Brother wins a trophy of his own
Another son of a billionaire investor buys a high-profile estate.
Is there a sibling rivalry brewing on the Westside? Six months ago, Daren Metropoulos closed a record deal for the Playboy Mansion. Now his brother, Evan, has landed his own trophy estate in what is L.A. County’s priciest home sale to date this year.
Here’s a larger look at the most expensive home sales recorded in late February through early March.
$65 million — Beverly Hills
The onetime home of late comedian and actor Danny Thomas, listed for $135 million last year, sold for $70 million less than the asking price in a deal finalized off-market.
The buyer was a limited liability with ties to Evan Metropoulos, son of billionaire investor C. Dean Metropoulos.
Occupying 2 acres on North Hillcrest Road, one of the most coveted spots in Beverly Hills, the knoll-top estate takes sweeping city and canyon panoramas from all sides.
The 11,880-square-foot house, built in 1970, boasts such gilded details as Baccarat chandeliers, gold-leaf ceilings and ornate tilework.
A ballroom, a rotunda dining room, a media room, seven bedrooms and 10 bathrooms are among the living spaces.
Moorish arches feature prominently inside and out.
Aaron Kirman of John Aaroe Group was the listing agent.
$22 million — Pacif ic Palisades
On San Onofre Drive, a 12,000square-foot spec house built on a property once owned by late presidential couple Ronald and Nancy
Reagan sold for about $3 million less than the asking price of $24.995 million.
The site of two-thirds of an acre is where the Reagans had a ranchstyle home built in the 1950s. At the time, Ronald Reagan was the host of “General Electric Theater,” and GE outfitted the home with the latest in home technology at the time: all-electric kitchen appliances.
The Reagans maintained the house as their family residence while Ronald Reagan commuted to Sacramento for his job as state governor. They sold it in 1982, a year after Reagan began his first presidential term.
The new house in its place was built on speculation by Jaman Properties, a development company headed by Hollywood screenwriter Janus Cercone and film producer Michael Manheim.
Features of note include a 2,000-square-foot master suite with luggage and shoe closets and a temperature-controlled fitness center. The living room retains the original wet bar from the Reagan home.
The door of the shower from which he emerged to learn he had won the presidency in 1980 was also preserved.
Kurt Rappaport of Westside Estate Agency was the listing agent.
Richard Stearns of Partners Trust represented the buyer.
$15.8 million — Pacif ic Palisades
A newly built home on Amalfi Drive sold for $805,000 over the asking price of $14.995 million.
Set on more than a third of an acre, the Ken Ungar-designed two-story combines East Coast, farmhouse and contemporary elements. Details include subdued hues, wide-plank wood floors and crisp white wainscoting and mold-
ing. A long covered porch sits off the front entry.
The 11,150 square feet of living space includes a kitchen with three islands, a kid’s wing with a playroom/study, a wine room, a home theater, seven bedrooms and nine bathrooms. Bi-folding doors in the living room open to an alfresco dining area.
A swimming pool, decking, lawns and mature landscaping make up the grounds.
James Respondek of Sotheby’s International Realty was the listing agent. Glenda Lousignont of Keller Williams Realty represented the buyer.
$15.725 million — Malibu
Dick Robertson, the former head of syndication of Warner Bros. Television, sold his home on Malibu Colony Beach to a limited liability company for $1.525 million less than the asking price of $17.25 million.
Tax records for the property are to be mailed to the Beverly Hills home of Mohamed Ahmar. Ahmar is the founder of ICG, a distributor of desktop displays, and president of the development company Ahmar Investment Inc.
Designed by architect Ron Goldman, the modern home features walls of windows, an interior courtyard and 55 feet of beach frontage. Roughly 5,800 square feet of living space includes a home theater, a living room with a fireplace, four bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms. There’s also a detached guest suite.
Marcus Beck of Sotheby’s International Realty were the listing agents. Hania Ahmar of Ahmar Investment represented the buyer.
$14.533 million — Hollywood Hills West
In the 1800 block of Rising Glen Road, a renovated showplace with celebrity ties changed hands for about $1.4 million less than the asking price of $15.95 million.
The 9,400-square-foot contemporary, with clean lines and walls of glass, replaced a Mediterranean-style house once owned by late actress Brittany Murphy and, before that, pop singer Britney Spears.
Details of note include a marble-lined entry, walnut floors and a Poliform-designed kitchen that opens to expansive decking. An elevator, a home theater, a massage room and a wine cellar are among the amenities.
There are five bedrooms and 6.75 bathrooms.
Ben Bacal of Rodeo Realty and Ness Krieff of Virtual Real Estate Co. were the co-listing agents. Joel Liebke of the Lux Group represented the buyer.
$11.5 million — Brentwood
A former home of Michael
Ovitz, former president of the Walt Disney Co. and co-founder of Creative Artist Agency, sold in the 400 block of North Rockingham Drive for $1.45 million less than the asking price.
The two-story traditional, built in 1938, sits on more than half an acre in the Brentwood Park neighborhood with canyon and tree-top views.
Features of the 12,003-squarefoot home include a grand foyer, a playroom, Art Deco-inspired wet bar and a skylight-topped gym. The master suite, one of seven bedrooms and 6.5 bathrooms, is equipped with a sitting room, dressing rooms and a private terrace.
Santiago Arana and Mauricio Umansky of the Agency brokered both ends of the sale.
$10.3 million — Brentwood
The longtime home of late television and film actress Patricia Barry sold on North Bristol Avenue for about $195,000 less than the asking price of $10.495 million.
Barry, who died last year at 93, bought the property in 1969 for $111,700 and had the home updated to its current Southern Colonial style.
The 4,330 square feet of interior space includes a grand foyer, a sunroom, a wood-paneled bar room, five bedrooms and five bathrooms.
There are fireplaces in the living room and study, and the master suite has a view of the backyard.
A swimming pool, rolling lawns and mature trees fill the grounds.
Paul Czako of Gussman Czako Estates was the listing agent. Jai Winding of the Agency represented the buyer.