Marc Anthony bought a lavish Mediterranean mansion in Florida’s Coral Gables area from the great-great-granddaughter of Bacardi founder Facundo Bacardi Masso for US$19 million.
The living room in Ellen DeGeneres’s former Montecito estate has one of nine fireplaces.
photos supplied
Ellen DeGeneres and wife Portia de Rossi bought the 16.88-acre spread in 2013 for US$26.5 million and spent about four years restoring, updating and expanding the Montecito property.
LOS ANGELES — Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres and wife Portia de Rossi have made a quiet exit from their Montecito estate, selling the romantic weekend retreat in an off-market deal for US$34 million.
The couple bought the 16.88-acre spread in 2013 for US$26.5 million and spent about four years restoring, updating and expanding the property. They had asked as much as US$45 million for the estate when they put it up for sale last year.
At the heart of the gated and forested estate is an Italian villa-style house designed by architect Wallace Frost. Built in the 1930s, the home features a cobblestone motor court, creeping vines and decorative ironwork that give it an air of Old Hollywood glamour.
Entered through a custom front door, the 10,500-square-foot house opens to a tiled hallway that ends in a beamed-ceiling living room.
The living room, with custom built-ins and curated artwork, has one of nine fireplaces. Contemporary pieces and fixtures create visual interest against the home’s solid stone walls.
Accompanying the main house is an indoor-outdoor pool house that was built by DeGeneres and De Rossi during their ownership. Stone excavated from the property was used to build the secondary structure, named Jordan Hall, which has a sunroom, an outdoor kitchen and a wet bar.
A sunken tennis court, a badminton court, a lap swimming pool and a Roman-style plunge pool complete the setting.
DeGeneres, 60, has won multiple Emmys for The Ellen DeGeneres Show, which premièred in 2003. Last year, she co-created and produced the show Little Big Shots with Steve Harvey.
De Rossi, 45, has television credits that include the legal drama Ally McBeal and the sitcom Arrested Development. She also appeared on the series Scandal.
The buyer, according to public records, is a trust associated with Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos.
SALSA KING BITES
ON MEDITERRANEAN
After four years on the market, a lavish Mediterranean mansion in Florida’s Coral Gables area has found a buyer: Marc Anthony.
The Latin singer-actor, through a corporate entity, paid US$19 million for the palatial estate, which connects by waterway to Biscayne Bay.
Hilda Maria Bacardi, great-great-granddaughter of Bacardi founder Facundo Bacardi Masso, was the seller. She had it listed for US$27.26 million two years ago before dropping the price to US$25 million last August.
Dubbed Casa Costanera, the estate spans 1.3 acres in the affluent Cocoplum community. Arched doorways and designer finishes fill the interiors, which has 12 bedrooms and 14 bathrooms within its roughly 21,000 square feet.
Highlights of the home include an indoor-outdoor living room set beneath coffered ceilings, a double-island kitchen with cherry cabinetry and a master suite with a sitting room and fireplace. An elevator serves all three floors.
Outside, a loggia leads out to a resort-like backyard with a swimming pool and spa. The property sits on a corner lot and has 480 square feet of water frontage and a 100-foot dock.
Anthony, 49, has won two Grammys and five Latin Grammys during his musical career, which began in the ’80s. He has an East Coast-inspired Traditional home on the market for US$3.25 million in Tarzana.
MALIBU BY WAY OF CHICAGO
Drummer Tris Imboden, known for his work with rock band Chicago and Neil Diamond, has posted a "For Sale" sign outside his breezy mobile home in Malibu. The asking price is US$3.495 million.
The one-storey manufactured home takes in ocean views from its spot in the Paradise Cove Mobile Home Park, an affluent and gated community with an easy walk to the surf.
Skylights and French doors bring natural light inside the 1,650-square-foot home, which has three bedrooms and two bathrooms. Among features are splashes of custom tile and a kitchen adorned in teal-and-wood finishes. The coastal vibes continue in the dining room, which features a palm tree-inspired chandelier.
A spa and a secluded patio sit off the back of the home. The landscaped lot is filled with guava, orange and persimmon trees.
Imboden, 66, specializes in jazz and rock percussion. He’s played with Chicago since 1990 — a stretch when the band has released 13 albums — and boasts collaborations with Kenny Loggins, Richard Marx, Steve Vai and Roger Daltrey.
— Los Angeles Times
