Monday, July 20, 2009

LeVar Burton Lists Sherman Oaks Spanish Casa

SELLER: LeVar Burton
LOCATION: Stoneridge Place, Sherman Oaks, CA
PRICE: $1,850,000
SIZE: 4,987 square feet, 5 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms
DESCRIPTION: Spectacular Spanish Estate view home nestled in the hills of SO Longridge Estates. 5 BRs & office & 6 BA. 5th BR guest suite w/ fireplace, private entrance. Grand entry w/ formal DR. LR w/ firplce, opens to the heart of the home: a chef's kitchen w/ state of the art appliances. Main patio w/ built in firplce, BBQ, stunning Views. Romantic MA BR suite w/ firplce, walk-in closet, spa bath w/ room shower. Swimmers pool w/ grassy lawn, majestic trees. A peaceful oasis above the city lights.

YOUR MAMAS NOTES: The other day Your Mama was at the hair salon getting a new do when we received a text message from our wonderfully chatty tipster Babbling Babette who pointe dus towards a house in the hills above Sherman Oaks, CA. A little investigation and a leg up from Lucy Spillerguts educated Your Mama that that house on Stoneridge Place is owned by actor LeVar Burton and listed for sale with an asking price of $1,850,000.

Although we are not a SciFi fan and we had no idea who Mister Burton is, a sweep across the interweb told us he may best be known by the peeps (and certainly by the Trekkies) for his many years as Captain Geordi La Forge on the Star Trek franchise. Among his many other boob-toob achievements are his portrayal of Kunta Kinte in the spectacular 1977 series Roots and most notably for hosting Reading Rainbow, the highly acclaimed and award winning children's boob toob program promoting literacy for which he's earned a slew of Daytime Emmy Awards that he not very modestly displays on the mantle in his living room. Like many actors, Mister Burton also di-rects and his turn at the helm includes several episodes of Charmed, a good number of Star Trek episodes and, back in the late 1980s, The Tiger Woods Story.

Property records indicate Mister Burton bought his shack in Sherman Oaks' Longridge Estates area way back in June of 1996 when he paid $1,475,000 for the 4,987 square foot Spanish style casa. Listing information reveals Mister Burton's crib includes 5 bedrooms and 6 poopers as well as an office which looks like he actually uses it as an office. Listing information described Mister Burton's property as a "Spanish Estate" and while we'll grant that this white stuccoed and tiled roofed residence fits the mold of a Southern California Spanish style house, it's not really what Your Mama would call an estate if only because the front facade sits right up on road on the quiet cul-de-sac. We usually reserve the description "estate" for homes on large parcels that sit well off the street and not one in which the neighbors can stroll by and have a look-see right into the damn living room.

Anyhoo, there is, according to listing information, a "grand entry" which leads to a formal dining room and a large living room with a vaulted wood beamed ceiling, honey colored wood floors and that fireplace with all those aforementioned Emmy's to impress the guests. The living room is open to the kitchen which also features a vaulted wood beamed ceiling, Shaker style cabinetry with dated but still appropriate for the style white tile counter tops, a work island with a butcher block counter top and an unusual and not particularly pleasant yellow green paint treatment. Green may be the color of money but trust Your Mama when we say it is not a good color for kitchens or bathrooms.

In addition to a master suite with banal beige wall to wall, a Home Despot style ceiling fan, big fireplace, and out of context Early American four poster bed, there are 4 other sleeping chambers including a guest suite which, according to listing information, features a fireplace and private entrance which is just perfect for all Your Mama's friends like Fiona Trambeau and Queen Victoria who have a tendency to come creeping home late at night with company in tow. Larhd have mercy if we could count the number of times we awoke on a glittery morning only to find one of Miss Trambeau's many unsavory guests sitting at the kitchen table looking like he'd been run over by a Mack truck (which, in a way, he had been), Your Mama would be a multi-millionaire.

Several wide saltillo tiled terraces with long views over the pancake flat San Fernando Valley towards the rugged and fire prone San Gabriel Mountains surround the back of Mister Burton's house. The main terrace, according to listing information, includes a built in barbecue and an outdoor fireplace for warming those 14 nippy nights every winter. A series of stairs and terraces tumble down the back of the property to the saltillo tiled pool deck that encircles a long narrow swimming pool and spa. This is all very lovely and we love how it's all tucked into the trees and foliage but Your Mama would have a damn heart attack trying to climb all them stairs back up to the main house to refresh our gin and tonic or use the pooper. Iffin we were Mister Burton, which we are not, and even though they are unsightly and unsanitary, we'd have installed a damn Porta-Potty down there and then finagled a permit from the city to build a proper changing room and terlit.

Your Mama has no idea where Mister Burton is headed, but as he's getting on up there into middle aged, we imagine he's looking for a house with a swimming pool in a location that won't give him a coronary. Whatever the case, Your Mama and the Dr. Cooter wish Mister Burton and family all the best in their next real estate endeavor.

38 comments:

Anonymous said...

Did he buy during one of those on and off LA RE bubbles? It is not much appreciation for 13 years, or maybe he is just not greedy as others. I did, however, find the Emmys distracting. On the picture, they almost look like a row of large crystal grasses for some reason perched on the mantel.

Anonymous said...

Get your facts straight. Levar Burton was never a Captain on Star Trek. He played Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge and was later promoted to Commander.

Anonymous said...

8:36:
Hell hath no fury like a Trekkie calling out incorrect facts! Anyway, back on Earth, Southern California to be exact...

Anonymous said...

The Trekkie phenomenon is interesting. I too know little about it, and agree with Preppy Pauper.

BTW 8:36, perhaps you should get your own facts straight before correcting others. According to Wikipedia, the Geordi La Forge character rose through the ranks, and actually began at a much lower rank on the show:

"Burton began playing the role of the then Lieutenant Junior Grade Geordi La Forge in the Star Trek: The Next Generation television series. Geordi La Forge was the USS Enterprise's helmsman and, as of the second season, its Chief Engineer."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LeVar_Burton

Anonymous said...

whatever... he'll always be the dude from Reading Rainbow to me.

And I'm 30 years old... so I think he has to be past midlife. mmm?

Also... um, how could The Tiger Woods Story be made in th 80's? Unless it ended with Tiger learning to ride a bike?

Anonymous said...

o.k. - call me a geezer, but he will always be Kunta Kinte to me; and there is only ONE Star Trek and he wasn't in it!

Anonymous said...

Your Mama has no idea where Mister Burton is headed, but as he's getting on up there into middle aged.

Ack! Mama, when did you become an ageist? How the heck old are you anyway?

StPaulSnowman said...

All the comments about Mr. Burton certainly sum up how much attention I, for one, would pay to the house under consideration. I'll bet the listing agent insisted on displaying the awards so that his/her clients had something to interest them.

dougiefresh said...

Did you notice the little tv sitting next to the bathtub? Shocking.

Anonymous said...

TV next to the bathtub is ideal when you become pissed of with the wife.

Anonymous said...

This is OLD news, they took it off the market last week... why is it just now showing up?

NewYorkQueer said...

my my my
but people seem to be very pissy these days
perhaps it is that daunting solar eclipse coming our way
making the uneducated all afraid the sun will be eaten
and the darkness will descend upon us FOREVER

I thought we were here to look at the insides of celebrity abodes and laugh at their bad taste and enjoy their privacy being invaded in such a delicious and personal way
that is why I am here anyway

Mama who cares about trekkie maddness, the bad mannered, or the joyless, I just know that each day I open your to your website I leave with a slightly lighter heart
thank you for that

Anonymous said...

Nice to see that the housing boom has gone bust for many celebrities. Isn't it about time, Mama, for another rundown on all the unsold, overpriced megamansions sitting forlornly on the stagnant market in LA? PS One wonders why more people, when they write comments on celebrity sites, don't ask more insistent questions about how charitable these overpaid ninnies are. Most seem to spend their excessive earnings on palatial houses they don't need and can't occupy (Cage?) when they ought to be making big gifts to charity for the poor and the unfortunate.

Tee said...

I totally agree with you NewYorkQueer! Well said.

Mlle. Fresno said...

Is the comments column long enough, and is Mama's wrist strong enough......to accommodate all the "stagnant market" listings you mention? I don't thinkso. Is it true that the Jackson family is moving into Fleur de Lis? I just can't think about the redecorating they might do.

Anonymous said...

La Forge / Burton certainly cannot be a captain. He couldn't even pilot his SL Mercedes down Beverly without crashing it. http://www.tmz.com/2009/07/14/reading-rainbow-host-in-car-accident/

luke220 said...

Does anyone know thew location of the Design Star William Pereira/ Charles Luckman house on HGTV? What a beauty.

Anonymous said...

Nice house, nice price.
Unless you live under a rock, you certainly know who LeVar Burton is.

Anonymous said...

I know Our Mama didn't particularly care for the yellow/green in the kitchen, but I thought it was kind of cute-n-perky... A little out of touch with the rest of the house, but goodness knows Mama has showed us worse. I wouldn't buy it, but it had some charm to it and with a talented gay decorator around it could be turned into something really nice to come home to. I didn't think it was that bad, really. Hugs to Mama from Sunny in Denver

Anonymous said...

Man that is a steep lot!

You have to have a transporter to beam down to the pool deck.

House needs a lot of work. Kitchen is outdated with the white tile.

http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/13251-Stoneridge-Pl-Sherman-Oaks-CA-91423/20032739_zpid/

Anonymous said...

The house he lives next to looks like a spaceship!

He has the smallest and steepest lot on that street.

Anonymous said...

NYQ - touche.

I don't know how long I'd last with that color in the kitchen, but the window probably has a nice view and the space is very light and airy. Paint is easy to change. However the white tile counters would need to go as I'm sure that grout is a pain in the ass to keep clean.

The bathroom is also quite nice. Real plants and great tree-top view from the big window. The towel cubby also looks like a pretty creative use of space.

Anonymous said...

NYQ--totally agree!

Anonymous said...

Speaking of Sherman Oaks real estate...Mama, what's your take on the Teenage Witch's (Melissa Joan Hart's) place on Sutton St.? http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/14735-Sutton-St_Sherman-Oaks_CA_91403_1103852734

Anonymous said...

http://www.zillow.com/blog/celebrity-price-reductions-melissa-joan-hart-re-lists-sherman-oaks-home/2009/06/24/

Anonymous said...

http://www.bergproperties.com/blog/actress-melissa-joan-hart-re-lists-her-4911-square-foot-house-in-los-angeles-sherman-oaks-area-hart-now-wants-2-7m-for-the-five-bedroom-house/#comment-4258

StPaulSnowman said...

Where is LGB? It has been ages since he commented and I miss the wit, humor and architectural expertise. Perhaps he has fled this country for a villa in France. If so, I wish him well and remind him that he can write comments during the school year from his dorm room in the Ecole des Beaux Arts.

Anonymous said...

10:41 - I'm sure you can find some celebrity charitable contribution watchdog blog. If not, why not start your own. Mama isn't wearing that hat and I for one don't care to see her waste bandwidth on it.

How charitable are you? What percentage of your income do you donate? You know the saying - "Charity starts at home"

Anonymous said...

Well I have given away millions from an income far beneath that of many movie stars. I think one of the things that is very wrong with contemporary America is the widespread selfishness of the rich. Somehow they have managed to make that into some sort of virtue. A nice little uprising of the deprived would do the USA a world of good, and I suspect YOU too.

Anonymous said...

Levar Burton was just in a car accident last week...please get well soon Levar!!! That's a beautiful home.

Anonymous said...

Who cares about how "charitable" celebrities are?!? They are celebrities, not saints. Charitable contributions are part of ones private, not public life. And celebrities are not "overpaid," as if they were paid a salary or punched a clock. They are businesspeople, akin to entrepreneurs. They "eat what they kill," so to speak. The public are interested in the celebrity lifestyle precicely because of its excess - like a guilty pleasure fantasy. Celebrities perform and entertain - they should not be held up as role models!

Anonymous said...

And I suspect someone who has given away "millions" to charity has better things to do than troll celebrity gossip sites. The generous millionaire is really a low life looking to get into a flame war with a LeVar Burton fan over how charitable (or not) he is.

We should just ignore him.

Anonymous said...

LB is definitely gay, right? There's no family. Maybe a boyfriend and some dogs but why such a big house?

Anonymous said...

Sounds like you want to drag the guy behind a pickup!

I think he is married, but you should not judge the guy even if he is not. You have some real issues!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LeVar_Burton

real estate in philippines said...

I think it is a very beautiful home designing in this time and I am very impress to this design.

Deirdre Gonzales

jp_poohbear said...

Beautiful house! I liked everything about it.

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