Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Heiress/Producer Megan Ellison Spends Big in the Hollywood Hills

BUYER: Megan Ellison
LOCATION: Los Angeles, CA
PRICE: $30,000,000
SIZE: 8+ acres (over three parcels), 9,204 square feet, 6 bedrooms, 8 bathrooms

YOUR MAMAS NOTES: We first caught wind of it from Yolanda Yakketyyak the other day and then we heard it from Peter Property seller and now we've confirmed it with property records that software heiress/ Oscar-nominated movie producer Megan Ellison (American Hustle, Her, Zero Dark Thirty, Spring Breakers, True Grit) shelled out $30,000,000 for a rather (in)famous estate on a private promontory in the Mount Olympus 'hood high above Hollywood and the eastern end of the famed Sunset Strip.

Property records show young Miss Ellison—she's just 27 and an up and coming real estate baller like her hardcore property baller daddy Larry Ellison—shelled out $20,000,000 for a curvaceous and—ahem—architecturally adventurous mansion on 3.01 gated acres. Property records also show Tinseltown wunderkind concurrently acquired two undeveloped parcels of land directly below the house that total, according to listing details, 5.17 acres.

There are some who say the glass and concrete mansion—the kids at Curbed once described it as "supervillain worthy"—was built for game show host Alex Trebek and others who say the property was owned in the 1980s by deceased Entertainment Industry titan Merv Griffin but, according to online resources, the house wasn't even built until 1990, so.... We do know from a thorough study of the available property records is that the space ship-like residence was sold several times in the 1990s before it was purchased in March 2002 for $4.4 million by a Nevada-based concern that Your Mama's research and several of our better informed informants—cross their hearts and hope to die—say is controlled by internet news pioneer turned venture capitalist Eddy Aslanian.

We don't know if Mister Aslanian actually occupied the premises on a full or part time basis but he is well known among a certain segment of party-going Angelenos for hosting large and—allegedly—sometimes sordid soirees behind the gates of the Mount Olympus estate. However, puppies, this property can't speak on or confirm any of the more salacious scuttlebutt because we don't know a damn thing, okay?

Over the years the property was leased out and featured in numerous movies—it was Lou Ferrigno's house in I Love You, Man, scads of fashion photo shoots, and any number of television commercials including a 2013 holiday themed advert for Infiniti automobiles. We've been told that several if not many porno flicks have been filmed on the property although, once again, Your Mama can't speak to the veracity of those rumors because we don't know nuthin' about them.

Anyways, the mansion popped up for sale on the open market in June 2012 with a $22,000,000 price tag. Four months later the price dropped to $19,800,000 where it stayed until Miss Ellison came along and (somewhat curiously) snatched it up for two hundred thousand clams more than the asking price.

Listing details and other digital marketing materials Your Mama scared up show the three-story house, a wedding cake-like tangle of swooping curves designed by a relatively unknown architect named Richard Schwarz, spans 9,204 square feet* with six bedrooms and eight bathrooms plus two guest apartments.

Other features of the gated estate include off-street parking for upwards of 25 cars, an oval-shaped sunken "formal" living room the size of a hotel lobby, a separate but adjoining dining room with a long curved wall of floor-to-ceiling windows, and a well-equipped kitchen with a very distinct early 1990s vibe. There are also, we gleaned from listings, an office, a game room, and a media room.

In addition to the numerous (heated) balconies and terraces with unobstructed views that really and truly sweep over the whole of the Los Angeles basin from downtown to—on a clear day—the Pacific Ocean, additional backyard recreation amenities include a grotto style swimming pool and spa tucked up under the cantilevered balconies of the upper floors. There's at least one outdoor fireplace/fire pit as well as an un-fenced sand volleyball court. Your Mama wonders how many dozens of volleyballs have been lost when an errant bump, spike or serve launched the ball over the short hedge and down the steep hillside.

Your Mama assumes—and genuinely hopes—Miss Ellison will bring in an army of (hazmat suit donning disinfectors,) innovative architects, savvy designers, ingenious landscaping gurus, and nice-gay decorators to do over every inch of the house and property. Although good ol' Yolanda thinks it's pie in the sky, we'd like to think that with five million bucks the property could be an honest-to-goodness show stopper. Since she's yet to ring Your Mama's battered Princess phone and clue us in we haven't an iota what Miss Ellison plans to do with for the 5+ acres she bought just below the house but, according to marketing materials, there's room for four houses with plans and permits already in place for three.

Some of the children will surely gripe and complain to no end that this lady is plum cray-cray for spending so much moolah for the house and the vacant parcels below it. But remember, kittens and caboodles, not only is Miss Ellison an heiress to one of the world's largest fortunes—Big Daddy Ellison has a net worth estimated to be in the neighborhood of $43 billion—earlier this year she managed to pocket, much to the real estate flabbergast of many and the wild-eyed chagrin of others, more than $14 million on the sale of her three very contemporary side-by-side houses on Nightingale Drive above the Sunset Strip. Those of the children who have not pickled their brains with liquor-spiked egg nog may recall that one of the largest of the three was sold for $21 million to billionaire tech tycoon and dedicated philanthropist Ted Waitt and the other two, according to our network of knowledgeable snitches, were snatched up by an English 30-something year old media mogul named Ashley Tabor, the son of billionaire bookmaker and real estate investor Michael Tabor. (All three houses, we've been told, will be substantially remodeled or razed to make way for brand new mansions.)

Miss Ellison has been on a bit of a real estate tear this year. In addition to the three houses she sold above the Sunset Strip she also owns another if far more modest house high in the Bird Streets 'hood in L.A. that she also had up for sale but, we've been told by many people in a position to know these things, is in litigation due to some shenanigans that we'll not get into here.

This last summer (June, 2013) Miss Ellison coughed up $2.5 million for a spectacularly unique one-bedroom apartment in the fabulous and famous Police Building on lower Manhattan's SoHo/Chintown border and, for reasons that we're not clear about, she recently backed out of the purchase of Anjelica Huston's live-work compound in Venice, CA.

*The official listing for the property shows 9,204 square feet but at least one digital listing Your Mama turned up shows it measures "Over 10,000 sq. ft." Make of the discrepancy what will.

listing photos: John Aaroe Group

31 comments:

WrteStufLA said...

Mama, Typo-Alert:

The title of the (rather forgettable) Paul Rudd, Jason Segel film is "I Love You, Man."

lil' gay boy said...

Bulbous.

"...designed by a relatively unknown architect named Richard Schwarz..." If there is a God in the architectural heavens, he shall remain so.

Petra's said...

Porntastic!

Anonymous said...

Driving up to this house, I'd have guessed it was some kind of house of worship. After reading it's back story, we now know many people have spent lots of time down on their knees worshiping something inside.
Shouldn't Ms. Ellison be considered a future heiress?

Happy and Healthy New Year!!!

Anonymous said...

Oh my goodness Mama and Kinderlach!

The Rabbi loves this Jetsons meets Hollywood home, complete with an updated conversation pit, an elevated love nest adjacent to the pool table, and flying saucer-worthy architecture and views!

And Mama? Telephone call for you. Miss Ellison is on hold. Would you care to pick up?

Mama and Dr. Cooter and dear Kinderlach, may you enjoy a new year bright with the blessings of good health, prosperity, and happiness, shared with loved ones and friends.

Sincerely,
Rabbi Hedda LaCasa

Anonymous said...

My bet isshe either levels it and starts over and completely renovates it beyond recognition.

Unknown said...

The extra land purchase makes me think she's going teardown...

Anonymous said...

Anon 1:54pm & Wrinklebotttom, My thoughts exactly when I read this news. It has been an interesting landmark on the hill for the past 23 years but I suspect it will be easily forgotten. Richard Schwartz had his offices on Fairfax at the bottom of the hill. Does anyone know of other projects he designed?

Sandpiper said...

Just a matter of time before Woody Allen's location scouts spot this.

Anonymous said...

May be the worst house, in L.A , in of the shlockiest neighborhoods. Wow, there's a good buy.

Anonymous said...

Mama did Coureney cox sell her house???

Anonymous said...

That thing is straight ugly. It looks like a puzzle piece on the outside--one no one wants to put together.

Looks like a "modern" version of the Dick Clark "Flinstone's" house in Palm Springs.

Ridiculous. Mama, really--you think 5 million could do something for this. What?? You can't modify it much. Even for a modern, it is heartless, soulless, and striking--in a bad way. This would cause a bunch of gay decorators to walk out in protest. Even gay decorators and pink Toyota lady's have their limitations.

Also, that subdivision is off of Laurel Canyon....has a cheesy fake marble looking entry. If there is no other way in or out, getting in and out with that standing traffic twice daily must suck!!

I bet Michael Jordan wishes Megan would move to Chicago so he could unload that modern marvel/albatross. All those straight lines and glass block.......striking. 1990 at it's best!!

Cheers to the New Year and Mama not hanging up her tonic glass, white polo shirt, or career as the most note worthy and snarky high end home blogger on the internetz.

Mama rocks out with her socks out!

And, she is still with the Dr. Cooper. Congratulations on longevity and perseverance! But them long bodied bitches ain't getting any younger.

Stay young Mama and just like the Robertson clan--stand firm on your values for 2014: No ivy on top of cabinets, no pot racks over islands, no terlit rooms without windows--I added that to the wishlist..

Mama's Black Sheep in Weho.

Still here and trying to be nice and encourage the other children to have fun and be nice for 2014!!

West Bourne said...

I remember it being built and the Alex Trebeck attribution goes back to the beginning. I may be wrong, but I think even then it was a confusion because my recollection was that he built a house nearby at the same time. At any rate, Trebeck donated to the city 62 acres on the ridge to the east of this property as parkland.

In any respect, she got privacy and if she works at the studios in the valley it eliminates her drive across WeHo which can be hellish at any time. I'm betting the extra $200k was for furniture and artwork.

I'm kinda digging this place because it's so bad it's actually good. The dining room and kitchen are both spectacular in their own right. The oval (or circular) ceilings with indirect lighting are especially good.

The front facade is extremely bad but certainly it could be improved with some mature trees and it's no worse than many other homes in Mt. Olympus.

doug-g said...

This house is on Electra Ct, if anyone cares. There's really nothing Special about it and it's not like Megan got the deal of the Century on it. Skylark Dr. over in the Bird streets would have been better to me. Better yet, stay on the right coast on live on Park Avenue. Or the Riviera where daddy's yacht could be close at hand. Really, if your budget isn't Limited, why this place? It isn't the least bit . But Megan is Jewish and we did love us some Electras. Since Megan can't buy a new Electra for garage, even with all *HER* money, perhaps a garage on Electra seemed the only alternative. Perhaps the Rabbi can render an opinion on this. I just hope the bad karma of porn associated with this place doesn't rub off on Megan and lead her to act like a Wildcat!

Anonymous said...

if i am not wrong, this property might be torn down to build some super estate like the modern Pritzker estate on Angelo Drive

Anonymous said...

Happy New Year to Doug-g and all!

The Rabbi knows little about Megan Ellison, except that Ms. Ellison is a Member of the Tribe (MOT) and on hold for Mama to take her call. The Rabbi knows less about Electra and expensive automobiles; Greek mythology was forbidden to the Rabbi as a child, and her family vehicle was a Rambler station wagon with a push-button transmission.

While Lisa Douglas loves Park Avenue and the Rabbi adores Lisa Douglas, Central Park West is simply the best for this MOB. And alas, the Architectural Jury of Kinderlach is clearly leaning toward a verdict of condemnation for this Electra Court house. The Rabbi remains tickled by many of the home's features, not in the least the aforementioned raised love nest, which reminds her of a movie set from Queen of Outer Space, the science fiction classic starring Zsa Zsa Gabor.

Rabbi Hedda LaCasa

Rosco Mare said...

@ doug-g

Enjoyed your play on various Buick model names because Buick was the prefered car of several of my certified WASP relatives.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Rosco Mare

lil' gay boy said...

Rebbe, I understand the kitschy/nostalgic appeal; just wouldn't want to even visit it more than once a decade. BTW, it was our old Plymouth Fury that had a push-button transmission...until an unnamed parent selected "R" for "Run" and hit the garage.

;-)

doug-g, you covered just about all of it; my very first car (high school grad gift) was a Riviera, and I also had (briefly, at the dawn of the Reagan Years, ugh!) a Skylark. But before my parents moved up to the de rigeuer Caddies, our "second car" (and my favorite) was the one I learned to drive on -- a cherry-red Regal with a white vinyl cabriolet top, natch (you forgot that one).

Buicks were indeed the WASP-mobile in our neck of the woods; our Hebrew friends & neighbors preferred the Mercedes...and the nuns who beat us always drove a Ford station wagon (sans wood paneling).

doug-g said...

Rabbi and LGB, you just dated yourselves with the talk of push-button transmissions. Now, I must join you by mentioning that the first family car I recall was a Mercury with push-button drive. Chrysler stuck with the push-buttons until 1964 with their products and I've read where the Government's standardization of PRNDL forced Chryslers to retire the push-buttons. I really have no idea if that is true or not. I have to admit the I'd rather talk about push-buttons than this house. :)

Happy New Year to all.

William A. Gordon said...

The house was also prominently featured in "Point of No Return" with Bridget Fonda and Gabriel Byrne.

Anonymous said...

The interiors remind me weirdly of the scenes inside the orbiting space station in 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Anonymous said...

I know that no one will be believe me but I am Larry Ellison. Stop talking about my daughter please. Thank you.

john boy said...

Wish I had a daddy like Larry Ellison so I could buy $30 million houses.

MamasBoy said...

Hi-Larioius comment thread. Happy New Year to all ya'll! What a bunch the children are...

doug-g said...

@9:55 AM

We were talking about Buicks and push-button transmissions. Obviously, your daughter isn't a Buick. Does she have a push-button transmission?

West Bourne said...

2 push button transmissions cars here. First was the family station wagon - a 1958 Plymouth - I don't remember the model but it was a big one with fins and rear facing 3rd seat. We drove it from Chicago to LA when we moved that year. They traded in a Buick sedan for it and traded it again for a 1962 Buick Special convertible once we were settled in California. My parents stuck with Buicks for the rest of their lives - to them it was the classy but unpretentious car. The 1974 Electra was so large the garage door didn't close all the way and rested on the back bumper.

The second was a 1963 Plymouth Valiant Station Wagon my sister in college bought from the high school nurse for $300 in the early '70s. They used to drive it to Mammoth every winter from OC. The slant six engine means it never died. I inherited it from my sister and tried to kill it but couldn't. It was such a sturdy car that my other sister bought a 64 Valiant sedan, but it had a 3 on the tree. Oh, and the nurse's family named the wagon "Prince" which we continue to use for this car to this day.

doug-g said...

@West Bourne

Love the car stories! The rear-facing third seat was quite the deal back then. Plymouth called it the "Observation Seat". Ad writers had names for *every* feature! Also, the rear window rolled down and that was thought to be high tech and gee whiz. The slant six was almost unbreakable.

Sandpiper said...

Late weighing in and regretfully no push button stories, unless just seeing one in the movie Stand Up Guys counts. It's a stolen Dodge Challenger Funny.

We once had a little Corvair. After I got my license (yikes), talked daddy out of his old silver gray '67 Thunderbird with suicide doors. Lovely name for a feature.

Steve Mawson said...

Headline says $30,000,000.

BUT later on it reads :"Anyways, the mansion popped up for sale on the open market in June 2012 with a $22,000,000 price tag. Four months later the price dropped to $19,800,000 where it stayed until Miss Ellison came along and (somewhat curiously) snatched it up for two hundred thousand clams more than the asking price."

So what is it - 20 or 30 mill ? Small difference in your crazy-mad world where peeps throw money at obscenely ugly pieces of shite, where in any many another [sophisticated] country such a ridiculous sum could really buy something fabulous.

And while I am at it, what's with all the friggin red cushions ? JUST DREADFUL. All of it.

Anonymous said...

This house reminds me of the Latsis place on Beverly Crest.
http://realestalker.blogspot.ca/search?q=latsis

Chapps said...

The house is actually above the City of West Hollywood, and god knows how many people had their palms greased at City Hall when this thing was built. It was disastrous to the local environment and the water flow into the canyons, causing massive floods into Laurel Canyon and the side streets during every rain. It broke every environmental impact law when it was constructed. And, damn is it ugly. And it sits there atop the city, always visible. Probably one of the signs of the apocalypse.