Monday, June 3, 2013

Ken Olin and Patricia Wettig Sell in Santa Monica

SELLERS: Ken Olin and Patricia Wettig
LOCATION: Santa Monica, CA
PRICE: $6,900,000
SIZE: 4,584 square feet, 4 bedrooms, 3.75 bathrooms

YOUR MAMAS NOTES: Actor/producer/director Ken Olin and three-time Emmy-winning actress Patricia Wettig seem to be a real rarity in Tinseltown. Not only have they been married—to each other—for more than 30 years, they frequently work together (Brothers & Sisters, Alias, thirtysomething) and they've owned and occupied the same historic house in Santa Monica, CA since 1995 when they acquired the early 20th century center hall Colonial Revival residence for an undisclosed amount of money.

While their marriage seems solid they recently decided to sell their Santa Monica home of 15-plus years. Online resources indicate the now 50- and 60-something year old former thirtysomething actors first put their sophisticated spread for sale in early April (2013) with a celebrity-sized $6.9 million asking price. The property was quickly put into escrow with an unknown buyer at an unknown price but, alas, the deal was not consummated and the house was returned to the open market over the weekend with its original $6.9 million price tag.

Listing details reveal the residence was designed by distinguished L.A. architects Sumner Hunt and Silas Burns and built in 1913 for Thomas C. Bundy, the fourth son and scion of a prominent property developing Santa Monica family. T.C. Bundy was three-time national double tennis champion turned real estate developer who who founded the Los Angeles Tennis Club and developed L.A.'s Miracle Mile District and parts of Sherman Oaks.

The 4,584 square foot main residence occupies a flat, .4 acre double wide corner property and, although substantially updated and upgraded, retains much of it's original detailing: plaster moldings, leaded windows and built-in cabinetry. There are, according to listing details, four bedrooms and 3.75 bathrooms plus a separate guest house with an additional bathroom.

Pale blond original wood floors run throughout the main living spaces that include a generous foyer and a roomy formal living room with multi-pane casement windows, built-in book cases, a wood burning fireplace, and French doors that lead out to a walled dining terrace. There's a second fireplace in the formal dining room where a massive, original built-in hutch is smartly balanced with an austere white oval dining table and eight iconic Hans Wegner chairs.

The spacious eat-in kitchen has a vintage vibe but is fully souped for modern living with crisp white custom cabinetry, top quality stainless steel appliances, and a chunky butcher block topped center island with two-stool snack and booze counter. The kitchen adjoins a good-sized breakfast room with built-in cabinetry as well as a large family room with paneled wainscoting painted a subtle shade of gray, over-sized multi-pane windows, and a third, corner fireplace. Also in the general vicinity of the kitchen, according to marketing materials, are an office and an enclosed porch.

The sun-flooded second floor master suite has more wood floors, high ceilings, two closets and a vintage-style attached bathroom with a sarcophagi-style soaking tub set into a windowed niche lined with gray-grouted off-set subway tiles.

The backyard is a fantasia of mature trees and flowering shrubbery, numerous terraces, at least one fountain, and a pergola shaded dining area and lounge with outdoor fireplace. The dark-bottomed swimming pool is solar heated, according to listing information.

Your Mama's research reveals that in addition to their home base in Santa Monica, Mister Olin and Miz Wettig also own a modestly scaled if hardly inexpensive home in the Hamptons where they bought a 1.5 acre parcel in May 2006 for $800,000 and in 2008 they complete the custom build out of a contemporary residence with 3,239 square feet and a lap lane swimming pool.

Property records show the Olin-Wettigs share a long, private driveway with two other larger but remarkably similarly contemporary residences. As it turns out one of the houses is owned by two-time Tony winning Broadway actor and director Joe Mantello (Angels in America, Take Me Out, Wicked, Assassins) Property records suggest the other is co-owned by Mister Mantello's former long-time man-mate, Pulitzer prize nominated playwright (A Fair Country) and screenwriter (Brothers & Sisters) Jon Baitz, and Tony winning and Emmy nominated actor Ron Rifkin (Brothers & Sisters, Alias, Law & Order: SVU) and his wife Iva Rifkin.

listing photos: Teles Properties

6 comments:

Dandy said...

That is a gorgeous house.

Anonymous said...

I agree, I'd never want to sell it.

Sandpiper said...

Agreed.

Shopgirl said...

I agree with everyone, it's a great house. For the price wouldn't one expect it to at least back up to Riviera CC or be closer to the beach?

Madam Pince said...

Depending on the age of their chirren, they may be selling to pony up college/grad school costs. Or maybe just downsizing. It's a gorgeous house.

lil' gay boy said...

A truly stunning residence, impeccably decorated -- one of the few instances where (if I had my druthers), I'd take it as-is -- furniture included.