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Mandeville Canyon, Estate of the Day

Filed under: Estates


Back in February we first learned from the Los Angeles Times that music industry executive Phil Quartararo had listed his walled and gated Brentwood home for $13.25 million. Over half a year later and the home has had a major price cut, all the way down to $9.9 million.

This home has a lot to recommend it. The hacienda-style residence was built in 1936 and designed by John Byers. The home was expanded during Quartararo's ownership. The main house has a formal living room, dining room, library, den, offices, media rooms and six bedrooms. There are tiled floors and heavy beamed ceilings but perhaps a few too many murals and faux finishes for some tastes. The kitchen, fireplaces and some of the bathrooms feature beautiful tilework. There is also a pool and spa and a two bedroom guest house on the property.

Naomi Watts and Liev Schrieber List Their Brentwood Home

Filed under: Estates, Celebrity Shopping

The Real Estalker reported this weekend that Naomi Watts and Liev Schreiber have listed their Los Angeles home. Watts bought the home in the Brentwood area from Sally Field in 2004 for $4.205 million. The six-bedroom home is on .35 acres. The listing describes the ivy-covered home as being reminiscent of a contemporary villa in Provence. Inside the home is bright white, charming open space with a formal living room, formal dining room, media room and kitchen all with large windows and easy access to the terrace. The master suite has a separate office and an office. Outside there is a trellis-covered outdoor living room, a small but grassy yard and a pool plus a two story guest house and gym. The home is located near shops and restaurants and the Sunday farmer's market and Watts and Schreiber have often been spotted in the area with their young children. This home is listed at $5.995 million.


Marilyn Monroe's Brentwood Home, Estate of the Day

Filed under: Estates


Everything related to Marilyn Monroe seems to sell at a premium whether it's her clothing, images of her or even her chest x-rays which sold recently for $45,000. But the most special Marilyn collectible might be her home in Brentwood, California. The four-bedroom property is a Spanish-style home built in 1929 on a little over a half an acre of property that includes a pool and a separate play house. The Daily Mail reports that Monroe bought the home in 1962 and lived in the home for just six months until her death on August 5, 1962.

Inside the home is as charming as its former owner. Listing pictures reveal beamed ceilings, tiled floors and pointed arches. The home has a very peaceful feel with French doors that open to private courtyard. An open kitchen, family room with a tiled fireplace and a game room up the appeal. The home is listed at $3.595 million with David Offer of Prudential California Realty, less than the$4.6 million price achieved fetched last year for a Marilyn-adjacent burial on eBay last year.

Curbed LA did some digging
and found that Monroe may have paid around $90,000 for the house when she bought it (with a 15-year mortgage that had payments of $320 a month). The home last sold back in 1994 for $995,000. The home does still attract Marilyn fans eager for a peek of the home but a high wall protects it from lookie-loos.


Peter Reckell In Brentwood, Estate of the Day

Filed under: Estates, Celebrity Shopping

peter reckellWhen soap star Peter Reckell and his wife, singer Kelly Moneymaker decided to make their home more green they didn't mess around. As the LA Times reports the pair had their original home in Brentwood torn down, they shipped the goods to Mexico for reuse by Habitat for Humanity, and built a new eco-friendly home. Now that green home is up for sale.

Reckell, who is best known as playing Bo Brady on "Days of Our Lives" is an environmentalist who rides his bicycle to work. The contemporary home has a modern and spare style that reflects the couple's peaceful world view. Its green features include a photovoltaic system with battery backup, Solatubes, a recycled glass terrazzo floors with radiant heat, recycled denim and organic cotton insulation, a roof garden, bamboo cabinets and doors and a water reclamation system. More Hollywood-friendly features are a new kitchen with a pizza oven, a walk-in wine cellar with a day bed, a recording studio and a rooftop office with 360 degree views.

The property also has an indoor/outdoor koi pond, meditation fountain and a solar-heated infinity pool. Of particular note is a portico made of pieces from a 16th century East Indian temple that offers a quiet place for contemplation with views of the Santa Monica Conservancy. This home is listed for $6.499 million.

SusieCakes: Cupcakes That Take you Back to Your Childhood

Filed under: Dining


SusieCakes is a nominee for a Readers' Choice Award for Best Cupcake.

The Los Angeles, Ca.-based company was launched in 2006 by Susan Sarich. The inspiration behind the company's founding was Sarich's childhood in Chicago. Each day, she used to arrive home from school to a warm kitchen filled with the smell of baking and treats fresh from the oven. Her two grandmothers, who were also neighbors, loved to bake, from frosted sugar cookies to Whoopie pies and chocolate layer cakes.

To this day, Sarich is captivated by what those desserts symbolized. "Baked goods are hallmarks of happiness," says Sarich. "Whether we're celebrating a holiday or a specific event, we want them to be as unique as the day." It was a combination of Sarich's sweet tooth and nostalgia for the homemade desserts of her childhood that led her to open SusieCakes.

SusieCakes' cupcakes are known for their "frosting filling". Flavors include chocolate chocolate, luscious lemon, strawberry, peanut butter, fluffy coconut, and vanilla with pastel-blue vanilla frosting. The most popular cupcake is SusieCake's Southern Red Velvet, an award-winning dessert, including the "Best Traditional" category of the 2009 Nesquick Cupcake Challenge in Los Angeles. Cupcakes cost $3 each.



Other speciality items include the Whoopie Pie, seasonal fruit pies, classic chocolate brownies, lemon bars, sour cream cheesecake, and homemade pudding. SusieCakes also makes custom layer, stacked and sheet cakes, as well as its signature six-layer "Cupcake" cake. Custom orders are also accepted with advance notice.

Robert Taylor Ranch, Estate of the Day

Filed under: Estates


I thought we were done talking about this one. After all I've been following the potential sale of the the Robert Taylor Ranch in the Brentwood area of Los Angeles since 2005. The ranch, which was built in 1956, is a prime chunk of land with 122 acres of trees and equestrian trails. The large 34-room main house designed by Robert Byrd has Western appeal and includes a study, master bedroom with dual baths and a spa room. The home's vintage appeal includes a wine cellar, bar, screening room, game room and more. There are four guest houses for a total of 17 bedrooms on the estate. The grounds include a pool, tennis court, and stables. We've seen it listed at a variety of prices, $35 million, then $40 million and up to $50 million in 2005. Then in 2007 we heard that it would be auctioned off following several notices of default in 2006. The ranch never sold and now it's back on the market with its highest price yet, $65 million. It can be divided into four large lots (in addition to the 11-acre lot where the ranch is located) but will that be enough to tempt a buyer in this market?

Hotel Angeleno Sold

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

hotel angelenoIt didn't end up as part of a Chapter 11 filing like so many hotels, but the circular Hotel Angeleno in the Brentwood area of Los Angeles has been sold in what appears to be a deal in the nick of time. The LA Times is reporting that the hotel has been sold for $35 million. The sellers were investors led by Namco Capital Group Inc. which is headed by Ezri Namvar. Both Namco and Namvar had filed for Chapter 11 in recent months. The 16-story tower near the 405 freeway was a Holiday Inn for 35 years before it got a new name and a posh renovation in 2006. It remains open and is managed by Joie de Vivre which manages a string of boutique hotels in California and other places. Rates at the Angeleno start at $179.

The Foos In Brentwood, Estate of the Day

Filed under: Estates


We've featured a lot f Southern California homes lately but this one is quite lovely, a newer home in Brentwood that you would swear was a 1920s classic. As the LA Times Hot Property column reports this one belongs to Richard Foos, the former head of Rhino Records, and his wife, Shari.

The Thomas Callaway-designed Mediterranean was completed in 2002 and the Foos have spent years decorating it. The seven-bedroom home is on grounds that include a swimming pool and views of the Santa Monica mountains. Each of the seven fireplaces has a distinctive style some are tiled, some have unique sculptural curves. Modern touches include a music system that provides sound throughout the house, solar heating and retractable push-button walls on the loggia. One amazing feature is the gameroom done in knotty-pine paneling and featuring a juxebox, pinball machines and soda fountain. The property also includes a separate guesthouse with a wraparound porch.

Rhino Records started as a single store and went on to become a record label purchased by Time Warner in 1998 for a reported $60 million.The Foos are said to be selling the house because they are looking to downsize. This home is listed at $19.9 million.

Bill Geddie in Brentwood, Estate of the Day

Filed under: Estates


Producer Bill Geddie is most famous for his work on "The View" and the Barbara Walters specials. He has listed his home in the Brentwood area of Los Angeles for the second time, it was briefly on the market last year for $1 million more than the current asking price. The four-bedroom Spanish-style home has distressed wood beams, stone fireplaces, hardwood floors and French doors/windows. The kitchen leads to a family room and a flat yard with a grill. The master bedroom has a terrace with city views and the home has an a Crestron electronics system. It is now listed at $3.95 million.'

Experience more lush living in luxury homes and mansions or see the stars living large with celebrity homes galleries at AOL Real Estate.

Ving Rhames in Brentwood, Estate of the Day

Filed under: Estates, Celebrity Shopping


I must admit, I expected that actor Ving Rhames would have a house that was a little more slick than this but perhaps that was a case of equating an actor with his parts. As the LA Time Hot Property column revealed, Rhames has put a five-bedroom home in Brentwood on the market. It seems that Rhames has plenty of places to stay. Celebrity Big Time Listings totes up the list of properties that Rhames has owned and currently owns including a 10,613-square-foot house on a 1.119-acre lot in Brentwood and the 5,900-square-foot house next door to it. All this and the spare and haphazard decor of this home makes me think it is an investment property.

This home is a two-story Tuscany-style home built in 1950 and has a large eat-in kitchen, walnut floors, a formal dining room and a fireplace in the master bedroom suite. Outside on the small 0.16-acre (6,752-square-foot) lot there is a long bare terrace. This home is listed at $2.699 million and could have really used a better staging, it takes more than setting a table with a few dishes to make a home seem inviting.

Experience more lush living in luxury homes and mansions or see the stars living large with celebrity homes galleries at AOL Real Estate.

Joss Whedon in Brentwood, Estate of the Day

Filed under: Estates, Celebrity Shopping


Today's home belongs to the one and only Joss Whedon, creator of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Firefly" and the summer's internet sensation, Dr. Horrible. Ann Brenoff of the LA Times Hot Properties column reveals that Whedon is selling his English County style home in the Brentwood area of Los Angeles. The home is on a double lot and has four bedrooms. Clearly a home for someone who works, and plays, at home, it's got two offices, a media room and music studio. There is a two-story guest house and park-like grounds but no pool. It doesn't look like Whedon has enlisted the help of a decorator but the home is full of books and art and cozy places to sit and think. It is listed at $3.695 million.

UPDATE: This home is now listed at $2.95 million.

Experience more lush living in luxury homes and mansions or see the stars living large with celebrity homes galleries at AOL Real Estate.



Dylan McDermott in Brentwood, Estate of the Day

Filed under: Estates


You probably are most familiar with Dylan McDermott for his role as Bobby Donnell, the lawyer with the righteous anger and beautiful blue bedroom eyes on "The Practice." For years McDermott and his beautiful wife Shiva Rose had one of Hollywood's more durable marriages. Now the couple has split and as Big Time Listings reveals their home is on the market. The couple purchased back in 1999 from Melanie Griffith and Antonio Banderas for $3.94 million and they had bought it in 1997 from Michelle Pfeiffer and David E. Kelly (the creator of "The Practice" and other shows). I'm guessing another Hollywood couple will fall for this one, it appeals to those with creative hearts.

The 1920 Spanish style hacienda in Brentwood has four bedrooms, a two-story vaulted living room with a carved balcony, a den, and the "magical 2nd story muse room" which looks to be a cool place for hanging out and communing with the gods on inspiration. The home's details are what inspire envy, plenty of carved wood, original fireplaces, stenciled details and a rather romantic vintage style. The .68 acre lot has a pool/spa area that overlooks the Riviera hills, a courtyard and fountain, and a beautiful 250-year-old oak tree, The listing says it was one of the first homes built in the area and it is a classic. It is listed at $11 million.

UPDATE: This home is now listed at $6.9 million.

For more prime properties and lush locations, see Luxury Homes and Mansions.

Most Expensive Zip Codes, 90049, Estate of the Day

Filed under: Estates


For the next couple of weeks we will be checking out some homes in the most expensive zip codes in the United States, up today, 90049 . This zip code encompasses the Brentwood area of Los Angeles, CA. This zip code has a median price of $3,114,000 with a sky-high appreciation rate of 440% since 1990.

The ritzy area of Brentwood has been a celebrity magnet over the years from Marilyn Monroe and Judy Garland to Britney Spears and Jim Carrey. The governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger lives in the hills above Mandeville Canyon in Brentwood. The most infamous resident of Brentwood is perhaps O.J.Simpson who lived in the area just a few miles away from his wife at the time of her murder.

Today's home is located between San Vicente and Sunset in the heart of Brentwood. The property has around 6000 square feet under roof in two contemporary homes, each with their own personality. There are plenty of windows and bright open spaces and a breezy and spacious feel. This estate is listed at $10 million.

The Governors Club, Estate of the Day

Filed under: Estates


Today's home is located in The Governor's Club, one of the most elite communities in middle Tennessee area. In this community the homes run big but this must be one of the largest. It is nearly 20,000 square feet and doesn't just have seven bedrooms it also includes a bowling alley, golf simulator, theater room and a billiards room. The outdoor area is a network of multiple pools with a waterfall, waterslide misting pool and screen-in porch. The home has views of the lake and the golf course. The home sits on 2.42 acres and is listed at $7.9 million which is really high for the area.

[Thanks, Lee]



The Robert Taylor Ranch Will Be Auctioned Off

Filed under: Estates

The Robert Taylor ranch, an expansive Los Angeles property which I first mentioned way back in 2005 is headed for the auction block on November 7. The property has been listed at various prices, from $35 million to $50 million, is said to be valued at $60 million. The ranch in Brentwood was built in 1956 and has an enviable 122 acres of land as well as a huge main house with 37 rooms. The grounds include a pool, tennis court, and stables. Former radio station owner, Ken Roberts bought the home in 1975 for $900,000. and so he should see an incredible return on his investment. The property can also be subdivided into four additional lots and much of the acreage can be donated to a conservatory to receive a tax credit in the amount of several million dollars. Any guesses on the final bid? I'm guessing $37 million.

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