Jeffrey Ong
A Bel-Air home previously owned by actor Reese Witherspoon is for sale for US$13.95 million.
Bruce Makowsky Photo
Owner-developer Bruce Makowsky's Los Angeles mansion is on the market for US$188 million, a US$62-million price drop from the original asking price.
LOS ANGELES —The most expensive home for sale in America is still found in Los Angeles, but it’s no longer the larger-than-life mansion that debuted a year ago in Bel-Air at US$250 million.
That speculative wonder of owner-developer Bruce Makowsky has returned to the Multiple Listing Service at US$188 million. That’s a price cut of US$62 million for the flashy contemporary referred to as Billionaire, or a roughly 25 per cent reduction off the original sticker price.
Now atop the upper crust in real estate is Los Angeles County’s largest single-family home, the Manor in Holmby Hills, which has spent 17 months on the market with an asking price of US$200 million.
At that price, it is the most expensive home publicly listed for sale in the U.S., according to realtor.com. And, although Billionaire has lost certain bragging rights, it’s still the second-priciest, coast-to-coast.
For the sake of comparison, here’s how the mega-mansions stack up.
The Manor has 56,500 square feet of living space — 1,500 square feet more than the White House. Billionaire has 38,000 square feet of interior space.
The Manor has 14 bedrooms; Billionaire has a dozen. There are 20-plus bathrooms — 10 times the prototypical American home — in each mansion. But the Manor has a slight edge, with 27 to Billionaire’s 21.
For entertaining, the Manor has a bar and a wine cellar with a tasting room. Billionaire comes with five bars and two fully stocked champagne rooms. The Manor has a two-lane bowling alley. Billionaire’s bowling alley, which adjoins an auto museum, has four lanes.
For movie night, the Manor has a screening room. Billionaire is outfitted with a 40-seat, 4K Dolby Atmos home theatre.
The Manor has two swimming pools and a tennis court. Billionaire has one 85-foot infinity-edge pool and an ornamental rooftop helicopter.
The girl with the mid-century home
Academy Award-nominated actor Rooney Mara has her sleek mid-century modern home in Los Feliz back on the market for US$3.45 million, a US$350,000 reduction in price from when it was first offered for sale last year.
Records show the Carol star picked up the 1960s residence through a trust three years ago for US$2.9 million.
Steel and glass combine to fill the open floor plan, which holds a wall of windows that draws in city and ocean views. The kitchen features teal-hued cabinetry and an island topped with stainless steel. Clerestory windows further the clean, modernist vibe.
Sliding glass doors open to a spacious terrace overlooking the tiered backyard.
The 2,340-sq.-ft. floor plan is completed by two bedrooms and two bathrooms.
Mara, 32, received Oscar nominations for her roles in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (2011) and Carol (2015). Later this year, she’s set to star in the biblical drama Mary Magdalene alongside her boyfriend, Joaquin Phoenix.
A pair of stars in its past
A Bel-Air estate that was once the home of actors Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe is on the market for US$13.95 million.
The handsome brick and half-timbered Tudor was designed by architect Gerard R. Colcord for a prominent insurance executive. Completed in 1969, the home was so beloved by the businessman and his wife they had it replicated in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, after relocating to the area, according to Colcord: Home author Bret Parsons.
Set amid mature oaks and sycamores, the two-storey house takes its cues from the medieval halls and churches of England. Pitched and beamed cathedral ceilings, oak plank floors and detailed woodwork are among details of note. Picture windows with square and diamond bevels take in leafy views.
Within nearly 8,650 square feet of interior space is a living room with an oversized fireplace, a formal dining room, a modernized kitchen and a media room with a wet bar. The master suite has an updated bathroom and a sitting room for a total of five bedrooms and 5.75 bathrooms.
The roughly one acre of grounds also includes a guesthouse and a structure that holds a wine cellar. Elsewhere, there is a swimming pool.
Witherspoon and Phillippe bought the house in 2001 for US$3.3 million and owned it for about three years, records show.
— Los Angeles Times
