Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Graeme Revell Doubles Down in Malibu

SELLER: Graeme Revell
LOCATION: Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, CA
PRICE: $27,500,000
SIZE: 3,477 square feet (as per assessor), 5 bedrooms and 5.5 bathrooms
DESCRIPTION: Unique beach and bluff estate. 1-story Fred Lloyd Wright Foundation. Appx. 5 acres rolling lawns, tree lined driveway to motor court. Pool, spa, tennis court. Private direct beach access. Expand, remodel or build your custom estate. Expired plans available.

YOUR MAMAS NOTES: Your Mama has heard from a number of helpful tipsters over the last week or 10 days–including one from the always informative Missy Malee-boo–who have all pointed their real estate luvin' fingers at a long, low and blue tile roofed residence stretched out on the dee-voonly dramatic bluffs of Malee-boo that recently hit the market with a spine tingling asking price of $27,500,000.

A little look-see through public records reveals that the property belongs to super successful film and television composer Graeme Revell, the gentleman responsible for the soundtracks of such high-minded cinematic wonders as Man of the Year, Goal, Tank Girl and the upcoming Seth Rogan pot-fest Pineapple Express.

Records indicate that Mister Revell and his artist wifey Brenda purchased their 5 acre estate in May of 2004 for $12,000,000. Based on that purchase price, our trusted and bejeweled abacus tells us the cashing in couple are hoping to more than double their Malee-boo money in just four or five years time. Your Mama don't know nuthin' from nuthin' about real estate children, but we do know that asking for that kind of monstrous increase in value takes some serious real estate cajones even in a place like Malee-boo where real estate prices and "values" adhere to their own set of arcane and entirely subjective rules.

A little research on the interweb and Your Mama learned that the "L" shaped domicile was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright's son-in-law William Wesley Peters. For those who do not know or are too lazy to Blackle Mister Peters, Your Mama will inform the children that the architect was a protégé of master architect Frank Lloyd Wright and was, in fact, married to Mister Wright's adopted daughter Svetlana, a gal who should ab-so-lute-lee not be confused with Your Mama and the Dr. Cooter's house gurl Svetlana. Mister Wright's daughter Svetlana perished in an automobile accident in 1946 and Mister Peters went on to marry the only daughter of Communist party head honcho Joseph Stalin, who coincidentally was also named Svetlana and, again, should not be confused with Your Mama's stern, bossy and beloved house gurl Svetlana.

Records filed with the county indicate the house measures in at a surprisingly small sounding 3,477 square feet and listing information shows the house includes 5 bedrooms and 5.5 bathrooms. From the looks of things, Your Mama would have imagined the house was much larger. Anyhoo, the five acre parcel, which happens to sit just a few doors up the Pacific Coast Highway from gossip glossy favorites Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's ocean front spread, includes a long curving tree-lined driveway, acres of rolling lawns, a north south tennis court and a fantastically pill shaped swimming pool. By far the most interesting feature of the property is accessed down a long and winding path to the beach which terminates in a private ocean front plateau that has been planted with a circular lawn area perfect for meditating, sunbathing in the nood and landing helicopters.

Given the architectural provenance of this house, Your Mama would bet our long bodied bitches Linda and Beverly that being inside this house is much better than looking at the outside which, forgive our snarky soul, looks like an International House of damn Pancakes. Now children, while out on the open road in our big BMW, Your Mama does not mind the occasional Rooty Tooty Fresh and Fruity breakfast at an IHOP, but we are not inclined to want to come home to a twenty something million dollar house that looks like it might smell of chicken strips and cooking grease.

The interior spaces are certainly dramatic with soaring ceilings and intricately articulated floor to ceiling windows with an insane geometric angulation that makes Your Mama a little dizzy with dee-light. However, Your Mama does not have much nice to say about the interior day-core which unfortunately leans towards tiger striped throws, beige sofas and inexpensive looking and randomly placed shoji screens. Ack!

Records show that Mister Revell and his artist wifey Brenda also own a modest house in Woodland Hills for which they forked over $1,000,000 in August of 2006, a modest ranch house in Porter Ranch which they bought in June of 2004 for $863,000 and third modestly sized house in Venice they scooped up in June of 2004 for $850,000. The property rich pair also own a couple of apartment buildings in North Hollywood, both of which were purchased towards the end of 2007. Phew! So in addition to scoring films Your Mama has never heard of nor seen, Mister Revell and his ladee-wife also have a proper penchant for real estate investing.

39 comments:

StPaulSnowman said...

It is a gorgeous setting and a disappointing house given its provenance. For that price, the lot should be more than an open field with a playground fenced tennis court and basketball hoop. I would have a hard time looking at the beautiful view through windows that look like a giant bar code.

Anonymous said...

Great location but definitely one of Malibus uglier homes. Especially in comparison to Brad Pitts a few doors away.

Anonymous said...

can't believe agent was lame enough to say FRED Lloyd Wright Foundation-which I think, the FRANK Lloyd wright foundation has no association with this-kinda dicey for agent to try to make it sound like it does.

Anonymous said...

To me, this is the ultimate Malibu beach property - a big beautiful bluff overlooking the ocean. The round plateau just above the beach is an awesome cherry on top of this real estate cake.

I don't think I'd sleep well living directly ON the beach, concerned that a big rogue wave would sweep me away while I slept. Don't laugh - it happens.

I'm not crazy about the house, although I do like it's size, and single story intersecting L shaped layout.

Anonymous said...

from LA curbed blog:As for the reference to the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation? "The architect who did this house is William Wesley Peters, who was an apprentice to Frank Lloyd Wright," Arnold Roy at the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to conserving the work of Wright, tells us. Roy also says the listing agent probably shouldn't be mentioning the foundation in the listing at all, since it's not affiliated.

Anonymous said...

The "private ocean front plateau" has been the source of much controversy from the California Coastal Commission. I don't know if the Revells dealt with this or the previous owners did.

Anonymous said...

Love the location and lot, not a fan of that hideous blue roof...and Who the F*ck is "Fred" Lloyd Wright again exactly? (LOL...;-)

Alessandra said...

I agree with Mama that it probably lives better inside than it looks outside. And why am I now craving pancakes, dammit?

The exterior leaves me cold and I'm not sure I love the landscaping (or complete lack thereof), but the path down to the ocean is intriguing. And 5 acres is nothing to sneeze about.

Also, is that tennis court facing east-west? If so, for shame on such a large lot.

pch said...

It seems like this house has been listed a gazillion times over the years. Don't love it, don't hate it. But it's better than 90 percent of the architecture on the coast highway.

Much of the Malibu coastline faces south, Alessandra, so the tennis court is correct :)

Anonymous said...

Money sure doesn't buy taste!

Jimmy said...

One wonders if Mr. Pitt [et. all] ever wonder how the cliff they live on was formed. And what might happen to it (and their houses) given wave action, erosion, earthquakes, and the general geologic forces operating in the area.

Anonymous said...

Jimmy.......you be skarin' me and I don't even live on the coast.

StPaulSnowman said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
StPaulSnowman said...

Is that thing a heliport or a croquet lawn? Why has it been conroversial? Man-made? Not up to code? Please shed some light. Thanks

Anonymous said...

Sorry mama but this looks like a tear down waiting to happen.

Anonymous said...

All I know is the inside is so ugly that if I had to live there, I'd want to throw myself off that damned cliff into the ocean below.

Anonymous said...

WTF is Fred Lloyd Wright?

Anonymous said...

An architect from the Lucy Show, I think

Anonymous said...

This is a perfect example of why I would much rather spend that on something on the east end of long island - I would need too many meds whenever there is a heavy rain or an earthquake worrying that half my yard or my house was going to slide off into the ocean.

Anonymous said...

The Children don't disappoint. Our Curbed Cuzins already delivered a smackdown on this listing as well as an earlier one where a broker (Aaron Kirman) who should know better is advertising a Laughlin Park house as a Lloyd Wright even though Eric Lloyd Wright's office has already confirmed at most Lloyd Wright MAY have been involved in the original landscaping some 80+ years ago (which is long gone). Kirman hasn't updated his listing and it appears this broker isn't taking Fred's name out either, lol.

Anonymous said...

The listing does read "Expand, remodel or build your custom estate. Expired plans available."

So sounds like land value. And that is a nice 5 acres. Depending on the condition of the interior, I'd probably just change the blue roof for something more subtle. The beach "yard" is great!

pch said...

St Paul, I don't know the specifics of this case, but the coastal commission gets medieval on anyone who wants to build anything on the shoreline. Certain things are completely verboten, especially when it involves a bluff. That deck likely leaves the commission apoplectic.

Kenny said...

great location and magnificent view.

visit my website at: http://www.homesoftherich.net

Alessandra said...

PCH, you are correct about the coastline really being more oriented to the south along Malibu...I know better.

Anonymous said...

no pickleball court, could be a deal killer

Anonymous said...

Ugliest 27-million-dollar property I've ever seen. You barely get a view of the coast from the house, it appears. Ugh. Also, when will this bit of property get washed away by the sea? I especially loathe that helicopter landing pad thing. Is that on top of a cave?

Mike Cook said...

Jesus, I hope that path is a moving sidewalk. Mama, not one word about G&T's and hauling your fat ass up that path? Shocking!

If the helicopter landed me there on that round, I'd say "No sir, drop on that huge lawn with nary a flower or shrub to be seen up top, thank you very much."

I don't know, it looks super-imposed. Anyone? A bit 'Truman Show' at the beach?

Anonymous said...

So if a buyer decides to "expand, remodel, or build" on the land, especially if they sought approval to renew the "expired plans", would they then face the wrath of the Coastal Commission and potentially lose the use of the "plateau"?

Anonymous said...

lame teensy tiny bistro set in that one pic.

lil' gay boy said...

Tsk, tsk, tsk.

Seems like none of Wright's apprentices ever managed to pull it off, hard as they tried.

William Wesley Peters never got the proportions right, which historians attribute to the fact that he was a much taller man than the diminutive architect, famed for his notoriously low ceilings.

I'm guessing he chose the blue roof to counterpoint the Pacific when the house was viewed from the road above. Too bad it comes off with a gas station vibe. The sad attempt to pay homage to Wright's art glass fenestration is dizzying.

But I love it nonetheless, even with its tragic décor…

Anonymous said...

LGB, the road isn't that much higher and the house isn't at all visible from the road.

All that said, I'd rather have the Lautner next door (to the left).

chris said...

I'd sure want to sell out, if I owned the place, before those cliffs erode and the whole thing lands on the beach or in the ocean.

Anonymous said...

I don't see how they got the permits to shave the top of that rock off and plant a vanity lawn! It is part of the beach. Anything below the high-tide line is public access. At high-tide that rock is surrounded with water!

Maybe I'll climb it and drive a few golf balls off it! Easy access from El Matador State Beach a few lots down.

Who ever buys this might be in for a major legal battle to return it to it's natural looks and remove the trail.

http://www.beachlaw.info/mcle/mcle01_body.php

Anonymous said...

According to Google Earth there are historic sea caves under that rock and IT IS part of El Matador State Beach. Not Good.

I hope the buyers have good lawyers!
This well make David Geffens access battle look like small potatoes if the State, Malibu, and the CCC takes interest.

Good luck!

Anonymous said...

There's a pic of this house in the recent People magazine. Apparently this is a "Project Beach House" leased out for the summer for celeb parties, etc.

Anonymous said...

Oh Boy!.....where is that Johnny Cochrane when you need him? I hope it's on the Court Channel.

Anonymous said...

Is there a way down from the landing pad to the beach itself? What is the white thing behind the circle? I can't get a grip on it at all. I have to say the landing pad make sthis lot realy cool. The house not so much. It does seem as if it is always the protoge never the master.....

Anonymous said...

Revell has a pretty nice place in Hidden Hills at 6084 John Muir Rd with a great-sized property. I bet Mama is gonna have a field day when the listing for this Calabasas-mega-mini-manse-strosity hits the mls. Who am I kidding, mama's gossips will tell long before it hits the mls and the rest of us commoners find out...

Serena said...

sold for 18.5 in June 2010 - just saw this house yesterday... fug.