‘Californication’ house sells for a Venice-record $14.6 million
A Venice compound made famous on the series “Californication” has sold for $14.6 million, a record for the beachfront neighborhood, public records show.
The home, which sits on a lot of 7,500 square feet in the Silver Triangle, consists of four permanent structures connected by three bridges that surround a lap swimming pool. The compound has a combined 5,000 square feet of living space that includes seven bedrooms, a media room and a pool house. An outdoor kitchen, a fire pit, a rooftop deck and a basketball area make up the grounds.
The seller was architect and environmentalist David Hertz, who designed the home in 1995 and describes it as “somewhat of a living laboratory.”
“The house might look contemporary, but imagine it back in ’95,” said Hertz, a pioneer in the field of sustainable design. “Nobody really had solar-thermal systems and natural ventilation, and certainly not of that period.”
A building material called Syndecrete Surfaces, which Hertz invented and later sold, was used to create the countertops, sinks and floor tiles. Polished concrete, recycled and sustainable wood and expanses of glass speak to the home’s eclectic style, which draws from Bali, Craftsman and modern style.
Already a local landmark, the home gained a worldwide following in 2007 after it was used as a primary filming location for the series “Californication.” Various promotional events, photo shoots and scenes from the film “Adaptation” were also filmed at the property.
Hertz identified the buyer as a real estate investment group led by Venice-based sustainable builder Nick Valencia. The pair are collaborating on other ecological homes, said Hertz, who will also oversee a restoration of the house he just sold. His architecture firm will remain in Venice.
“It’s the end of this chapter, but it’s also the start of the new one,” Hertz said.
The sale, which closed off-market, bests the previous price record for a single-family home in Venice, which was set by the former home of sculptor Robert Graham and actress Anjelica Huston, which sold three years ago for $11.15 million.
Tami Pardee and Justin Alexander of Halton Pardee + Partners and Tim Mullin of Partners Trust were the listing agents. Mullin, Pardee and Katie Pardee, also of Halton Pardee + Partners, represented the buyer.
She beat them to the prize
Actress and environmentalist Jane Fonda has paid $5.45 million in cash for the last remaining residence at a new Century City enclave.
“We had multiple offers on [the property],” listing agent Susan Smith said. It’s one of just 10 residences in the gated development. Fonda’s new neighbors include comedian Bob Newhart, who paid $6.675 million for his town home last year in an off-market deal.
Actress Jane Fonda has paid $5.45 million cash for a townhouse in Century City.
The residence has 5,730 square feet of living space that includes an open-plan kitchen with a center island, living and dining rooms, an office and a private elevator. There are four bedrooms and 6.5 bathrooms including staff/guest quarters.
Topping the residence is a rooftop terrace with a gas fireplace and city-lights views.
Smith is an agent with Hilton & Hyland. Valeria Fitzgerald of Coldwell Banker Previews International represented Fonda.
Fonda, 79, won Oscars in 1972 for “Klute” and in 1979 for “Coming Home.” More recently she appeared on the Netflix series “Grace and Frankie.”
A skirt-blowing affair
The Brentwood home where Marilyn Monroe died has come to market for $6.9 million.
The hacienda-style house on a leafy half-acre of grounds was purchased by Monroe in the early 1960s following the end of her third marriage, to playwright Arthur Miller. It was the first home the singer, actress and model owned independent of a husband.
The Times reporting after her death in 1962 noted that she paid $75,000 for the house, which came partially furnished; her mortgage payments were $320 a month. More recently, the property changed hands in 2012 for $5.1 million.
Built in 1929, the one-story house contains a formal living room, a family room, an office, four bedrooms and three bathrooms in 2,624 square feet of living space. Appointments include arched doorways, Saltillo tile floors and cathedral ceilings with exposed beams. A fireplace in the living room draws the eye with a Mexican tile surround.
Mature trees, a guesthouse, a citrus grove and a kidney-shaped swimming pool fill the grounds.
Lisa Optican of Mercer Vine holds the listing.
Couple gets cozy in Woodland Hills
Actors Michael Biehn and Jennifer Blanc-Biehn have bought a home in Woodland Hills for about $580,000.
The home, described in the listing as a “Venice-style bungalow retreat,” sits behind a wooden fence and has a bamboo-lined walkway leading up to the front door.
Inside, the 1,150 square feet of contemporary living space features concrete floors, modern fixtures, an open-plan kitchen, two bedrooms and 1.75 bathrooms. French and sliding doors lead to a backyard with a covered patio.
Alexander Coronado of White House Properties was the listing agent. Melissa Strauss of Capitol Realty represented the buyers, according to the MLS.
Biehn, 60, gained fame in the sci-fi blockbusters “The Terminator” (1984) and “Aliens” (1986). He has a part in the upcoming action-thriller “The Shadow Effect.” The 43-year-old Blanc-Biehn has TV credits that include “Party of Five” and “Dark Angel.”
Record exec sees a major gain
How’s this for a return on investment?
A Pacific Palisades home that Cameron Strang, chairman and president of Warner Bros. Records, bought six months ago for $6.5 million has traded in an off-market deal for $9.3 million. The buyer, by way of a limited liability company, is Riot Games co-founder and president Marc Merrill.
Encompassing 2 acres of park-like grounds, the property was the site of post-and-beam designed by noted architectural firm Buff, Straub & Hensman. We say “was” because a permit to demolish the home, a detached garage, a swimming pool and hardscaping was issued in November, city records show.
It is unclear what remains of the home, which had been owned by the same family for about seven decades before it sold last year.
Strang previously founded New West Records, DMZ Records and Southside Independent Music Publishing. He joined Warner Bros. Records under his current titles in 2011.
Merrill co-founded Los Angeles-based Riot Games in 2006 with Brandon Beck. The company’s free-to-play game “League of Legends,” released in 2009, earned a reported $1.6 billion in 2015.
Spec house seeks its match
Model turned professional matchmaker Melanie Mar is ready to pair up her latest development project with a buyer.
She has listed an underway spec house in lower Bel-Air for $25 million. Alternatively, the roughly half-acre corner lot can be purchased with plans and permits for $12.5 million.
Model turned professional matchmaker Melanie Mar is ready to pair up her latest development project with a buyer.
The home, to be completed next year, will have three floors, multiple terraces and a two-story waterfall feature that pours into the swimming pool. A gym, a pool house, a theater and an elevator are among the planned features. The master suite, one of seven bedrooms and 11 bathrooms, will have his and hers closets and bathrooms as well as a sauna and a private study.
Mar bought the property last year for $3.9 million, records show. Marcy Roth of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties is the listing agent.
Twitter: @NJLeitereg
