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Publishing heiress lists Bel-Air mansion for $43 million
Taylor Thomson — the publishing heiress whom Bloomberg ranks as the 282nd richest person in the world — has listed her Tudor-style mansion in Bel-Air for $43 million.
In terms of profit, the listing is about as ambitious as they come. If she gets her price, it’ll be nearly six times the $7.4 million she paid for the historic estate two decades ago.
Thomson picked up a place in Pacific Palisades earlier this year, dropping $48.67 million on Vice cofounder Shane Smith’s Mediterranean-style compound in a deal that set a record for the coastal community. Her family owns Woodbridge Co., which holds a majority share of the media conglomerate Thomson Reuters.
According to the listing, the 1926 mansion is one of Bel-Air’s oldest homes (BelAir itself was founded three years prior). It was built by Gordon Kaufmann, the prolific architect whose works include the Hoover Dam, the Greystone Mansion and the Los Angeles Times building in downtown L.A.
Set on an acre surrounded by sycamores and oaks, the stately mansion features a half-timbered exterior of ivy-covered stone. The interiors have been restored in recent years and include a formal living room with a grand fireplace, wood-paneled library under arched ceilings, massage room with a sauna and gourmet kitchen lined with floor-to-ceiling tile.
Tile continues up the stairs and into the Moroccan-inspired primary suite, which boasts a copper tub inside the bedroom. In total, the main house and twostory guesthouse combine for eight bedrooms and 10 bathrooms across 8,800 square feet. Outside, the verdant grounds add rolling lawns, patios and a pool.
Bloomberg puts Thomson’s net worth at $8.85 billion.
Jade Mills of Coldwell Banker Realty holds the listing with Drew Fenton of Hilton & Hyland.
Supermodel tries for fifth home sale
Although Ellen DeGeneres may be Southern California’s most prolific celebrity house flipper, Pacific Palisades is Tyra Banks’ territory. The supermodelturned-actress-turned-reality-TV-host has flipped four homes in the coastal community since 2018, and she’s looking to sell her fifth property for $7.895 million.
If Banks gets her price, it’ll be a profit of $900,000 compared with what she paid for it in 2018. She’s made a few changes since then, adding several striking chandeliers and remodeling the kitchen with a breakfast booth and tile backsplash.
Found just east of Temescal Gateway Park, the modern, boxy home spans three stories with five bedrooms and six bathrooms in 6,160 square feet. Walls of glass line the living spaces, and picture windows take in views of the coastline.
Other highlights include an office, gym and media room with a 120-inch projection screen. Above it all, there’s a rooftop deck complete with an outdoor kitchen, fire pit and hot tub.
A native of Inglewood, Banks began her career as a model before expanding into acting, producing and writing. The 24th season of her show, “America’s Next Top Model,” aired in 2018, and she more recently served as the host and executive producer of “Dancing With the Stars.”
Earlier this year, she sold another Palisades property — a small 1,600-square-foot ranch near Will Rogers State Beach — for $3.47 million.
Heidi Lake of Sotheby’s International Realty Beverly Hills and James Respondek of Rodeo Realty hold the listing.
‘Modern Family’ creator cashes in
In one of Malibu’s priciest deals of the year, Steve Levitan — creator of shows such as “Modern Family” and “Just Shoot Me” — has sold his house on Broad Beach for $14.17 million. He nearly tripled his money with the sale. Records show he paid just $5.4 million for the property in 2002.
Like many of the homes crowded along the sands of Malibu’s ultra-exclusive beach communities, Levitan’s place crams as much square footage as possible onto the cozy quarter-acre lot. Six levels combine for more than 8,000 square feet, including a 2,500-squarefoot great room and series of decks overlooking the ocean.
The Cape Cod-style spot descends along with its hillside lot near Lechuza Point, leading to 50 feet of beach frontage. Inside are six bedrooms, seven bathrooms, a two-story living room, openconcept kitchen, elevator and courtyard with a spa.
The primary suite alone spans 1,400 square feet with three rooms under vaulted ceilings. It has a fireplace, spa bathroom, gym, deck and multiple closets.
Known as one of Malibu’s most exclusive communities, Broad Beach has been home to high-profile residents over the years including Frank Sinatra, Mindy Kaling and Walter Hill.
Levitan, 59, earned an Emmy as a producer for “Frasier” and also received nominations for “The Larry Sanders Show” and “Just Shoot Me.” More recently, he co-created the shows “Back to You,” “LA to Vegas” and “Modern Family,” which ran for 11 seasons and ended last year.
Tony Mark and Russell Grether of Mark & Grether Group at Compass, Kimberley Pfeiffer of Compass and Donald Richstone of Coldwell Banker Malibu Colony shared the listing. Kathy Doyle of Kathy Doyle Estates represented the buyer.