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      Philanthropist Ann Lurie Seeks $12.8 Million for Magical Santa Barbara Estate

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      Ann Lurie has hoisted her longtime midcentury residence in Santa Barbara’s posh seaside Montecito enclave onto the market with a nearly $12.9 million price tag. Records show the prominent philanthropist—widow of the late Chicago entrepreneur Robert H. Lurie, a partner of real estate magnate Sam Zell, as well as part owner of the Chicago White Sox and Bulls sports teams—acquired the sprawling estate for $8.3 million a little more than 18 years ago, back in summer 2005.

      Originally designed and built in the late 1940s by landscape architect Lockwood de Forest Jr., and subsequently updated and expanded through the years, the property is sited on over 3 acres, amid a walled and gated cul-de-sac lot brimming with mature oak, redwood and fruit trees, and is showcased by a sprawling five-bedroom, five-bath main house adorned throughout with rustic wood accents and expansive walls of glass providing seamless indoor/outdoor environs.

      A vintage fireplace serves as a centerpiece of the windowed media room.

      Highlights include an entry foyer topped by a wood-trimmed skylight, as well as an office sporting a built-in desk and a cozy media room warmed by an eye-catching fireplace. The kitchen is outfitted with a central island, stainless appliances and an accompanying breakfast nook, and elsewhere is a fireside master retreat boasting a bath equipped with a steel-encased soaking tub and sauna.

      Especially standing out are the grassy grounds, which host an elaborate kitchen and barbecue setup resting next to an al fresco dining area, along with a sunken fire-pit, and massive infinity-edge pool and spa flanked by a wood sundeck overlooking the breathtaking scenery. There’s also a separate one-bedroom, one-bath guesthouse with its own living area and kitchen, plus a detached three-car garage.

      A sail-shaped pool overlooks the ocean.

      Lurie inherited her husband’s substantial wealth after his 1990 death from colon cancer at age 48. As president of the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Foundation, she’s since made it her full-time mission to fund various causes, including cancer research and children’s health care. Among her largest gifts to date: a $100 million contribution in 2007 to the Children’s Memorial Hospital to help build a new pediatric research hospital; completed in 2012, it was named the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago.

      She previously sold a historic 18,000-square-foot home in Chicago’s Gold Coast neighborhood to the Latin School of Chicago for $12 million in 2017—the highest-priced sale in the Chicago area at the time.

      The listing is by the Randy Solakian Estates Group, a team affiliated with the Montecito office of Coldwell Banker Realty.

      Click here for more photos of Ann Lurie’s Santa Barbara house.

      Gavin Palmer More

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      The Weeknd’s Manager Splashed Out $10 Million on This Stunning L.A. Estate

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      Originally built in 1988, this Los Angeles mansion was once an ultra-dated shrine to late-80s opulence, complete with frilly window treatments, a carpeted staircase and chintz galore. In 2018, the unloved Woodland Hills manor sold for just $1.5 million, according to public records, despite its five bedrooms and six baths in nearly 8,000 square feet of living space.

      The new owners, a local couple in the food truck business, invested heavily in upgrading and expanding the property. Five years later, the house is back and has just sold for $9.8 million to Wassim “Sal” Slaiby, the music executive best known as the longtime co-manager of The Weeknd, whose recent After Hours Til Dawn tour raked in more than $350 million worldwide.

      Perhaps it’s no surprise that a perfectionist like Slaiby was attracted to the newly renovated estate. After all, the place has everything — the enlarged main house now spans some 9,500 square feet and is joined by a 450-square-foot guesthouse and a separate poolside cabana. Spanning more than three-fourths of a full acre, the property is tucked away inside an exclusive guard-gated community and flaunts state-of-the-art Control4 home automation and Lutron lighting systems.

      New enlarged windows flood the foyer with natural light.

      The Luxury Level

      Other brand-new amenities include a basketball court that is “NCAA regulation size,” per the listing, a six-hole putting green, a new sparkling pool with porcelain edges, a glass-walled spa and a soundproof movie theater with 4k surround-sound and a 10-foot screen. The cabana includes a massage room and a convenient full bathroom, and there’s also a full outdoor kitchen catering to the expansive backyard.

      Inside, the decorative fireworks begin with a 10-foot pivot front door, which opens into a foyer with a towering ceiling and abundant natural light, while the kitchen is headlined by massive dual islands, both topped by textured caesarstone quartz. The primary bedroom is ensconced in its own private wing of the house and features a gas fireplace, spa-style bathrooms, two walk-in closets and a private balcony with a fire-pit.

      The 0.79-acre property backs up to a nature preserve, while the resort-style backyard features a poolside cabana and sports court.

      The Luxury Level

      And car enthusiasts will drool over the renovated three-car garage, which is now temperature-controlled and features epoxy floors and glass doors. Per the listing, a black Ferrari 458 Italia could “also be negotiated into the final sales price.” No word on whether the Ferrari actually changed hands, but Slaiby is a big fan of expensive cars, so it seems likely he was interested.

      Though he’s still best known for his association with The Weeknd, Slaiby also manages Doja Cat, Nicki Minaj, French Montana and Bebe Rexha through his SALXCO management firm. And in addition to the new Woodland Hills masterpiece, Slaiby and his former Miss USA wife Rima Fakih also maintain two multimillion-dollar homes in the nearby Encino neighborhood. More

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      NHL Star Anze Kopitar Seeks Record $37 Million for SoCal Compound Fit for a King

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      Always wanted to live like royalty—specifically, a Slovenia-born hockey player with countless accolades under his puck? Now’s your chance, because the striking Manhattan Beach spread that L.A. Kings veteran Anze Kopitar has called home for the past several years has just popped up for sale, as was first reported by the Daily Breeze.

      The asking price is an eye-watering $37 million—or $27 million more than the two-time Stanley cup champ and his wife Ines doled out for a duo of neighboring homes nine years ago, back in November 2014, before they completely rebuilt every inch of the premises in 2018. Should the place go for anywhere near the hefty list price, it would set a record for the coastal city.

      An ocean-view living room is warmed by a fireplace.

      Kim Pritchard for Vista Sotheby’s International Realty

      Resting on a double lot nestled alongside a pedestrian-only street that leads directly to the beach, the property features a multi-level main house and separate guesthouse—for a total of seven bedrooms and 10 baths sprawled across a little more than 7,600 square feet of living space. Notable amenities include an elevator, office, a screening room, gym and climate-controlled wine display.

      Especially standing out in the five-bedroom, seven-bath main home is a living room displaying a fireplace, ample built-ins, and doors flowing out to a fireside balcony sporting a pair of swinging sofas. Right around the corner is a gourmet kitchen outfitted with an eat-in island, a La Cornue range, wine cooler, two refrigerators and an adjacent dining area that opens to a partially enclosed balcony with a barbecue station.

      The pool and spa can easily be covered to create a courtyard area for entertaining guests.

      Kim Pritchard for Vista Sotheby’s International Realty

      Elsewhere is a posh master retreat boasting a walk-in closet and an ocean-view balcony, along with a luxe bath adorned with dual vanities, a soaking tub and shower; and outdoors, the grounds host a fully equipped Lynx outdoor kitchen with a pizza oven and two barbecues, along with a swimming pool and spa that can be converted into an al fresco entertaining courtyard with the touch of a button.

      Topping it all off is the two-bedroom, two-bath guesthouse, which has its own living area, kitchen and roof deck. There’s also solar panels and Tesla Powerwall-equipped parking space for up to five vehicles.

      The listing is held by June Emerson of Vista Sotheby’s International Realty.

      Click here for more photos of Anze Kopitar’s Manhattan Beach house.

      Kim Pritchard for Vista Sotheby’s International Realty More

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      Jennifer Lopez’s Lavish Bel Air Retreat Sells to the Neighbors for $34 Million

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      A little more than eight months after it first popped up for sale with an impressive $42.5 million ask, a sprawling Bel Air estate owned by multi-hyphenate entertainer Jennifer Lopez has officially traded hands for the heavily slashed yet still pricey sum of $34 million. But that’s still $6 million more than she paid actress Sela Ward for the place back in spring 2016.

      Property records reveal the buyers are Taiwanese businessman Walter Wang, president and CEO of JM Eagle, the world’s largest manufacturer of plastic and PVC pipe, and his wife Shirley, founder and CEO of Plastpro, a top fiberglass door manufacturer. The couple, who regularly fund various philanthropic projects through their family foundation and Los Angeles-based companies, happen to have long owned two Bel Air homes just a few doors away from their big new spread.

      When combined with their additional $2.1 million and $3.9 million estates on the same street, this purchase gives the Wangs over 9 acres of land just minutes from the Bel Air Hotel, plus three homes—for a total of 18 bedrooms, 23 baths and more than 23,000 square feet of living space between them.

      Originally designed by architect Samuel Marx, and built in 1940, the Wang’s recently acquired residence was transformed during Lopez’s tenure into what the listing describes as a “one-of-a-kind multi-structure French Country refuge.”

      A double-height living room is decked out with a fireplace and curving wrought-iron staircase.

      Jeremy Spann

      Tucked away behind a gated driveway, on a nearly 8-acre parcel, the creamy stucco and wood-accented dwelling features nine bedrooms and 13 baths in a little more than 12,800 square feet of living space that opens throughout to expansive terraces. There also are plenty of snazzy amenities—a guest cottage, gym, 100-seat amphitheater, pagoda with fire-pit, putting green, an infinity-edge pool and spa, and a private lake with its own sandy beach, just for starters.

      Other standout features include a soaring wet bar-equipped living room boasting a fireplace and curving wrought-iron staircase, along with a formal dining room, wood-paneled library, and gourmet kitchen outfitted with a stone fireplace and cozy breakfast nook. A spacious family/game room has yet another wet bar, while the lower-level holds a plush movie theater, and an upstairs master bedroom wing comes complete with a fireplace, library/sitting room, and dual dressing rooms and baths.

      The amenity-packed grounds are spotlighted by a striking infinity-edge pool and spa.

      Jeremy Spann

      Lopez and her actor husband Ben Affleck—who sold his Palisades bachelor pad in October 2022 for $28.5 million—had planned to renovate and live in her Bel Air mansion after they were married a little over a year ago, per TMZ. But they went on to reside in a rental, before ultimately doling out $61 million in cash this past May for a massive compound in the Benedict Canyon neighborhood of Beverly Hills.

      Between them, the pair also owns an 87-acre Georgia estate that’s currently on the market for $8.9 million, as well as a New York City penthouse, mansion in the Hamptons and petite cottage in L.A.’s Encino neighborhood.

      The listing was held by Brett Lawyer of Carolwood Estates; Lea Porter of The Beverly Hills Estates repped the buyers.

      Click here for more photos of Jennifer Lopez’s Bel Air house.

      Jeremy Spann More

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      On the Heels of Her Wedding, Frances Bean Cobain Buys and Sells Cozy San Diego Houses

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      Earlier this month, rock ‘n’ roll heiress Frances Bean Cobain married Tony Hawk’s son Riley in a small but highly publicized ceremony officiated by R.E.M. lead singer Michael Stipe. How legendarily ’90s-chic is that?

      Perhaps in preparation for her new marital status, Cobain has also been busy on the real estate front. Property records reveal the only child of Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love is changing addresses in the San Diego area, having recently thrown down about $2.3 million to buy a single-level house in the coastal city of Oceanside. Shortly after that, as first reported by Realtor.com, the 31-year-old sold her Point Loma home of two years for nearly $2.5 million.

      Cobain’s purchased this Point Loma home in 2021 and recently sold it for $2.5 million.

      Google Earth

      Built in 1990, Cobain’s former home appears quite modest from the street, fronted as it is by a single-car garage and single-car driveway. But inside, the open-concept floorplan features more than 1,800 square feet of harmonious living space wedded together by new hardwood floors, crisp white walls and a freshly redesigned kitchen with stone countertops.

      Other highlights include three bedrooms, walls of glass doors that spill out to a wooden deck overlooking a heated swimming pool, AstroTurf lawns for carefree maintenance, and tropical landscaping that surrounds a fire-pit seating area and covered lanai. At the far rear of the 7,000-square-foot lot lies a detached two-car garage with discreet alleyway access.

      Cobain and Riley Hawk recently settled into this breezy Oceanside property, a 1920s ranch-style home surrounded by dense landscaping.

      Google Earth

      Cobain’s new house is only slightly smaller than her old place — weighing in at a still-very-reasonable 2,000 square feet — but offers five bedrooms and an impressively large lot with a half-acre of flat land. The property is also located in a more laidback and family-friendly area of town.

      Originally built in 1926 but fully revamped and expanded in recent years, the new Cobain-Hawk digs sport extensive “green energy features,” per the listing, including native landscaping, a new reverse osmosis water system, a solar energy system and EV charging stations. Other notable amenities are a saltwater swimming pool and a separate cedar hot tub, a loft-like room that would be ideal as an art studio, Italian porcelain floors and a kitchen with premium Sub-Zero appliances.

      Cobain, who controls the publicity rights to her famous father’s name and image, previously owned two multimillion-dollar homes in L.A.’s Hollywood Hills. Both those properties were sold off within the last few years, records confirm. More

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      One of Pasadena’s Largest Estates Relists for a Reduced $36.5 Million

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      When you run across a place that’s billed as “the largest single-family residence in Pasadena,” and has the added cache of having been altogether fashioned by not just one but at least three noted architects, you have an inkling that it’s going to showcase some fairly creative living space paired with one-of-a-kind details. And this sprawling structure resting just steps from the ultra-posh Langham Huntington hotel is not one to disappoint.

      To boot, almost three years after the so-called “Knoll House” first hit the market with an ambitious $48 million price tag, the trophy estate best known as the longtime home of the famed pastor and televangelist Gene Scott also has popped up for sale again, this time with updated listing photos, a new top listing agent and substantially reduced $36.5 million ask.

      A soaring atrium in the entertainment center is an ideal spot to showcase art.

      Paul Barnaby

      Originally built by Peter Hall in the early 1900s for heiress, art collector and philanthropist Virginia Steele Scott in collaboration with esteemed architect Myron Hunt, the dwelling was later expanded by equally prominent architect Gordon Kaufmann. It was purchased in the mid-’80s by Scott; upon his death from prostate cancer in 2005, his third wife pastor Melissa Scott inherited the lot. After sitting vacant for some years, the whole kit and caboodle was sold in 2011 for $7.2 million to philanthropist John Vidalakis, who spent seven years renovating and restoring the premises.

      Tucked away behind walls and gates, amid a secluded cul-de-sac, the property includes a 12,300-square-foot main house and separate 21,000-square-foot entertainment center spread across nearly 2.5 acres of land—for a total of seven bedrooms and some 21 baths in a little more than 32,600 square feet, all of it boasting glitzy amenities ranging from an authentic Tiki bar and 46-seat movie theater, to an art gallery and a 2,500-bottle wine cellar.

      The home’s Tiki bar comes complete with a lounge area.

      Paul Barnaby

      Inside the primary Colonial Revival residence, a grand foyer adorned with custom black-and-white marble floors flows to multi-level living space highlighted by formal living and dining rooms, along with an English pub, and wood-paneled library sporting a fireplace and wet bar. A family room connects to a gourmet kitchen outfitted with two islands, top-tier Miele and Wolf appliances, a butler’s pantry and an accompanying breakfast room, while a luxe master retreat boasts dual walk-in closets and baths.

      Connected to the main house via commercial-grade elevators and a “secret” underground tunnel is the three-story entertainment space, which was designed by architects Ladd & Kelsey in the ’70s, and includes conference rooms, lounges, a catering kitchen, an arcade, card room, gym and guest apartment, as well as the aforementioned movie theater, Tiki bar and art gallery space holding court in a two-story atrium.

      The backyard includes a pool and spa nestled alongside a covered pavilion.

      Paul Barnaby

      Rounding it all out: resort-inspired grounds showcased by a Zen garden designed by Kohei Owatari, pool and spa, bocce court and fire-pit, along with numerous spots perfectly suited to al fresco lounging and entertaining.

      The listing is held by Josh Flagg of Douglas Elliman.

      Click here for more photos of the Knoll House.

      Paul Barnaby More

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

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      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

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      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.

      Ryan Lahiff More