From the listing of Paul McCartney’s former home to a historic Upper East Side residence hitting the market, there is always something new happening in the world of real estate. In this roundup, AD PRO has everything you need to know.
On the Market
Beverly Hills estate once home to Paul McCartney, Don Johnson gets a price reduction
It’s not unusual for a Beverly Hills home to have some celebrity pedigree. But a gated compound on the market for just under $20 million could have its own Walk of Fame. Built in 1941 for Bert Lahr, a.k.a The Wizard of Oz’s Cowardly Lion, the 15,500-square-foot estate has also been home to Betty Grable, Paul McCartney, Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith, and Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne, among other notables. It was even designed by a star: trailblazing Black architect Paul R. Williams, whose celebrity clientele also included Frank Sinatra, Lucille Ball, and Cary Grant. (Williams is also responsible for iconic elements of LAX and the Beverly Hills Hotel.)
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The current owner, fashion insider Guy Attal, bought the property in 1999 for $2.55 million and has rented it to numerous stars since then. He’s also listed it quite a few times, but never seemed to find the perfect buyer. The current list price of $19.995 million is down from $22.995 million in June.
“The house has been very emotional to let go of, he loves the house,” AKG Christie’s International Real Estate’s Aaron Kirman, who is sharing the listing with colleagues Kirby Gillon and Bryce Lowe, told Mansion Global. “Today he’s ready to let it go. It’s why he’s agreed to reduce it.”
The main house has seven sleeping chambers in all—two primary suites plus three additional bedrooms and quarters for two staff members. An adjacent guest house adds two more beds, as well as an attached two-car garage.
As for recreational offerings, there’s a pool, tennis courts, putting green, and even a two-lane bowling alley. How’s that for the Hollywood treatment?
Toms Shoes founder steps away from Costa Rica compound
Looking to escape big city life? Consider Naia, a tropical compound in the Costa Rican rainforest owned by Toms Shoes founder Blake MyCoskie. Located in Playa Hermosa, an upscale village in the surfing mecca of Santa Teresa, the property includes two adjacent homes, each with three bedrooms and its own swimming pool. A single-level residence up front offers an interior garden and a living room that’s mostly open to the elements, while a larger two-story home in the back adds three more bedrooms.
Designed by San José architect Benjamin Garcia Saxe, Naia delivers a slice of modern minimalism amid the lush jungle, with strong geometric elements, glossy polished floors, and gorgeous teak screens. There’s also a nod to sustainability, with solar hot water heaters, rainwater harvesting for irrigation, and lots of natural light and ventilation throughout.
The tropical getaway is listed for $4.2 million with Andrea Bissinger and Reese Langston of 2Costa Rica Real Estate.
A Gilded Age townhouse with a haunted past lands on the market
A turn-of-the-20th-century mansion on New York’s Upper East Side is on the market for a cool $65 million. Completed in 1898, 4 East 79th Street was commissioned by James E. Nichols, a wealthy wholesaler and real estate mogul. Nichols bought the land for his six-story townhome from railroad magnate Henry H. Cook, who snatched up the entire block to ensure his neighbors were the crème de la crème of New York society.
Cook “would not sell to anyone who was not willing to improve his plot in splendid style,” The New York Times reported in 1912. But splendid might not have been the right word in the end: Nichols died in 1914 and his widow, Elizabeth Griggs Nichols, was killed by burglars breaking into the mansion a year later.
Through the 20th century, the house underwent various renovations, and its ground floor was eventually converted into commercial space. The most recent owner, late software entrepreneur Aso Tavitian, purchased the house in 1997 and worked tirelessly to restore the 35-foot-wide mansion to its original form as a single-family residence. “If he didn’t think it was the highest quality, he would rip it out and start again,” Candace Beinecke, the executor of Tavitian’s estate, told The Wall Street Journal.
Elegant period details include mahogany windows and doors, English brown oak paneling, and parquet de Versailles and herringbone white oak floors. On the third floor is an oak-paneled library with a wood-burning fireplace and views of Central Park. A marble-clad grand staircase connects the lower floors, according to the listing with Sotheby’s International Realty’s Serena Boardman and Susan Baker, while a passenger elevator will take you to the upper levels—and the house’s six bedroom suites.
Tavitian, who died in 2020, was renowned for his philanthropic efforts. A majority of proceeds from the sale will be donated to charity, the Journal reported.
First Look
9 Chapel comes into focus
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In downtown Brooklyn, developer Tankhouse has shared a new rendering of 9 Chapel, a luxury condominium going up between Jay Street and Flatbush Avenue. Designed by AD100 firm SO-IL, the 14-story tower is draped in an undulating metal façade that gives the historic corner a new lease on life.
“We had the unique opportunity to design a building that makes a statement on all four sides,” SO-IL’s Karilyn Johanesen tells AD PRO. “The folded, perforated aluminum façade functions like a veil, giving privacy and protection to the loggias.” But the lightness of that veil contrasts with the heaviness of the inner masonry, Johanesen added, “and creates a play of light and shadow throughout the day.”
When it’s completed next spring, 9 Chapel will house a total of 27 one- to four-bedroom units, each offering exposed concrete elements, open-air terraces, and oversized picture windows with at least two exposures. Sales launch this fall, with prices starting at approximately $1 million.
News
America’s top zip code
You might be surprised which region has the hottest real estate market in the US. According to a new report from Realtor.com, the zip code to beat is 43230 in Gahanna, Ohio, a suburb of Columbus. According to the site, “the greater Columbus area offers home buyers the amenities and quality-of-life advantages of a larger town, but at a lower price.” It also indicated that homes in 43230 were priced 12.7% below the national median in June.
The housing site based its rankings by looking at the regions with the most unique viewers per property and the shortest average number of days that homes stayed on the market in the first half of 2023.
The report pointed to Ohio State University, the Short North Arts District, and Columbus’s celebrated food scene as factors in the region’s favor. “And with more than a quarter of its population aged 25–34, it’s favorable for young renters and buyers alike,” it says.
Rounding out the top five zip codes were 06489 in Southington, Connecticut; 07450 in Ridgewood, New Jersey; 01810 in Andover, Massachusetts; and 18064 in Nazareth, Pennsylvania.
