Thursday, January 1, 2009

Russ Weiner Finally Gets to Unload One

SELLER: Russ Weiner
LOCATION: Sunset Plaza Drive, Los Angeles, CA
PRICE: $8,000,000
SIZE: 9,800 square feet (approx.), 7 bedrooms, 8 bathrooms
DESCRIPTION: ...A poured in place megalith built buy award winning architect David Lawrence Grey, with no expense spared or budget. Walls and floors of glass capture the best city to ocean views. The entry with soaring ceilings and loaded with natural light doubles as a gallery for art and sculpture. 5 bedroom suites in the main house and 2 bedroom suites in the detached guest house. A state of the art screening room with projector have just been installed. The grassy yard with koi pond soften the sleek exterior...

YOUR MAMAS NOTES: All you people who obsess over Los Angeles real estate like Your Mama does better hold on to your britches and grab yer smelling salts because according to one of our better connected sources one of Los Angeles' most famous real estate white elephants has been sold. According to an in-the-know ladee we'll call Mrs. Pink, The Fortress–a much discussed and often maligned glass and concrete behemoth located on curvy, swervy and dangerous to drive Sunset Plaza Drive–has fi-nah-lee been sold after nearly two years on the market and several heavy duty price chops.

Property records show the seller is Rockstar Energy Drink founder Russ Weiner who purchased the property in March of 2004 for an undisclosed price, but which we're told by Mrs. Pink was "right around six million." In January of 2007, young, rich and entrepreneurial Mister Weiner listed the property at the rather, uhm, optimistic price of $14,995,000. Over time, the price plummeted to a still high but much less shocking $8,900,000. After multiple offers and much wrangling, we're told by Mrs. Pink that the buyer forked over $8,000,000 for the approximately 9,800 square foot edifice. According to Mrs. Pink, that figure–while far, far, FAAAAR less than Mister Weiner originally wanted–still represents the highest amount ever paid for a house on Sunset Plaza, so bully to the folks who managed to put that big deal together in a quickly sinking real estate economy.

We know the children are busting at the seams wanting to know who would cough up the big bucks for such an architectural lightening rod. According to our very reliable Mrs. Pink the buyer is a 29 year old entrepreneur named Val Kolton who made his mountain of money designing, manufacturing and selling fancy portable headphones and wireless microphone devices.

The Fortress, as the house is widely and sometimes derisively called, occupies a narrow promontory formed by a hair raising hairpin turn on glitzy Sunset Plaza Drive and was designed in 1994 (and built in 1996) by noted Los Angeles architect David Lawrence Grey for a German biznessman named Peter Schindler who, according to the architect's website, desired both a private place of repose and an entertainment venue which could handle large catered parties. Whether the children like the notion of an industrial palette of glass, steel and concrete applied to residential architecture or not, Mister Grey's eponymous firm is widely known (and lauded) for designing and building these types of structures including (but not limited to) private residences in Beverly Hills, Pacific Palisades and several along the ocean in Malee-boo.

Both the main and guest houses are constructed of poured in place concrete and due to the location, geologic complexity of the site and the high cost of concrete–which is, believe it or not, kind of expensive–some say the original construction costs soared to upwards of $30,000,000. We sorta doubt that figure, but then again, what does Your Mama know about anything?

Listing information reveals main house, built in what Your Mama would call High Industrial Cathedral Sheek, includes 5 bedroom suites which means everyone gets their own private pooper. The detached and raised guest house, located across the motor court at the north end of the property, forms a sort of porte cochere entrance and contains another two guest suites perfect for housing staff, naughty teenage children or guests you don't trust in your house after dark lest they rummage through yer private things. Don't think people go through your things when you're not looking? Just try getting one of them nanny-cams pushed up a teddy bear's butt and see what you see.

Anyhoo, after a long walk down a wide and shaded walkway one enters the main house through a double-height impress the guests gallery that stretches an indoor roller skater's dream of 60 feet and features an intricately articulated sky-lit ceiling and a glass staircase leading to–ladees in dresses beware–a glass bridge on the second floor. Several cushioned seating nooks along one side of the entrance gallery and a state of the art sound and lighting system give the room an undeniable night club vibe which is probably great for having 100 of your closest friends over for cocktails and crudité, but Your Mama imagines it could be a little lonely feeling when home alone on a windy night, you know what we're saying?

The stone floored and double height living room isn't exactly what Your Mama would call a cozy room, but it takes full and impressive advantage of the site which on a clear day provides explosive views from downtown Los Angeles all the way to Catalina Island. The concrete walled dining room has dark wood floors installed on the diagonal, one of the home's three fireplaces for fireside dining and easy access to a Porsche designed all stainless steel kitchen that we are certain would send Your Mama and the Dr. Cooter's despotic housegurl Svetlana into a nuclear sized hissy fit.

Listing information indicates a state-of-the-art screening room with projector was recently installed and outfitted with blood red carpeting, beige velvet sofas and a fully stocked bar for getting slowly and comfortably drunk while viewing genre appropriate films like Bladerunner and The Terminator.

The grounds include off street parking for up to seven cars and a quiet courtyard located between the main house and motor court where koi swim contentedly in a small pond. The rear yard, which faces the really big views, includes several stone terraces, a barbecue area and a long narrow lap pool with a raised spa at the far end which appears to hover over the glittering lights of the city. Whether one likes (or appreciates) the architectural chutzpah of this house or not, it goes without question that getting a scantily clad date into that spa pretty much guarantees yer gonna get lucky, which isn't such a bad thing, right?

Some of the children will recall that Mister Weiner has been trying to unload pricey properties all over Los Angeles the last couple of years. Currently on the market with an asking price of $2,500,000 (price chopped all the way down from $3,995,000) is a peach colored four story number on Franklin Avenue which has been on the market since Your Mama was cutting our damn baby teeth. Also on the market is that architectural abortion on Sierra Alta Way that the Little Purple One (Prince) once leased and which carries an improbable asking price of $17,900,000 (reduced from a shockingly high asking price of $22,000,000). As far as we know, Mister Weiner owns and occupies one of the more modest estates up in the guard gated super-mansion enclave of Beverly Park.

It appears that young Mister Kolton has also listed what property records show to be his current crib which also happens to have a Sunset Plaza Drive addy. Records show Mister Kolton picked up the 4 bedroom and 5 bathroom residence in April of 2007 for $4,625,000 and current listing information shows the property is listed at $4,200,000.

Did the children hear Your Mama gasp? That's right puppies, a few flicks of the well worn beads of Your Mama's abacus reveals that not only can young Mister Kolton afford to spend eight million clams on a new house–which we hear through the gossip grapevine he's planning on spending another million or so renovating–but he can also afford to lose a teeth chattering $425,000 selling his current residence. And that, children, is if he's lucky enough to sell the place at full asking price, a proposition that is certainly possible but somewhat doubtful in this crippled economic climate.

57 comments:

Anonymous said...

Weiner really has bad taste ... Not only does he own this but also the god damn awful Sierra Alta property ... Is he blind?

This place is the most awful house in the Hills ... I just can't believe someone bought it, especially at the moment when there are several really nice properties on the market ... If the new owner plans on moving on in the next 10 years or so then he should put it back on the market now & maybe he'll have a buyer around 2020 ... if he's lucky!

Anonymous said...

a home run for this or any market...
hats off to his broker who had the stamina and stayig power to wait it out.. maybe that rockstar stuff really works ??

StPaulSnowman said...

It just doesn't look like a house to me.

Unknown said...

That is a god awful ugly house.

Anonymous said...

Bleh, I hate this place, but each to their own. Apparently Mr. Weiner operates on the principle that there's a sucker always lurking in the shadows who will pay him an undeserved profit, and perhaps he's correct. He's not forcing anyone to buy from him, but his unabashed greed still bothers me.

Anonymous said...

Regarding the Sierra Alta property, I recall that he had lowered the priced to either $12.9 or $14.9 Million and now had the balls to raise the price back to $17.9 Million. Maybe he'll go all the way back to $22M.

justlovely said...

"High Industrial Cathedral Sheek", indeed! Stuff like this is why I can't get enough of Mama!

I've driven past this thing a few times on my way to and from Appian Way, and although it's difficult to see when you're inside your car, you definitely know you're in the shadow of something formidable.

Anonymous said...

It looks like a cheesy nightclub and is VERY 'A Night at the Roxbury' with those 'splashes' of colour everywhere. Very 1996 and not in a good way.

lil' gay boy said...

Has anyone checked the weather in Hell today?

;-)

Y'all know it's only a matter of time before "Cousin Joe" crawls out from under his rock to regale us with how he broke open his piggy bank to make an offer on this abortion.

Architectural tour-de-force or not, this is one "gem" that should not have made it onto Schindler's List; I understand building a monument to ego, but this cold mausoleum hasn't a shred of domestic warmth.

As far as Russ Weiner is concerned, well we've all seen his real estate portfolio here at Mama's before; it's clear that the only taste he has resides in his seeing-eye-dog's mouth ("Bark if it matches, Rusty!")

So I gotta ask ––– just what is it that's wrong with Mr. Val Kolton? Does he eat Wiccan babies? Suck farts out of funeral home divans? Or is it some thing really horrible?

Anonymous said...

What's with the lights in the morgue/kitchen? An odd choice for a sleek place.

justlovely said...

I just looked at the photos more closely, and a few things struck me:

No theater furniture in the projection room? Those sofas look like floor samples from the close-out at Levitz. And what's grandma's afghan doing there?

I hope that isn't the main staircase in the house. What is it, 2 feet wide?

Anonymous said...

why are you guys so full of hate and venom. ?

something wrong in your shitty little lives ?

"you only piss and moan while sitting in your dark studio apartments with venitian blinds pulled so no one can see how bad you have it."

this blog is for people to read about interesting sales in the current market.

go piss and moan somewhere else, like target where you can complain the the underware you bought is to tight..

Anonymous said...

12:08, we are critiquing inanimate objects, and we are entitled to our opinions. You on the other hand show up consistently to drop insulting little bombs on the heads of those here who don't bother you. Go piss and moan somewhere else your shitty little self, tyvm.

Anonymous said...

Ugh, the buyer looks like one of those creepy dudes that lurks around the clubs and freaks everyone out. Of course, as soon as the girls see his car and the bottle service, they then somehow find him to be attractive. Meanwhile, he has no idea that the only thing attractive about him is his wallet and he thinks he is in heaven:

http://www.v-moda.com/our%20world/brand%20essence/who%20is%20it.aspx

Anonymous said...

The new owner dosen't look so bad to me. Perhaps his new home reminds him of old Italian fortified cities, considering his ancestry.

Anonymous said...

Based on reviews on the Apple site, one could reasonably wonder if his headphones may be manufactured in some third world country without any quality assurance program in place:

http://store.apple.com/us/product/TQ019LL/A?fnode=MTY1NDA1MA&mco=Mjc5MTY0NQ

They appear to be a hit or miss with buyers, only garnering a 3 out of 5 stars.

I am amazed that headphones can buy such a house.

Anonymous said...

Some architechural aspects call to mind commercial spaces on the perimeter ring road of big shopping malls. Still, I rather dig the concrete organic vibe and industrial finishes. The overhead kitching lamping is either mega dramatic after dark or a big mistake. Not sure which.

Edit out the wonky cathedrally pointy roofline element and I'm causiously excited.

Anonymous said...

the house was used in the movie big fat liar

Anonymous said...

what a surprise to see this house now; i was there at the 'opening party' for the house upon its completion. friends did some of the furniture. even back then, i found it beyond sterile and quite boring. I vividly remember going into the guest house and finding a half unpacked roy Liechtenstein painting in the closet. seems like the kid who bought it has too much money and not enough taste. btw, the dates are wrong as the party i went to was in 1993, a full year before the architects site says the house was designed.

Anonymous said...

ha- modest beverly park home... riight.


and i would care to bet that val's buy includes "priceless" eternal invites to the parties of rockstar and co. just hedging that one tho- shh. ;)

Anonymous said...

good for him

the housing downturn is far from over and the crash is still around the corner

I am sure it will be back up for sale for 2MM by next summer

then again it could be 2020 before it is up for sale again and by then he will get 40MM for it

:)

Anonymous said...

I can't understand why NYC apartments with No land cost more than mansions with yards the same size in LA.

Anonymous said...

I'm getting a real lutheran vibe off this place. You can almost smell the polyester as pantsuit legs rub against one another.

You know there's a macrame owl hanging - in avocado - made just for that dining room. The stylist pried it off the walls for the shoot.

That kitchen? Perfect for meat dish - using extra no-salt crackers with mashed frozen peas is the house secret.

Anonymous said...

I'm sorry but that house is absolutely bad ass. The property/views and the fact that it will probably outlast most other houses in L.A. are incredible.

And Beck wants how much for his McReconstruction in Hancock Park?

Almost 7 Mil?

This house is worth double double. So it looks like Beck needs to shave a few million off.

And don't even get me started on the 17.5M dream asking price for the old Ahmanson mansion across the street.

Anonymous said...

Sandpiper - You hit the nail on the head. And now that I look at the architect's website, I see what has been tugging at my subconscious about this house - the architect also designed the Costco Warehouse store in Culver City.

While we can all appreciate restocking the gin in the wet bar at Costco prices, who wants to live in a Costco?

Anonymous said...

what did Weiner originally pay for this place and when?

Anonymous said...

who was the broker ?

Anonymous said...

This looks like the house from that Leelee Sobieski movie glass house. This house would look cool in a movie or for a party, but who would want to live here?

Whoever said 1997, you are totally right.

Anonymous said...

The original owner "desired...a private place of repose..."!!?? What I see is an ugly monstrosity of a house on a promontory with cars parked all around it. Repose? Doesn't anyone ever honk? And what about the screeching tires as late night drivers try to navigate the bend? I can see why he soon checked out.

Anonymous said...

"Jor-El, I know you must be wondering why I have called you to the Fortress of Solitude."

Anonymous said...

10:14 - According the Mama's article, Weiner paid around 6 million.

I'm hearing Kolton is paying less than 8 million though. We'll see.

Anonymous said...

Reality check. since i have no doubts that 99.9percent of the posters here have not and probably will NEVER reside in a 6million, or 8million or probably even a 2million dollar house , its hilarious to me how all of you "dump" on this house. most of you live in studio apts, including a majority of the realtors around town, I used to love to go on caravan and these "grand dames" and yes, i am referring to the guys, would walk into a multi million dollar house and throw a hissy fit, "how can someone live here'?? a few mins later they jump into their leased range rover and dash off to another "awful home" to trash and then race back to the office desk they share with their 80yr old corspe female partner (who was married to some rich old fart who died years ago) then they buzz home to the 600 sq ft rental they live in. its just not a professional bus in los angeles , big listings are had by ex whores and mommy and daddies connections and the rest are starving, so stop trashing properties you'll never be able to afford..

Anonymous said...

I think my orthodontist used to have an office there.

Anonymous said...

And there would be couzin joe checking in at 10:55 to throw a tantrum about his beloved pile being trashed.

Geez joe, you've been wanting Mama to post this pile o crap forever. She has. We still don't like it. You didn't get to buy it. Move on.

Anonymous said...

"Russ Weiner Finally Gets to Unload One"

Wonder how much Ex-Lax it took for him to pass this turd?

Anonymous said...

Not joe , not joe at all, and since we are on it, you all spend way too much time obsessed with JOE. lets keep this site interesting. yes, I can afford and do have properties a few worth in excess of 7million, and i just think the majority who post have little or no insight into most of these properties, russ Weiner who you are all critizing his taste in properties, well, he can AFFORD to buy whatever he wants and could give a damn, what a bunch of wanna bees have to say. the sunset plaza house he bought for 5.4million, i watched them build the house, its a bit 80s now but its an incredible site, views are amazing and its for a person with THAT specific taste, so all you throwing in your two cents with no background or experience with multimillion dollar homes..... go post on the IKEA site.

Anonymous said...

I agree the site of this house is amazing... views amazing. The inside is incredibly 80's and the living room, bedroom and kitchen are very cold.

I have dreamed of having parties at this place... it would be ridiculously fun, but momma said it best... on those lonely nights when no ones around and the winds blowing, it probably doesn't feel too good. Still... I would buy it at the right price for location and views.

Anonymous said...

If I hit my snooze alarm will Bret-Joe be only a bad dream?

Anonymous said...

Poor Joe doesn't even know his writing style is so distinctive that we all know when it's him no matter whether he admits it or not, lol.

Give it up Joe. Your dream house has sold and not to you. Move on.

Anonymous said...

The house looks drafty and the facade looks like an office building.

The bar in the media room, however, looks divine.

Anonymous said...

this house would be perfect to fly in some top class Russian call girls and spade them with the view in the background. Also you could spade them in the main foyer and have hidden cameras recording the moment.

Anonymous said...

YAWN.

Next....

I only want to hear about this pile again when the morning news shows it being imploded.

Anonymous said...

anon 6:33 - I agree that bar looks quite inviting.

Anonymous said...

To Maria Schrallhammer

I could not have said it better myself

:)

and I wish I could have bought that place, but for 8MM when next year it will be worth 4MM ?

patience is a virtue very few of us have

and to Brett Sommers

I could believe you saying you own a condo or 2

but several 7MM properties ?????

you are a

BIG FAT LIAR !!!!!!!!!!!! :)

Anonymous said...

To Maria Schrallhammer

I said it about myself

:)

and I wish I could have bought that place, but can only afford $8.00 and that is next month when I get my allowance.

brain cells are a luxury i don't have

and to Brett Sommers

I want to be you

oh...that was me posting as you !!!!!

i am a

BIG FAT LIAR !!!!!!!!!!!! :)

Anonymous said...

I looked at the listing for the place Kolton is selling. The guy must be a total douche. It is a nice house but decorated like a couple of college students are crashing in it. Mama would need smelling salts AND a big pitcher of G&Ts to make it through a write up on that house.

Anonymous said...

ok, stupid me .JOE thought i could fool such a sophisticated bunch, yes, i am the fool, i never should have tried, its me joe. i just wanted to fit in, i have cluttered this site with so much negativity, i finally realized with alot of dr. phil therapy that i just want to be like you, it will be hard, but i already put up my first male escort ad on craigs list, it was hard since i am a straight male, but i want to be a big successful realtor in beverly hills or even malibu, i am hoping some big wig homo entertainment person, well known photographer will snatch me up give me my first movie star listing and before you know it, i can be making 5million a year, even though i am not very smart , have no personality or much intellect,and skinny legs, i will sleep with any old troll it takes even diseased old trolls cause i really want to be accepted and get ahead. i am sorry for just trying to get ahead, i guess the easy way. my back up plan is to get a job as a waiter and suck up to lesbians who know famous people, i will kiss their lesbo asses for years then drug up my little paul williams body so i can forget about it all later and just sell big celebrity properties and make millions and well, keep the cycle going, buy young boys, and turn them out as ..... "realtors"" yes, yes yes
so,its just me JO, NOW A MO, stupid of me to try to fool you all

Anonymous said...

this house would be perfect to fly in some top class Russian call girls and spade them with the view in the background. Also you could spade them in the main foyer and have hidden cameras recording the moment.

I love this house so much I masturbate in the bushes on the western side late at night

Anonymous said...

To Uncle Joe (Edgar Buchanan)

anyone who would write more than a 4 lines about avg joe, well they need to get a life in the real world

just sayin

:)

Anonymous said...

average joe 11:05 , well , someday once you have reached the point when are you able to retire from head storage box boy at staples, you will realize that I felt like writing 3 lines, then it was 4 and well, i just kept going, why, BECAUSE I CAN.......... lots of free time, sometimes its a massage, other times charity work, then maybe i get hazel to fix me lunch, but bascially i do what ever i wish, and my wish, was to talk about , think about, dream about (for ever actually)JOE

Anonymous said...

You know the saying.

"There is a sucker born every minute."

Looks like Weiner found one.

Anonymous said...

I do not care what anyone says on here

I have been to that modern home on numerous occasions since it was built

A. it is a babe magnet, the previous owners for the most part have found their future wives there

B. I have gotten laid there many times without even trying, although when they found out the next day I did not own the place, let alone live there, they were pissed

what do I care ????

C. anyone who is single would love to live there

D. very few can afford that place, you would have to have a net worth of at least 50MM to even afford to run it, upkeep is at least 1MM a year not including the tele or cable

for a single guy or girl it is heaven on earth

end of discussion

Anonymous said...

Right. Keep dreaming Moron Joe..I mean "anon 3:58".

Anonymous said...

"There is a sucker born every minute."

Sigh.. And there was another one at 3:58pm.

Wonder if his daddy wishes he had worn a condom?

Anonymous said...

Mama is right. Quit the bitchin and watch the video:
http://www.wellcomemat.com/ca/los_angeles/house/for-sale/real-estate/videos/B050AF6FB6.html#wrapper

Anonymous said...

this house was used in the FRANKIE MUNIZ AND AMANDA BYNES movie BIG FAT LIAR

Anonymous said...

It's been back on the market for a while and today the price just dropped another $400,000. http://www.estately.com/listings/info/2260-sunset-plaza-drive--1