Monday, September 16, 2013

Your Mama Hears...

...from the chit-chatty and always reliable celebrity real estate mover and shaker Patty Propertyseller that semi-reclusive Twilight superstar Robert Pattinson has quietly but officially floated his pedigreed residence in Los Angeles's Los Feliz area as an off-market listing with a $6,750,000 asking price.*

The children will recall that Mister Pattinson, now four months or so past his painfully protracted and tabloid-documented break up with his fame-hating co-star Kristen Stewart, acquired the property just over two years ago, in late August 2011, for $6,275,000 according to property records.

The Spanish Colonial-style house, all but hidden from the street behind high walls and dense foliage, has three bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms, according to Patty Propertyseller, in just over 4,000 square feet. The 1.45 acre estate has a bifurcated flag stone motor court at the front and an extensive outdoor living space at the back that gives way to a steeply up-sloping and ludicrously high-maintenance terraced gardens at the back that include several shaded terraces, a tangle of winding stairways, a free-form swimming pool, and, for impromptu concerts (or whatever), an amphitheatre.

The Stiles O. Clements-designed house** was built in the early 1920s for an insurance executive and has a long history of Hollywood-y owners. British actor Tim Curry bought the property in 1993 for $650,000, gave it a thorough fix-up and had it photographed for the November 1998 issue of Architectural Digest. Mister Curry, who told Los Angeles magazine in 2000 that the gardens required a full-time gardener plus a garden consultant on retainer, sold the house in July 2000 for exactly $3,000,000 to a non-celebrity who quickly flipped it at a significant loss for $2.6 million to actor Noah Wylie of E.R. fame and fortune. A few short years later Mister Wylie sold the house for $3.325 million to three-time Oscar-winning cinematographer Robert Richardson (Hugo, The Aviator, JFK) who flipped it less than two years later to a Australian-born movie director Robert Luketic (Legally Blonde, Monster-in-Law, 21) who held on to it until the fall of 2011 when he was sold to Mister Pattinson. Would any of the children like to take bets on whether the property will be acquired by yet another Tinseltown mover and shaker?

Some of the other homes in the immediate vicinity are owned by Emmy-winning writer/producer Jenji Kohan (Weeds, Orange Is the New Black), sit-com star and outspoken Scientologist Kirstie Alley (Cheers, Fat Actress) and the rock star Flea, a.k.a. Michael Balzary of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

The children may recall that, according to numerous sources with whom Your Mama is acquired and who tend to know these sorts of things, Mister Pattinson decamped some time ago to much less sublime rented macmansion in a guard-gated and celebrity-friendly community off Mulholland Drive in the mountains between Beverly Hills and Studio City.

Word to the wise: Any of you Twihards who think it might be cute to roll by Mister Pattinson's pad in your Hondas and Hyundais should know that even though object of your obsessive fascination moved out some time ago you can be assured the property remains secured by a Fort Knox-like security system and (probably) a team of vigilant armed guards who would rather remove your liver with their bare hands than allow you to stand in the street to gawk like dopes and scream like tween-aged—or, worse, middle-aged—Mimis.

*This turn of celebrity real estate events didn't come as much of a surprise to this particular property gossip who heard word last week from another informant that one of L.A.'s' most prolific and successful property stagers was brought in to gussy the place up.

**Stiles O. Clements designed both the Mayan and El Capitan theaters in Los Angeles as well as the swim-gym at Beverly Hills High School and, coincidentally, a 1915 English Tudor mansion on 2.5 acres in Pasadena (CA) that was used as the location for a prom in the first Twilight movie and traded hands last December (2012) for $5.8 million.

exterior and aerial images: Google

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

He overpaid and will have to take a fat loss for sure.

Do any of the children recall the delicious brouhaha that ensure when Mama originally revealed Pattinson's ownership and all the Twihards invaded? Tee Hee heeeeee.

Unknown said...

I wonder if any of Calgary's new homes look like this! Do you know where I could find out more?

Unknown said...

This seems like a prime, highly desirable property in a sought-after area, which makes it all the more peculiar to me that it has changed owners so many times in the last dozen years or so...is it just the ridiculously high maintenance of those gardens that people get tired of? Trecking all the way up that hill & back to get to the pool? Is it haunted?

Anonymous said...

My guess with Pattinson is that he thought the gate/walls would be privacy enough, only to realize that the property not being in a gated community means it was too easy for fans/paparazzi to basically camp outside his front door. People who can afford a $6M home probably find out quickly that they're better off in a more secure area.

Anonymous said...

It was stupid to not buy in a gated community in the first place considering what a paparazzi target he is. It's doubtful he will get his asking price unless once of his crazy middle aged fans can convince their rich husbands to buy Edward's house so they can rub themselves all over the walls. HA

Anonymous said...

Unlike so many Americans who sold their homes in the last few years, Pattinson can survive the loss. Poor guy, I hope he finds some peace and quiet now. From what I've read about him, he's a nice guy and deserves it.

lil' gay boy said...

My guess is he just ran out of breath halfway to the back property line...

Anonymous said...

Really a good choice for Pattinson and Stewart.

Anonymous said...

Lol, just Pattinson.

Anonymous said...

:)

Anonymous said...

I can well imagine he's in need of a celebrity stager.
I found quite by accident photos of the Architectural Digest spread on this property that YM refers to, and it was spectacular, but I can no longer find these pics.
I doubt it looked as stunning during Mr Pattinson's occupation.


Interesting that Gwen Stefani's old place, located on the same street, is not budging.
It's been on the market for a good 6 months.
Of course the present owner erased a lot of the charm she had put in, which is a shame, including tile work in the garden and kitchen; and that gorgeous electic master bedroom and bath.
As a result it looks very bland.

Love everything you do YM.
This is by far my fav blog.

Anonymous said...

To Anonymous at 2:38:
Yes indeed I remember that brouhaha.
That was a comments section of epic proportions.

Anonymous said...

That place is too big. I'd be so lonely there. And to get to the pool, a half hour hike. No way.

Anonymous said...

yes just Pattinson, he kicked Stewart to the curb

Unknown said...

Even Pattinson want to put this house in the market a year ago, he can't due to Internal Revenue Ruling.
You have to occupied your main residence for two years to claim some exclusion or at least an exchange for a new house. Now two years has pass, it's time to sell an unoccupied home.