The Brody estate in Holmby Hills has sold for $14,888,000. The proceeds from the sale of the A. Quincy Jones house will benefit the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens in San Marino.
In mid-November, the Huntington received a gift of more than $100 million from the Frances Brody estate. Those funds, the largest single donation the institution has ever received, and the home sale proceeds will be used for the 48.5-hectare botanical gardens. Brody, who died in November 2009 at 93, sat on the gardens committee during her 20 years on the Huntington’s board. The arts advocate and philanthropist was the daughter of ad giant Albert Lasker.
The two-storey house, commissioned in 1949, sits on 0.9 hectares and features a walled outdoor atrium living room and floor-to-ceiling windows. There are nine bedrooms and 71/2 bathrooms in 11,511 square feet of interior space. Outdoor amenities include a swimming pool and a lighted tennis court on grounds designed by landscape architect Garrett Eckbo.
The mansion came on the market in May at $24.95 million.
PAT BOONE BUYS A HOME ON THE SEA
Entertainer Pat Boone has purchased a vacation home on the residential ocean liner the Utopia.
Expected to launch in 2013, the ship will journey around the globe and stop at events such as the Cannes Film Festival in France, the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix and the Melbourne Cup horse race in Australia.
“Everyone in my family is thrilled about having future family reunions on the Utopia and travelling the world without leaving our home on the sea,” said Boone, a Beverly Hills resident.
The 199 residences range from 1,453 to 6,100 square feet and are priced from $3.9 million to $25 million. The listing price for a unit similar to the one Boone purchased is $4 million. The exact purchase price was not disclosed. Buyers own a 70-year right to use the residence, much like a land lease. Fees are about 4.5 per cent of purchase price annually.
Boone’s 1,453-square-foot unit can be configured as a one-bedroom with a study/media /guest room or as a two-bedroom home with a third room for a library or office. It has a living room and a terrace with an ocean view. The unit is fully furnished, including multimedia equipment, flatware and linens.
Boone, 76, enjoyed his heyday as a pop singer in the ’50s and ’60s — remember Love Letters in the Sand and April Love?
CALABASAS HOME SELLS AT A LOSS
Actor Justin Berfield, the wise-aleck sibling Reese on Malcolm in the Middle, has sold a Calabasas house he bought for $3.75 million four years ago for $2.1 million, the Multiple Listing Service shows.
The Mediterranean home sits on a 0.2-hectare lot in a gated community. The 6,483-square-foot house has travertine floors, a home theatre, a wine cellar, a bar, four sun decks, five bedrooms and seven bathrooms. A soundproof room can be used as a recording studio. The grounds include an infinity pool and outdoor dining area.
MAN IS NO ISLAND, BUT HE OWNS ONE
TV director Michael Caffey has listed an island off Santa Catalina Island for sale at $875,000.