that family appears to have had a change of heart — nine months later, the house was back on the market, asking $9.5 million. After a big price reduction, Sykes came along and negotiated an even deeper discount.

      The 1970s-throwback interiors will have you hooked on a feeling.

      Inside, there are five bedrooms and five baths in just under 4,000 square feet. And nearly every inch of those square feet is a 1970s time capsule, with wood paneling galore, groovy wet bars, charmingly outdated wallpaper and a smattering of pastel colors setting the beat. Dozens of oversized windows scattered throughout the house flood the place with natural light, while sliding glass doors allow ocean breezes to waft inside and back out.

      Speaking of outside, the backyard definitely dates to a bygone era but is remarkably well maintained — much like the home itself. The generous half-acre lot includes grassy lawns, mature palm trees, a towering hedge wall for privacy, and a large swimming pool encircled by a patio sure to delight sunbathers and entertainers alike. Also on tap are rose gardens, flowering bunches of bougainvillea and an attached two-car garage.

      Per the listing, “the property yearns for one to bring it back to all of its glory or reimagine the lot,” so it seems likely the estate will be altered considerably in the coming months and years.

      No word yet regarding what exactly Sykes and his wife Laurie plan to do with their new West Coast outpost, or whether they plan to eventually make the spread their main residence, but records reveal the couple has long owned a compound that sits less than 50 yards from the beach in New York’s posh East Hampton neighborhood.

      Click here for more photos of John Sykes’s new Santa Monica house. More

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      YouTuber Cody Ko’s Cozy Oceanfront Beach House in Malibu Resurfaces for $3.7 Million

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      Now that Cody Ko has had a few months to settle into Reese Witherspoon’s former vacation home resting in the foothills just above Malibu’s Zuma Beach, the popular YouTuber/podcaster and his fellow influencer wife Kelsey Kreppel are doubling down on their efforts to unload the oceanfront getaway in the far western reaches of the same city that they’ve shared since winter 2021. First listed for a smidge under $4 million, the house just popped up for sale again, this time with a reduced $3.7 million asking price.

      Purchased by Ko for $3.6 million barely two years ago, back in winter 2021, the dwelling was built in the early 1970s and has since been extensively renovated. Nestled within a gated community right next to a contemporary Ed Niles-designed mansion that’s currently listed for nearly $60 million, the property includes a two-bedroom, two-bath main house, plus a detached guesthouse with its own bedroom and bath, for a total of almost 1,800 square feet of living space offering sweeping coastline views stretching from the Channel Islands to Catalina.

      An open-air courtyard separating the main home and guesthouse is spotlighted by a custom-built fireplace.

      As for the main two-story home, highlights include a living room displaying a floor-to-ceiling stacked-stone fireplace and glass doors spilling out to a covered wood deck overlooking the Pacific. Also standing out on the bottom floor is a small yet sleekly designed kitchen, which comes complete with granite countertops, top-tier stainless appliances and an accompanying dining area.

      The primary bedroom has wall-to-wall windows framing picturesque ocean vistas.

      Two en-suite bedrooms can be found on the upper level, including a glass-lined master retreat sporting a luxe bath equipped with a snazzy vanity and soaking tub/shower combo; and rounding it all out is the aforementioned guesthouse, which is separated from the primary home by an open-air courtyard warmed by another large fireplace. There’s also access to two sandy beaches, outdoor sport courts and deeded parking for four vehicles courtesy of a $740 per month fee.

      Homeowners enjoy access to a half basketball court on the premises.

      Born in Canada, Ko is probably best known for co-hosting the award-winning Tiny Meat Gang podcast with longtime friend Noel Miller, while Los Angeles native Kreppel is a former preschool teacher who now vlogs about fashion, owns her own fashion and accessories line, and hosts the Circle Time podcast.

      The pair—who collaborate on certain series like Couples Cringe—were wed earlier this year, and picked up a 1.8-acre Malibu estate for $7.7 million in April from Meg Haney—the Tennessee-born daughter of Chattanooga real estate billionaire Franklin Haney—who purchased the spread from Witherspoon and ex-husband Jim Toth for $6.7 million back in 2020. Ko and Kreppel also recently sold their architectural compound in Venice’s Silver Triangle for the exact asking price of $4.3 million. 

      The listing is held by Eric Haskell and Billy Rose of The Agency.

      Click here for more photos of Cody Ko’s Malibu beach house. More

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      Freshly Rehabbed, Architect Ray Kappe’s First Ever House Is Quintessential California Modernism

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      Widely considered one of California’s most influential modernist architects, Ray Kappe’s career spanned decades and inspired countless members of the current generation of architects and designers. And as a pioneer of the distinctive post-and-beam style that would come to define the architectural bent that became SoCal modernism, Kappe infused each of the numerous custom residences he designed with textures and materials he drew from L.A.’s natural landscape.

      That design sensibility that married Kappe’s homes with their natural surroundings is especially displayed in this suburban L.A. home, which happens to be his very first residential project ever completed. Built circa 1954 in the Glendale hills and surrounded by thick groves of native oak trees, the redwood-sided structure is locally known as the Gordon & Hildred Goetschel House after its original owners.

      Kappe’s first project is also the latest project by HabHouse, the L.A. based design firm that has built its reputation upon sensitive rehabilitations of architectural properties. In this instance, HabHouse reinstated or refurbished much of the home’s original detailing and also completely renovated the Kappe-designed swimming pool with modern-day equipment, plaster, tile and new coping. 

      The living room offers a floor-to-ceiling fireplace and walls of glass.

      if the HabHouse name sounds particularly familiar, it’s likely because this same crew was also responsible for a 1950 modernist gem in Brentwood, which recently sold in a bidding war to “Euphoria” actress Hunter Schafer. This property was also in high demand – the Glendale house sold before officially hitting the market, for about $2.6 million in an all-cash deal. Records indicate the buyer is a Salt Lake City-based woman who was once married to a wealthy tech entrepreneur.

      Framed by a wall of unpainted masonry block, the glass-walled pavilion is exquisite in its simplicity. Inside, natural light floods every corner of the hillside home, with the ancient trees casting shadows that stealthily move and grow throughout the day. 

      Other highlights include a fully redone kitchen with a distinctly retro vibe, an attached two-car garage and an 8,400-square-foot lot with backyard views of the Verdugo mountains. Back inside, there are three bedrooms and two bathrooms in a relatively cozy 1,700 square feet of living space.

      The backyard has mountain views framed by the treetops of ancient oaks.

      Kappe, who died at age 92 in 2019, designed 100 custom residences throughout his lifetime. He also founded the Southern California Institute for Architecture, widely regarded as one of the nation’s top architecture schools.

      Matt Adamo of Christie’s AKG held the listing; Nate Cole of Modern California House and Joseph Kiralla of Sotheby’s International Realty repped the buyer.

      Click here for more photos of 272 Mesa Lila, Glendale. More