Friday, January 9, 2009

The Milton Katselas Krib Goes Up for Sale

SELLER: Estate of Milton Katselas
LOCATION: N. Alfred Street, West Hollywood, CA
PRICE: $2,600,000
SIZE: 3,800 square feet (approx.), 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms
DESCRIPTION: Astounding architectural of oxidized iron, glass, concrete pillars & huge sand blasted wooden beams. Floors of wood & polished concrete. Beautiful pool & spa including cabana & bath. Second kitchen out doors for garden entertaining & dining. 4 fireplaces & a wood burning stove. 6 skylights & parking for 7 cars, includes an enclosed garage for 3. Steam shower and sauna in master bath.

YOUR MAMAS NOTES: Whether they have any real acting chops or not, most actors (and hack-tors) who work their talents and craft in Tinseltown take acting lessons. One of the more legendary acting coaches for the last 30 years was a man named Milton Katselas who went to meet the big drama critic in the sky in October of 2008. As often happens when someone dies, a house goes up for sale and in this case, it's Mister Katsela's West Hollywood hideaway that has been listed by his estate for $2,600,000.

For those who don't already know, Mister Katselas founded the Beverly Hills Playhouse acting school in 1978 where he coached such Hollywood hotshots as George Clooney, Michelle Pfeiffer, Gene Hackman, Doris Roberts, Kate Hudson, Tyne Daly, Patrick Swayze, that poor ladee from Knott's Landing whose face was ravaged by bad plastic surgery and many other notable names.

Before he started instructing film and television actors how to emote in a believable way and cry on cue, Mister Katselas worked as a film and theater director who helmed the original off-Broadway production of Edward Albee's The Zoo Story and the Tony nominated Broadway play Butterflies Are Free as well as the film version that starred Eddie Albert, the fa-boo Goldie Hawn, and Eileen Heckart, who earned an Oscar for her role.

Mister Katselas was also a long time Scientologist who some thought pressured his students to join the church and who reportedly achieved the very high level of "Operating Thetan," which according to Scientology doctrine, means Mister Katselas was capable of "knowing and willing cause over life, thought, matter, energy, space and time," whatever that means. But listen puppies, we're really not here to debate the merits of Scientology or any other religion–for what it's worth Your Mama thinks they're all wacky–so let's get back to the real estate.

Property records show Mister Katselas purchased his N. Alfred Drive property way back in June of 1999 for $379,000. Remember those days children, when you could get a little house in West Hollywood for well under five hundred grand? Anyhoo, listing information shows the house, which was massively renovated and reworked by Mister Katselas into a concrete, oxidized iron and glass structure, currently measures in at approximately 3,800 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms including a master bathroom with steam shower and sauna.

Other amenities include 4 fireplaces (plus a wood burning stove), half a dozen skylights for pulling light into the interior spaces, a loft, an art studio (Mister Katselas was also a painter and sculptor), and wood and polished concrete floors that Your Mama sincerely hopes have a radiant heat system because even though Albert Hammond claimed It Never Rains in Southern California, it does indeed get cold enough that a concrete floor might be a wee bit cold on the toosties on those misty winter mornings.

The grounds, which stretch from the street to a dank alley at the rear, include a pill shaped swimming pool and spa with enough potted plants around the edge that it's almost impossible to get into, a cabana with bathroom so guests need not drag chlorinated water into the house when they have to use the terlit, an outdoor kitchen for cook-outs, and off street parking for 7 cars, a bonified bonus in this tightly packed neighborhood.

According to listing information, the Katselas krib is comprised of two lots with R-3 zoning which means the buyer can rip this house down and put up 8 condos, which at its current asking price, is about the only financially feasible thing to do because this property is simply not located in a neighborhood of 2.6 million dollar houses.

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

In this photo the pool looks too chilly to swim in, but I bet it looks really cool when lit up at night surrounded by all the flora.

Anonymous said...

I bet the potted plants are to hide against so the neighbors can't see you in the pool. There's an apartment building on the north side. And with WeHo zoning, very soon could be another on on the two lots to the south. It appears to be a cool house but unfortunate location.

This is only a couple of blocks from the historic Schindler Home & Studio and they weren't even able to prevent a big building from being built right next to them in past couple of years.

Anonymous said...

too bad this isn't in laurel canyon!

SitDownKaren said...

What the hell? Star Jones is the new "host" of HGTV House Hunters.
Disturbing.

The pics of this house suck. I hope these are not the ones they are using to advertise.

Anonymous said...

Star is hosting HGTV House Hunters again??? She did it for NY week like 2 years ago.

Are these photos from 1978?

Anonymous said...

AHMGONBONULYKEWYTEONRYCE1

Anonymous said...

You ugly ranters disgust me. This is a blog about real estate NOT homo-phobic off-point ravings. Grow up already!!!!

As for the house: $2.6 on Alfred Street?!? The listers need to lay off the crack pipe...

Anonymous said...

You ugly ranters disgust me. This is a blog about real estate NOT homo-phobic off-point ravings. Grow up already!!!!

As for the house: $2.6 on Alfred Street?!? The listers need to lay off the crack pipe...

Anonymous said...

Dearest Mama,

I know you don't like to wade in the kiddy pool with the children but could you pretty please just this once delete the posts by 9:10/9:17???

I'm sorry but that is no different than when the trolls show up making anti-semitic comments.

Anonymous said...

that dump is worth 240k tops

just sayin

:)

Anonymous said...

Reality Check - As usual, Average Moron is wrong. Land value alone for a double lot in that area is close to a million. Mama does get it. The land is worth more than the house. Tearing the house down, putting up an 8 unit condo building, selling them for 500k-700k each is a very viable option and is actually happening all over that neighborhood. Go drive the neighborhood and look at all the construction.

Madam Pince said...

What is that drape-like thing over the fireplace? At first I thought it was light coming in from a skylight, but it appears to be actual matter, not sunbeams.

Anonymous said...

I don't know why but for some reason this place reminds me of Valerie Perrine's apartment in Can't Stop the Music

Mike Cook said...

It's a very strange house, and even the sunlight streaming in looks cold as ice. Those rugs in the boom box room are nice. Too bad they don't do much to tie the room together.

Anonymous said...

I drove past it today. It is a very unique property. A lot of trees and looks a bit overgrown. Might be to provide privacy but contributes to the overall feeling of darkness and coldness to me.

There is a large apartment/condo to the north but it's driveway runs down along the property line creating a tiny bit of a buffer. Also doesn't appear there are many windows on that side of the apartments.

The house looks like it has potential to be something really special but the price is kind of high for the area. I bet if it was closer to 1.6 million it would sell in a heartbeat.

Artoo45 said...

The tragic 80s thingy over the fireplace is a Hubbard MkVII Super Stargate. It leads to Marcab V, where Xenu is still incarcerated. The dark one is coming back bitches, and boy is he pissed ya'll have been dissing Tom Cruise in Vakyrie.

Anonymous said...

YUCK!

Anonymous said...

The tear-down theory helps explain the filthy windows.

I do believe Lee Anne DeVette took the pictures.

I see pods in the pool.

Run away! Run away!

Anonymous said...

When it is the owner's *estate* selling, and the value is way more than the 379k he paid, they don't care about cleaning up or washing windows. Does anyone know who the beneficiaries of his estate are? Did he have any family or is the cult..I mean..."Scientologists" getting the money?

Anonymous said...

I haven't seen Polaroid pictures used for a listing in quite awhile...

Anonymous said...

I went through the open house over the weekend - the house is actually pretty cool, the pictures do not do it justice.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, the price is way too high; especially if you factor in the high mortgage rates now a days!