Bruce Makowsky’s latest creation seeks $250 million in Bel-Air
When two L.A.-area homes sold for $100 million last year, the question wasn’t how but rather what’s next. The answer may be an entirely new stratosphere.
In Bel-Air, a four-story mega-mansion built on speculation has hit the market for $250 million, a price tag among the highest in the country if not worldwide.
The home is the latest creation from handbag tycoon Bruce Makowsky, who is well-versed in L.A.’s ultra-high-end market for contemporary homes.
His development company, now in its sixth year, caters to billionaires who pay tens of millions for his move-in-ready homes stocked with countless amenities and hand-picked designer wares. Two years ago, Minecraft creator Markus Persson paid $70 million for a Makowsky-built house in Beverly Hills.
Sitting on roughly an acre of grounds, the new project took four years and 250 workers to reach completion. The end result has 12 bedrooms and 21 bathrooms in 38,000 square feet of Willy Wonka-like living space.
Offered with every bell and whistle, the contemporary showplace features a four-lane bowling alley, a 40-seat 4K Dolby Atmos theater, two stocked champagne/wine cellars and a massive candy wall — a signature of the developer. An auto gallery sports a $30-million collection of exotic cars and motorcycles.
And that’s just the first floor.
Custom-built furnishings, lavish fixtures and walls of imported stone change from room to room. There are more than 100 art installations ranging from an actual decommissioned helicopter to an interactive depiction of the Seven Dwarfs.
Massive terraces take 270 degrees of city-to-ocean views. A pop-up outdoor movie screen and swim-up bar accompany the 85-foot-long glass-tiled swimming pool.
Makowsky bought the site four years ago from football-player-turned-talk-show-host Michael Strahan for $11 million cash.
Ben Bacal of Rodeo Realty and Branden and Rayni Williams of Hilton & Hyland, an affiliate of Christie’s International Real Estate, share the listing.
Game, set, sale
Retired tennis star Pete Sampras and his wife, actress-singer Bridgette Wilson-Sampras, have sold their Brentwood-area home for $7.25 million.
The gated estate on more than half a wooded acre had been listed at $7.9 million at the time of the sale. The couple bought the home in 2009 for $5.9 million, public records show.
Renovated and expanded during seven years of ownership, the traditional-style house has a library, a theater room and a wine cellar in 6,900 square feet of living space. There are upper and lower master suites, for a total of six bedrooms and 6.5 bathrooms.
Other features of note include a see-through fireplace shared by the family and dining rooms. In the kitchen, skylights and wide picture windows bring in natural light and views of the grounds.
Outdoors, mature redwood trees provide a scenic backdrop for the swimming pool and outdoor kitchen. Built-in water features, up-lighting, running streams and mature landscaping complete the setting.
Jordan Cohen of RE/MAX Olson & Associates was the listing agent. Joe Babajian of Rodeo Realty represented the buyer.
Sampras, who officially hung up his racket in 2003, won 14 Grand Slam men’s singles titles and held the No. 1 ranking for 286 weeks. In retirement, he has beaten Roger Federer in an exhibition match, John McEnroe in the Outback Champions Series and Patrick Rafter in the Del Mar Development Champions Cup.
The 43-year-old Wilson-Sampras has appeared in films including “Billy Madison” (1995), “I Know What You Did Last Summer” (1997) and “The Wedding Planner” (2001).
A new beat in the valley
Dijon McFarlane, the record producer and beat maker better known as DJ Mustard, has bought a home behind gates in Chatsworth for $2.36 million.
Sitting on nearly three acres of grounds, the English-style estate includes a swimming pool and spa, a lighted tennis court and a six-car garage. At the entrance, a pair of lion statues flank steps leading up to the front doors.
Inside, the sprawling two-story features a two-story foyer with a sweeping staircase that opens to a library/den with a fireplace and a curved wet bar. Formal living and dining rooms, a center-island kitchen, a breakfast nook, six bedrooms and seven bedrooms also lie within 7,400 square feet of living space.
There’s also a gym as well as a theater/game room that adjoins the master suite.
Expansive loggias topped with ceiling fans extend the living space outdoors. Lawns, mature trees and garden beds fill out the grounds.
Sunny Yi of Rodeo Realty was the listing agent. Maurice Frazier of Wish Sotheby’s International Realty represented the buyer.
McFarlane, 26, has released a pair of studio albums, including “Cold Summer” last year. As a producer, he has worked songs for such artists as YG, Tyga, Young Jeezy and Ludacris.
Orchestrating a home sale
Gustavo Dudamel, conductor and music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, has put his home in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles back on the market for $3.095 million.
Built in the early 1920s, the Four Square-style house sits up from the street and has steps leading to a covered landing and wooden front door that opens to the foyer.
The 3,600 square feet of interiors, updated and restored by SIMO Design and United Remodeled Construction, has pocket doors that open to separate living and dining rooms and an updated kitchen. Delicate molding, hardwood floors and slightly rolled ceilings are among the other details.
Three bedrooms, each with an adjoining bathroom and walk-in closet, lie on the second floor. The master suite has a glass-enclosed shower and a claw-foot soaking tub.
Outdoors, a trellis-topped patio and decking opens to a lap swimming pool. Lawns, hedges and a detached two-car garage complete the grounds.
Dudamel bought the house two years ago for $2.775 million, records show.
Thomas Davila of Keller Williams Realty holds the listing, according to the Multiple Listing Service.
Dudamel, 35, has been music director of the L.A. Phil since 2009 and is under contract through the 2021-22 season. He also serves as the music director of the Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela.
Twitter: @NJLeitereg
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