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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.

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      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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      A Former Apple CEO’s Onetime Northern California Estate Hits the Market for $23 Million

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      Back in spring 1983—shortly after John Sculley joined Apple as CEO, and subsequently oversaw the ousting of company co-founder Steve Jobs—the former PepsiCo executive doled out nearly $2 million for a swank Northern California residence. Around seven years later, before resigning from his position in 1993, Sculley sold that home for $3.4 million toSamuel Maslak, co-founder of ultrasound manufacturer Acuson; and now, a little more than three decades later, the place has quietly popped up for sale off-market, this time asking a speck under $23 million.

      Originally built and designed in the early 1930s by noted modernist architect Gardner Dailey for his wife’s family, but extensively renovated and restored over several years during Maslak’s tenure, the 1.5-acre spread in the affluent Silicon Valley enclave of Woodside features an English Country-style manor offering six bedrooms and nine baths spread across 10,000 square feet of living space. Leaded-glass windows and terraces also overlook picturesque views of the neighboring Menlo Country Club golf course, San Francisco Bay, East Bay Hills and Mount Diablo.

      A pedestrian gate opens to an expansive front courtyard filled with a sparkling pool and custom-designed bench surrounding a heritage oak tree.

      Patrik Argast

      A gated driveway leads to a brick motorcourt and four-car garage tucked off to the side of the house, with a secure pedestrian entrance opening to a stone walkway that passes through a spacious courtyard holding a swimming pool and custom-designed bench wrapped around a centuries-old oak tree before emptying out at a charming speakeasy front door. Once inside, a foyer displaying green-hued marble floors, a mirror-lined arched alcove and staircase with carved balustrade railings greets and flows to a large wood-clad living room sporting a coffered ceiling, fireplace and cozy seating nook.

      An adjacent office space equipped with bookshelves and a wet bar flows to a duo of multi-purpose sitting rooms, and other highlights include a formal dining room topped by a Murano Venetian-style crystal chandelier, as well as a European-inspired kitchen outfitted with tiled countertops and walls inlaid with decorative accents, a granite island, built-in desk, and high-end Bosch, Wolf, Sharp, Sub-Zero and U-Line appliances, plus an adjoining dining area and sky-lit family room.

      A coffered-ceiling living room is spotlighted by a fireplace encased in a wood-paneled wall.

      Patrik Argast

      Elsewhere is an upstairs primary bedroom suite decked out with a private balcony, a standalone office, and dual dressing rooms and baths, along with a secluded one-bedroom apartment that has its own entrance, living area, kitchen and bath; and outdoors, the landscaped grounds are laced with 24 varieties of fruit trees, and host a greenhouse and several raised vegetable beds. There’s also a finished basement with plenty of storage space, an attached four-car garage that’s pre-wired for an EV charger and adjacent 2.8-acre lot that’s available for sale separately should the new owner desire extra privacy or a development opportunity.

      “The time, care, attention and love that went into every corner of this house throughout its entire existence is truly remarkable,” says listing agent Erika Demma of Compass. “The history of being built by a legend in both landscape and architecture for his personal family is amazing in itself. But then to add this extensive 10-year restoration and remodel, it has created the most gorgeous timeless estate that is perfect for today and always.”

      Click here for more photos of John Sculley’s former Silicon Valley house.

      Patrik Argast 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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      Kelly Slater’s Hawaiian Hideaway Hits the Market for $20 Million

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      Always wanted to live like a surfing legend—specifically, a pro shredder with countless accolades under his board? Now’s your chance, because the picturesque Hawaiian spread that Kelly Slater has owned for the past several years has just popped up for sale on Oahu’s north shore, as was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

      The asking price is an impressive $20 million—or around $12 million more than the 11-time champ doled out for the beachfront digs seven years ago, back in spring 2017. Acquired largely for personal reasons—he fondly remembers crashing at a nearby house with teen surfing buddies in the 1980s—Slater has long floated the place on the rental market, once for as much as $80,000 per month.

      Sited amid a gated parcel spanning just over a half-acre, alongside one of the most sought-after streets in the Haleiwa area, the property was built in the early 2000s, and offers a main home and pair of guesthouses—for a total of six bedrooms and eight baths sprawled across a little more than 7,600 square feet of Asian- and Hawaiian-infused living space, all with access to 101 feet of secluded shoreline.

      The beachfront compound has a pool, two-story guesthouse and three-car garage topped by a studio apartment.

      Christoff Molesworth/Pacific Shoots

      Though interior photos are scarce, previous listings show the primary dwelling is showcased by a soaring living room displaying an open-trussed ceiling, a curving hardwood staircase tucked off to the side and glass doors spilling out to a covered lanai. Other highlights include a formal dining room, media room, and kitchen outfitted with natural wood cabinetry and an expansive island. Two bedrooms include an upstairs primary suite, which boasts an ocean-view balcony, a seating nook, walk-in closet, and bath equipped with dual vanities and a soaking tub.

      Outdoors, the garden-laced grounds host a boardwalk spanning a pond, along with an infinity pool and hot tub bordered by a grassy lawn; and topping it all off are the aforementioned ancillary accommodations, which consist of a three-bedroom guesthouse with its own kitchen and living area, plus a one-bedroom apartment resting atop the detached three-car garage. There’s plenty of Polynesian artwork left behind by a previous owner that’s reportedly part of the sale, too. 

      The 52-year-old Florida native, who told WSJ he is wrapping up what may be his final year as a pro surfer, also operates numerous business ventures ranging from a private surfing ranch to a sustainable footwear brand, and coming soon, a skin care and sunblock line. In addition to his for-sale compound, Slater and his longtime partner Kalani Miller also maintain a primary residence he calls a “small beach shack” on Hawaii‘s Banzai Pipeline reef break, plus homes in Florida, California and Australia.

      The listing is held by Paul Stukin of Deep Blue HI, an affiliate of Christie’s International Real Estate | Southern California.

      Click here for more photos of Kelly Slater’s Hawaii house.

      Christoff Molesworth/Pacific Shoots More

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      Justin Bieber Quietly Spent $16 Million on a California Desert Retreat

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      Although records reveal the transaction was actually inked last year, it’s only now become public knowledge that it was Justin Bieber and his wife, prominent model and socialite Hailey Rhode Bieber, were the buyers who shelled out $16.6 million for an extravagant estate behind the guarded gates of The Madison Club, arguably the most celebrity-beloved enclave in California‘s desert resort-themed Coachella Valley.

      Sited on one of the most desirable streets in the community, Bieber’s west-facing new vacation home is surrounded by homes containing other very famous faces. Directly next door is an ultra-contemporary mansion owned by Kris Jenner, and just two doors away is an even larger house that was custom-built for Kylie Jenner. Other high-profile Madison Club residents include Tim Cook, Adele, Kourtney Kardashian, Scooter Braun and Nike’s Phil Knight. With HOA dues of $1,652 per month, residents have full access to the golf community’s exclusive amenities—a clubhouse, five-star dining, spa facilities, a Tom Fazio-designed golf course, and much more.

      Originally constructed in the late 2000s, the French-influenced mansion was given a multimillion-dollar contemporary remodel in recent years.

      Google Earth

      Built in 2009, the house last sold in April 2019 for $6.3 million to Beverly Hills-based investor Alon Abady, who very lucratively flipped the place to Bieber just four years later for well over double what he had paid.

      Because the house was never listed on the open market, details are scant and photos few. But it’s clear from aerial views that Abady gave the originally French-influenced manor a glossy, contemporary renovation during his four years of ownership. Perhaps most notably, he replaced the original outdoor swimming pool with a giant, practically Olympic-length infinity pool that runs nearly the the entire width of the backyard. There’s also a sports court, AstroTurf lawns, a backyard fire-pit, a detached guesthouse, a four-car garage and two separate motorcourts with parking for well over a dozen cars.

      Perhaps the property’s most striking amenity is the backyard infinity pool, which frames views of the San Jacinto Mountains.

      Google Earth

      According to tax records, the sprawling single-story residence encompasses seven bedrooms and nine bathrooms in nearly 10,000 square feet of living space. The 1.02-acre lot is gated and hedged for privacy, naturally, and features a driveway flanked by mature Italian cypresses.

      Bieber continues to maintain his primary residence, a $25.8 million mansion in the mountains high above Beverly Hills, in the guard-gated Beverly Park community. Now 30, the former teen pop phenom sold the rights to his pre-2022 music last year for a reported $200 million. More

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      Pamela Churchill Harriman’s Onetime Georgetown Home Hits the Market for $10 Million

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      While participating in an interview in the living room of her private apartment at the Embassy residence in Paris back in 1996—shortly before she passed away the following year at age 76—Pamela Churchill Harriman was asked if there was anything she wished she had done differently when it came to her “free-flowing” existence. According to her obituary in The New York Times, her response was, “No … I consider I have had a very fortunate life … I drank deep of the well.”

      And drink deep of the well she did, indeed. At just 19 years old, the British-born socialite wed Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s only son Randolph, then went on to become a confidante and hostess for her new father-in-law after her husband went off to war. She later wound up serving as a top figure in the Democratic Party and U.S. Ambassador to France under President Bill Clinton’s administration; and, in-between, the woman who was named one of People magazine’s “50 Most Beautiful People in the World” in ’93 managed to marry a trio of the world’s richest and most influential men, including W. Averell Harriman, a former governor of New York, ambassador to the Soviet Union and heir to the Union Pacific Railroad fortune.

      An ornate fireplace serves as the centerpiece of a formal living room.

      Michael Rankin/TTR Sotheby’s International Realty

      It was at the Harriman’s abode tucked away in the historic Georgetown enclave of Washington, D.C., that the political hostess held a wealth of fund-raising receptions and dinners for the Democratic Party, attracting the likes of House Speaker Thomas P. “Tip” O’Neill and Sen. Gary Hart, just to name a couple. Now, almost three decades after her death, the 19th-century residence has popped up for sale, asking a speck under $10 million. The listing is held by Michael Rankin of TTR Sotheby’s International Realty.

      Designed by architect Thomas Franklin Schneider in the early 1890s for local shoe merchant Wolf Nordlinger, the stately red brick structure also was occupied through the years by Nellie Keating, who established an upscale boarding house on the premises, and Carolyne Hudson, who sold the property to Harriman and his former wife Marie in 1970. Pamela Harriman subsequently transferred the home in 1995 for $990,000 to its current owner, who enlisted Solís Betancourt & Sherrill to undertake an extensive renovation and restoration of the place in collaboration with Ivy Construction.

      An updated kitchen boasts a central island and top-tier stainless appliances.

      Michael Rankin/TTR Sotheby’s International Realty

      Today, the historic dwelling features eight bedrooms and a matching number of bathrooms in a little more than 9,300 square feet of multi-story living space adorned throughout with wide-plank hardwood floors, high ceilings, intricate moldings, detailed casement openings, elegant wallpaper and an elevator to all levels. Entry is granted via a grand foyer, which flows to a formal living room warmed by an ornate fireplace and an adjacent fireside music room. A banquet-sized dining room with yet another fireplace leads to a sleekly designed kitchen outfitted with a central island, high-end stainless appliances and a breakfast nook sporting glass-paneled doors spilling out to a deck.

      The roof deck provides sweeping views of the city.

      Michael Rankin/TTR Sotheby’s International Realty

      Three bedrooms can be found on the second floor, including an inviting primary suite hosting dual fireplaces and walk-in closets, a balcony, and spa-like bath equipped with a large soaking tub and shower. The floor above has two more bedrooms—one with its own bath, and another with access to an oversized turreted playroom—and elsewhere is an office space, a sitting room and roof deck overlooking the skyline, plus a basement housing a staff suite, laundry facilities and storage.

      Rounding it all out are the landscaped grounds, which span less than a quarter-acre, and come complete with mature trees, manicured gardens and numerous terraces. Per the listing, there’s also parking for multiple vehicles.

      Click here for more photos of Pamela Churchill Harriman’s Georgetown house.

      Michael Rankin/TTR Sotheby’s International Realty 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

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      A Beverage Maven’s Groovy Palm Springs Midcentury Hits the Market Again for $5.2 Million

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      Back in 2015, an article in Palm Springs Life magazine touted the fact that this “white, bright and ready-to-entertain” midcentury-modern villa in the California desert city’s Old Las Palmas neighborhood revealed the chosen passions of its entrepreneurial owners in “wildly colorful fashion.” Think retro-esque interiors offering up a one-of-a-kind office bathed in fuscia and British-themed den hosting a vintage motorcycle collection, plus a fun little music room filled with collectible guitars and stereo equipment thrown in for good measure.

      Originally designed and built in the early 1960s as the personal residence of the late real estate developer Robert Marx—son of “Gummo,” a member of the famed Marx Brothers vaudeville act—the house turned out to be a study in Bacchanalia-style extravagance, complete with a swath of Corinthian and Ionic columns. The next owners were Spa Girl Cocktails founder Karen Haines and her husband Chris, proprietor of an off-road motorcycle tour company, who picked up the place for a mere $895,000 back in spring 2012.

      Now, after first floating the home up for sale at $4.8 million in summer 2022, the couple has opted to return the stylish pad to the market, this time with an increased $5.2 million price tag. But the pair did give the premises a “wall-to-wall makeover” during their tenure, which included adding a touch of Hollywood Regency flair.

      Armed with a British motif, the den is adorned with pop art, vintage racing motorcycles and an area rug bearing the traditional flag of England.

      Oscar Flink

      Resting amid a nearly half-acre parcel hidden away behind gates and tall hedges, and known as “Villa del Leone,” the private property features panoramic views of the San Jacinto Mountains. Four bedrooms and three bathrooms are spread across a little more than 4,300 square feet of U-shaped living space, which is punctuated throughout by floor-to-ceiling walls of glass, white epoxy tile floors, original molding and custom lighting.

      A set of hand-carved front doors opens into an entry foyer, which flows to an open-concept great room holding a fireside living area, as well as a bookshelf- and mirror-lined dining room resting beneath a concave dome ceiling topped by a gold and crystal chandelier embellished with silver ornaments. Other highlights include the aforementioned den, which is adjoined by a wet bar, and a gourmet kitchen decked out with high-end stainless appliances,

      One of the house’s four bedrooms was converted into a brightly colored office for the owner’s ready-to-drink cocktail company.

      Oscar Flink

      Secluded in a separate bedroom wing, the lavishly wallpapered master retreat is showcased by two walk-in closets, and a marble-clad bath equipped with dual vanities, an elaborate soaking tub and a glass-encased shower; and outdoors, the palm tree-laced backyard holds a swimming pool flanked by a grassy lawn, along with a harlequin-patterned patio ideal for al fresco lounging and entertaining. There’s also an attached two-car garage out front.

      According to listing agents Lloyd Ross and David Williams of Douglas Elliman, the entrepreneurial couple have decided to sell so they can “continue to pursue new adventures and opportunities.”

      Click here for more photos of the Haines house.

      Oscar Flink More