Friday, March 7, 2008

UPDATE: Kanye West

Thanks to the swift and impressing maneuvering of Our Fairy Godmother in Beverly Hills, Your Mama has learned that Kanye West closed today on the Bev Hills flat fixer upper he purchased in March of 2007 for $7,150,000 and flipped back on the market in early November with an impressive asking price increase of $8,699,000.

Although Your Mama does yet not know who purchased the Bev Hills flats fixer upper, we do know they forked over $7,900,000 for the .79 acre property with its once pretty and now ramshackle 6 bedroom and 4 bathroom house.

Obviously Mister Kanye never lived in the krappy krib on N. Crescent Drive, but it appears he may have planned to live on the property at some point because he did have elaborate plans drawn up for a gigantic modern mansion by a "world renowned architect." Your Mama does not know why the Grammy winning musician aborted his grandiose real estate plans, but for now, we presume Mister Kanye will continue to occupy his art filled aerie on Fareholm Drive.

39 comments:

Anonymous said...

That thing needs to be knocked down and get a Home Makeover.

Anonymous said...

I like its bones; with all those trees, this one has potential if properly restored.

Don't know what the state of the interior is in, and whether or not it would be economical to do so, but this could have some real curb appeal . . .

Anonymous said...

I loved this house for years. i would run by it everymorning and they used to leave the back porch door open, so was always able to look in... really get off on the old houses in the flats. lots of folks who just were smart enough to buy them but could never afford even the taxes if it were not for prop 13... its cool, I like a view, but could easily live in the flats..foothill is in my opinion the best street, has all the palm trees lining the street, they use it in all the movies and the bev hill billies

Alessandra said...

I like how it is sited on the lot and agree with LGB that the exterior bones are quite nice. Unless the new owner has a seriously different vision for the property, there's no reason why the house can't be saved.

As for his Fareholm Dr. property, my only comment is that I would never want to be luxuriously soaking in the tub during an earthquake. Between the chandelier and the fish tank, there's some serious glass just waiting to break.

Anonymous said...

honestly, no one would pay 8,000,000 plus and do anything with the existing structure, the only reason it sold for what it did is the land, its a very good size piece of land, I study the flats, from the 600 blk to the 800 blk, i want to build there, its all about the land, the two hottest areaa right now, the flats on sierra and the hills nightengale, everyother house is being rebuilt or new house its crazy, especially nightengale.. its like a new construction subdivision, every house is being torn down almost.. same on sierra in the flats

Anonymous said...

I did go through this house when it was for sale a couple years ago. I think this is one of the finest lots available in the flats. Great sycamores! I was gutted when I saw the interior. Total smelly shit box. I would build a new Georgian home on this lot, if I could afford it!

Anonymous said...

Perhaps he bought it to build a house for his mother and since her death no longer needs it.

Anonymous said...

Great lot, house will be torn down and replaced with a monstrosity no doubt though...good for Kanye that he was able to sell it for more than he paid considering his timing was waaaaay off if he was looking for a quick, huge-profit flip like this house could've had the potential to be only a year or two earlier...

Anonymous said...

Seems a shame to raze it simply because the land it stands on is so valuable; I'm sure some clever architect could do something wonderful with the shell - it has such a timeless quality to it.

Even out the wings, perhaps add a second story - it could really be something unique.

Anonymous said...

I agree, that's what SHOULD happen, be we all know, it's probably what WON'T happen...the only hope is that the downturn in the credit markets will crimp the buyers plans enough that what LGB said is what will happen instead of another stucco monstrosity 2 times 2 big for the lot...

Anonymous said...

Where's the remote?

Anonymous said...

With fake quoins . . .

Ew.

Anonymous said...

With fake quoins . . .

I cannot tell you how much I despise the fake quoins feature on the mcmansions!
I too like this house.

Anonymous said...

If you drive around the flats you will determine that even though a lot of money is being spent, the majority of the homes look like orange county shopping malls. big "stucco spanish" malls. Curious , with the obvious money avail to build a great house, why doesn't someone hire a really great architect and build a quality home, maybe the real thing is just way too expensive theses days,but not everyone can be building for spec. but of the houses going up now in the area, it looks like one blueprint for the shopping mall look. this is such a great lot, guess the trees will be torn down also, sad

Anonymous said...

Throw in some kudzu and this could be Louisiana. Too bad every square inch of the lot will likely be razed.

Anonymous said...

Hey PCH,

Exactly. Foregone conclusion. Let's check back in a year and see what replaced it.

Anonymous said...

i like it, too bad no one will ever set foot in it again.

Anonymous said...

Morning all!
I'm late to this discussion, and well aware of it, without much to add except this...it's nice to see folks who can appreciate a house for what it is even if the interior is a hellhole. 6 bedroomas and 4 bathrooms? That building must ramble. I really like the place at least from the exterior and what a shame, as mentioned by many, that next year all will be erased.

PP you brought up an excellent point though regarding design. Lack of imagination is not confined to LA or Orange County however. I'm originally from the Lakes Region of New Hampshire and builders there have churned out capes and ranches like so much butter but even the high end houses on the water are nothing more than big ugly piles of masonry and wood. Bleech.

Well enjoy your Saturday!
Peace
Joel

Anonymous said...

kanye's song "hey mama" has the line "i'm gonna get you that mansion we couldn't afford" or something like that. i'm gonna guess this was that mansion...very sad.

Anonymous said...

Joel,

Grew up in a "Cape Cod" style home here on LI - have always hated the style ever since.

There's nothing charming about banging your head against a sloping ceiling every morning when the alarm goes off . . .

Anonymous said...

the house was listed before his mother passed

Anonymous said...

the house was listed before his mother passed

Anonymous said...

This home is a vestage to what once was. Somebody should at least document the structure--inside and out--for a historical perspective. The national archive collects those images. May be gone but not forgotten. We can't stop "progress?" ... but ...

Anonymous said...

Little buddy,
You surprise me! Gotta love the classic eyebrow windows? Please give me that much. This place is fairly cohesive to New England architecture. But I also have owned "quaint" vintage homes with low ceiling upper dormers so I DO appreciate that complaint.

I was raised in Victorian beasts with a second staircase into the kitchen, and delicious millwork--off the charts. These old places were my dad's passion. Bless him, it prompted my appreciation of architecture, and our family business to restore them.

My brother always got the turret bedroom if there one one; I was happy for that. I'll always remember the bones of these places...staircases, radiators, wonderfully detailed floorplans, bowed window alcoves, pocket doors with leaded glass inserts, claw foot tubs and original pedistal sinks; hardwired wall lamping fixutres, plaster detail, big trees outside and so much more. We weren't wealthy so please don't take this for that. My dad just had the eye for high maintenance old places, while others were looking for sleak modern tract homes. Not a single structure I lived in remains -- ergo Mr. West's place imminent demo.

Alessandra said...

Beverly Hills needs to get on it with ratifying preservation and development codes. It's really sad to drive around in the flats and see all these adorable and modest Spanish one story homes being loomed over by zero lot line monstrosities.

Anonymous said...

cool story sp babe, you come by your character honestly.

Anonymous said...

it would be cool to see a snapshot of this area back in 1921.

Anonymous said...

C-B,

i looked for pics or even text of original ownership last night ... not a trace so far.

Anonymous said...

on one of the related messages at bigtime, someones grandma owned it.

Anonymous said...

bev hills in 1933

http://www.learncalifornia.org/GoDocUserFiles/910.A-449.jpg

and in 1952

http://www.learncalifornia.org/GoDocUserFiles/911.E-11-100.jpg

Anonymous said...

C-B, Are you trying to make me crazy looking for the bigtime "somebody's mom" mention? Please walk me to it, you little cutie.

Anonymous said...

SP, I think C-B means Mr. Big Time Listings blog....he always has the exact addresses, but not nearly as much fun to read as our Mama!!

http://www.bergproperties.com/blog/

Anonymous said...

Thanks, la ad guy! :)

Anonymous said...

anon 3:21, very, very cool pics, thanks, i love that stuff
& thanks la ad guy for taking care of my sandbabe

Anonymous said...

Awww..."Sandbabe." I love it.

PS...
Never ever thought I'd do this, but learned a little about the family that made a home on these grounds for over 40 years.
The father was was Frank Vodhanell (1929-2005); Navy vet in the South Pacific, and metal working business owner; survived by his bride of 56 years, Evelyn. They had six children. He served on many causes, including those for adoption, their parish, and the Hancock Park Historical Society. He was a good man.

The home may soon be a memory, but life was well lived here.

That should stand for something.

Alessandra said...

"The home may soon be a memory, but life was well lived here.

That should stand for something."


Indeed. I'm all choked up.

You know, when the heirs sell a property like this, they always hope that another family will move in and love it as they did. And they usually know that won't be the case in these situations where the land is so valuable and the house style isn't the current vogue. The money that they make from the sale eases the disappointment somewhat (or a lot), but at least they'll always have those good memories.

Anonymous said...

sandpiper............. how did you get all that information about the owner? my dad was in the navy, 35yrs, would love to know how you dug all that information up. thanks

Anonymous said...

Sandpiper,

Sorry to break your lovely little bubble, because you did (whether you want to characterize as such or not) grow up very privileged indeed; I don't necessarily mean money-wise, but to have had a dad who cared so much about these homes that it was in his bones to nurture them, just as he did his children, I'm sure.

But the "Cape Cod" house I grew up in wasn't a genuine one; just a tract house on a plowed-under South Shore potato field (I still remember the day they tore the farm house down; I was 4 and I actually cried.)

No charming eyebrow windows for this 50' x 100' plot of land; just your standard dog house dormer, row after row of them, street after street of them . . . UGH!

But due to familial arrangements, I spent the weekends on the North Shore with Nana and Dad, and in the old village of Roslyn, no less, where once Harbor Hill, the pinnacle of McKim, Mead & White's career has stood; all that remained were the gatehouse just down the road and some ruined retaining walls lost in the vegetation alongside the LIRR.

It started my life-long obsession with Long Island mansions and their histories; not so much the first generations who built them as the second generations who pissed them away at such an alarming rate - the saying was "from shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves in three generations." amongst the estate workers, many of whom you would meet and gossip with in this former fishing village, now a charming museum street with placards on every building.

Now that part of childhood I treasure; living in a former potato field, um not so much.

Although it is where Mom (my aunt) still lives.

Anonymous said...

great info sandbabe, its one of the few structures left in la that started out as a home & not an investment. 90 yrs later, no one cares... i knew a regular joe/family guy lived there though.
anyway, thanks for somehow digging up the 411, sandbabe/agent 99

good story also, lgb, appreciate the insight.