Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Diane Keaton Goes On the Open Market in Beverly Hills

SELLER: Diane Keaton
BUYER: Ryan Murphy
LOCATION: N. Roxbury Drive, Beverly Hills, CA
PRICE: $12,995,000 (list); $10,000,000 (sale)
SIZE: 8,434 square feet, 7 bedrooms, 9 bathrooms
DESCRIPTION: A classic and true example of Colonial Revival architecture originally designed by architect Ralph Flewelling, now brilliantly restored via a collaboration of 2 significant "artists." A monumental front door leads to entry hall/library & thru arches are both DR and LR. The home embraces an inner crtyd w/ fountain that separates kitch/FR on 1 side, from media rm, intimate den and upstairs. Mstr ste w/ dual BAs + 3 add'l BR stes. A sep. gst ste. Pool & yard, paths lined by Olive trees.

YOUR MAMAS NOTES: A few months ago, our comely confidant Kenny Kissintell whispered in our big ol' ear that the quirky, kooky and dee-voon actress Diane Keaton was overhauling her pedigreed pad in a fine section of the Beverly Hills flats. A few months later, in November of 2008, the recently rehabbed residence appeared in all its glory on the glossy pages of Architectural Digest. Now, thanks to Our Fairy Godmother in Beverly Hills, we've discovered that Oscar winning Miz Keaton has officially listed the house with an asking price of $12,995,000.

As everyone knows, Miz Keaton is a prolific flipper of architecturally significant homes all over Los Angeles, including the Navarro House in Los Feliz (later owned and sold by Christina Ricci) and the Alfred Newman Estate in Pacific Palisades. However, Miz Keaton has a special affection for early California history and as such her most thrilling and soo-blime residential re-dos are the several Spanish style cases she's restored, rehabbed and renovated over the years including a Wallace Neff designed house in the Beverly Hills flats that she sold to Madonna (who, in turn, sold it in 2004).

Now children, the house-hopping hat freak Miz Keaton does not usually list her houses on the open market, so her private residence popping up on the MLS has Your Mama a little stumped, stymied and soo-prised. Perhaps, like so many others looking to unload prime real estate in Southern California, she's caught up in the slow down and had little luck finding anyone willing to cough up the cash for the pristine property off-market.

Miz Keaton has long worked cheek by jowl on her restoration projects with a nice gay decorator from New York named Steven Shadley.* The designing duo's latest collaboration is the 8,434 square foot hacienda style house on N. Roxbury Drive which is now available for sale. Miz Keaton entered a contract to purchase house in the early 2000s, but backed out when her feet went cold thinking about the significant amount of work the house needed. However, when the house became available again, she did not hesitate and records show she snatched it up in February of 2007 for $8,100,000. Listing information reveals the property includes 7 bedrooms and 9 bathrooms, including dual baths in the master suite and, according to listing information, a separate guest suite.

According to property records and reports, the beguiling tile-roofed house was designed in the 1920s by little lauded California architect Ralph Flewelling who also designed the Beverly Hills Post Office building (now the Wallis Annenberg Cultural Center of Beverly Hills), the famous fountain at Wilshire and Santa Monica Boulevards and several buildings on the USC campus.

The Keaton casa wraps around an interior courtyard which acts as its central hub and orders the location and flow of the interior spaces. Although listing information is photographically slim, a quick perusal of the photographically boutiful article in Architectural Digest reveals that the after crossing the plaza-like motor court at the front of the property, entrance to the house is through large wooden doors that open into a double height entrance hall which does double duty as a library and sets the stylistic tone for the entire house. Although entering a house through a library is unorthodox, so is Miz Keaton and for what it's worth, we rather like this bit of unexpected decorative bizness.

The book shelf lined walls of the library/entrance are filled with books on art and architecture and share shelves with her collection of pots and knick knacks. But perhaps one of the more interesting (and Keaton-esque) elements of the room is located above the bookshelves, where the statement "The Eyes See What the Mind Knows" has been stenciled in large letters that wrap around the walls.

Beyond the library/entrance is a vast dining room with dark wood floors, a vaulted wood-beamed ceiling and a row of French doors that open to the central courtyard. To the right of the library/entrance lies the large living room with a wood burning fireplace, another vaulted wood-beamed ceiling and a few pieces of Miz Keaton's extensive collection of artworks by both dead and living artists whose work speak to the expansiveness, stark beauty and promise of the western edge of the United States. The living room leads to a den and media room as well as a stair hall that rises to the home's second floor private quarters.

The commodious kitchen and family room areas are located towards the back of the house with easy access to the courtyard and the back yard. While Miz Keaton and Mister Shadley cling tightly to their thematic day-core in these areas, the utility of the spaces is decidedly modern in that its been opened up to be one large and informal gathering space and features modern appliances and marble counter tops.

Miz Keaton's extreme efforts to maintain and squeeze out any bit of authenticity and integrity of the house are only matched by the exterior spaces which have been minimally landscaped with native plant life including a crowd of cactus at the front of the property that when lit up at night cast spooky shadows across the white washed walls. The generously proportioned courtyard is paved with bricks and other than the bubbling fountain surrounded by a bunch of gleefully campy statuettes of sleeping Mexicans wearing sombreros, has been left relatively empty. Seating areas have been relegated to the shady colonnade which is fine with Your Mama because we prefer to sip our afternoon cocktails in the shade anyways. The back yard includes a large swimming pool and spa, entertainment terraces and a detached garage accessible through the alleyway at the rear of the property.

Until we hear from Miz Keaton (or Kenny Kissintell), we can only assume that she's opted to sell this house, a near perfect pad for her and her children, because she's got new ants in her real estate pants and has set her eyeballs on some old house into which she can sink a fortune and breathe new life. Although Your Mama would love to see Miz Keaton settle down to a life lived well, we always look forward to hearing about her projects because, sadly, too few people in Los Angeles have the patience, sensitivity, pocketbook and moxie to restore iconic architectural treasures rather than rip down and replace with faux-Tuscon monolithic mega-mansion.

*Your Mama does not actually know whether this Mister Shadley person is nice or gay, so don't none of y'all go spreading that around as some sort of gospel truth unless you have 411 we don't have. We were simply making a funny.

67 comments:

Anonymous said...

ants in her pants!!! my that front gate looks SHORT. and the building looks like the library in sante fe.

Anonymous said...

Looks like she totally had the pool torn out and redone. The design is that popular raised rectangular pool with embedded square spa, similar design to the new Kurt Rappaport home. Could have kept the old pool.
Old pool -
http://maps.google.com/maps?&rls=en-us&q=820-N-Roxbury-Dr-Beverly-Hills&oe=UTF-8&um=1&ie=UTF-8&split=0&gl=us


Price is way over the average for that area. Most homes in this upper Roxbury region are now selling for 6-9 million. Her 13 million dollar price is true sport fishing.

If the inside is as bad as the outside, I would run screaming! Got to love the little painted sleepy mexicans with the sombreros around the fountain. Any bets on a velvet painting over the fire place?

Home info -
http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/820-N-Roxbury-Dr-Beverly-Hills-CA-90210/20521422_zpid/

Anonymous said...

Someone once told me that homes that are featured in Architectural Digest often are up for sale soon afterwards - I recall Cher's and Rocky's homes being two, off the top of my head.

Makes sense to me.

BTW, what is with these hollywood people who are constanstly buying/selling and moving. I grew up in NYC, and most people never moved...here in LA, it seems to be a sport.

Anonymous said...

Seems like a house designed for a "drive by shooting"

I'm afraid the house is only worth land value - Roxbury is not a great street.

StPaulSnowman said...

Of course the spreads in Architectural Digest are often the first "sales brochures" for these fabulous properties. It would be an interesting project to see how many of the homes featured in this magazine come on the market within a year of the article being published. It is magnificent free publicity. Even in the heartland of Minnesota, our annual house tours see featured homes for sale within months of the tour. It is a game for us to try to guess which homes are being "pre-shopped." Ms. Keaton clearly knows how to play this game very well. Don't worry Mama, I won't spread the rumor that Mr. Shadley is nice.

Anonymous said...

Uh? Roxbury is not a great street?

Tell that to Lucy, Jimmy, Jack and Mary, Rosemary, Noel, Falk.

She's a doodle she is, but 13 for that home is quite a strech, lovely and restored as it is.

Great find Yo Mama. Thanks.

Anonymous said...

Why did she leave the front parking area dirt? Looks like dirt or packed clay.

Not a great looking entrance for that price. Did she run out of money on this?

And I would have used period Spanish deco style tile on the side of the fountain. Can't sit on the fountain with the little guys around it.

Anonymous said...

Run out of money? I don't think so.

I think this house is gorgeous. It has real character and even though it's been totally redone it has a kind of patina that does not look forced or fake...which is hard to do.

She has an amazing collection of art.

The "dirt" driveway has a kind of authenticity about the style of the house. It makes it feel very "Mexican hacienda" to me. I think it's amazing...would concrete be better? asphalt? what would be better? Please don't say those horrible interlocking pavers they do the driveways of suburban houses with.

I don't care about sitting on the edge of the fountain, but I can see how some period tiles would look really great.

Anonymous said...

Roxbury not a great street?

Are you serious? Have you been to LA? It may not be Beverly Hills most affluent street but compared to 99.9% of LA streets it's beautiful ... and like someone mentioned above, it was one of the most celebrity infested streets back in the day.

The past couple years many homes have been selling in the flats over $10M - Perhaps in the current climate it's a little ambitious but she's probably in no rush to sell - it's not like she needs the cash. I think architecturally it's stunning.

Anonymous said...

ooooooh the maids and the gardeners must get livid when they see those little juanitos around the fountain!

Anonymous said...

Wonderful restoration and update of a classic. Ms. Keaton is a woman after my own heart. Had I been the one in charge of this project, I might have been tempted to locate the pool inside the courtyard, as it looks like it could have been a viable option which still left plenty of open area around the perimeter. Having a courtyard pool is an idea which has always appealed to me personally, and Spanish hacienda architecture is the perfect design to naturally accomodate that. Had I done that, I would have installed a driveway along the left side of the home and moved the garage to where the pool is now. These ideas would provide front of property car access to the garage, and leave a nice expanse of grassy back yard area, both things which for $13,000,000 I'd miss otherwise. Thanks Mama!

Anonymous said...

I can't say about this house in particular but Keaton generally owns multiple homes around So. California at the same time. Some of them are just restoration projects that she never lives in or only lives in briefly. Her restoration projects command a premium because of their quality more than her name recognition. Unlike a lot of celebrity flippers, she seems to have a genuine interest in historic preservation and serves on the board of the LA Conservancy and on the Ennis House board. I know I will get hate for this but for some people it isn't about the profit. It's about the project and the process of the restoration. It's called a hobby.

Anonymous said...

The dirt drive way would be real fun in wet weather. Just like a real Mexican hacienda, right?

I can just imagine watching your guests enjoy some of that "authentic" dirt on their shoes and expensive cars. I wonder if there is a tie rail for your burro?
She has gone a little overboard with the dirt!

I would have used real historic tile on the fountain. Some sort of tile for that period. Maybe Catalina or Malibu tile -
http://www.spookshows.com/mat/index.htm

Anonymous said...

I think she is to be admired for saving these homes from the tear down brigade. I think maybe this one seems a bit lackluster after the Navarro house, after all, that is one tough act to follow.

Anonymous said...

I love how all the children have decided it is a dirt motor court based on a comment here and no one has any real knowledge of the composition of the surface.

Anonymous said...

Samuel-Navarro is an amazing house (or was before Ricci got a hold of it and could be again). But not at all kid friendly. I question whether Keaton ever lived in it.

Anonymous said...

I have walked past the place and it's a clay mixture. Really stupid because you would have to take of your shoes before entering the residence.

I'm also the the one that said Roxbury street "is not that great". The reason I say this is that the trees fronting the street loose there leaves and the place is a mess for 2-3 months per year compared to other streets. Plus those trees that have leaves 12 months a year seem to have never grown to the full height.

Overall it makes the street look tacky.

Anonymous said...

Some of the blooming trees are a mess and drop seed pods. It is a trade off for having the blooms.

The trees are a mixture on each street, but they give home owners a selection to pick from.
http://www.beverlyhills.org/services/trees/plan.asp

However, I think you have to still get a permit to have a palm trimmed or taken out, since they are the city logo tree.

Anonymous said...

Sports courts are clay too and you don't have to take off your shoes when you walk off them.

Just saying.

StPaulSnowman said...

Unless you want Svetlana to chew you a new one, you better take of your trainers when you leave the sports court........the Dyson can only do so much.

Anonymous said...

Dah Ladee...Yu Mama...Shee no like dee Dyson.. I muss scrubb flor on hand an knee lik in ol countree.

Shee say is no cleen until knees hurt badd.

Anonymous said...

1. There are no drive by shootings in Beverly Hills.(at least none that I can recently recall)

2. Roxbury north of Sunset Blvd. is one of the great streets in Beverly Hills. That's the block where Lucille Ball, Jimmy Stewart, Jack Benny, E.G. Robinson and a host of stars have lived.

I don't know how much the house will sell for....but don't bash the area, especially those of you who have never been there.

luke220 said...

My understanding is that she paid considerably more for this house the second time around. She put a ton of money into it and it seems unlikely to me that she'll get it all back. It is too much for this location. Lucy and Jack et al were on Roxbury but north of Sunset- BIG difference.

10:53, it's always about the money.

Mike Cook said...

Best celebrity kitchen I've seen so far.

Not my favorite architectural style, but this place is amazing. I love the flow, the soaring heights, the dark wood and white walls. Far too much knick-knack action for my taste, but that is as easily solved as the motor court issue. "Hi, I have a clay motor court I'd like to brick."

pch said...

Swell house on a swell street, and I like the driveway's surface material. Keaton has a knack for enhancing a house's vintage vibe without being too on the nose about it.

The sombreros around the fountain make me a little skittish, though...I know Keaton means no harm, but they're based on a stereotype better left in the past.

It's only two houses south of Sunset, but I agree with Luke that it's a critical factor when someone writes a check. I'll bet she can get 10 no problem, but 13 seems like a stretch.

Anonymous said...

I would not call having your home featured in Architectual Digest 'free advertising'. I know one of the photographers whose work is in the digest, and the photography alone can cost thousands and is done at the expense of the homeowner. And then submitted to the digest. Where they may or may not care to do an article on your house.

Grrrowler said...

I guess I'm in the minority, but I love this house. It still has a lot of the old "Hollywood glamor" but is modern enough inside to make it livable. And that's the thing compared to so many of the newer LA monster mansions: they don't look livable. They look so impersonal and cookie-cutter, no matter how many top-end materials were used, that they just lack character. This looks like a house someone lives in, and more importantly like a house someone can be comfortable in.

StPaulSnowman said...

I find it hard to believe that the cost of producing an article for AD rests with the homeowner.......but I don't know anyone who has worked for the magazine or had a house featured. Paying thousands on spec to a photographer does not seem very likely.

Anonymous said...

March 10, 2009 10:19 AM

What are you talking about? "Roxbury not a great street." Ok I get it. You where still high or drunk from the night before. Roxubury is one of the premier streets in the Flats of Bverly Hills. Louix Vuitton even has a bag named after the street. Stop smoking.

Anonymous said...

March 10, 2009 1:50 PM

You are not in the minority, this house, to me too, is amazing. I love that she has restored the house to perfection. The price is a little way off. But the house and street (unlike the guy earlier who said the Roxbury is not nice) are jewels to the city.

Anonymous said...

The dirt to the driveway adds an "authetic" touch to the Spanish/Mexican hacienda estate. Personally, I don't like it. But, hey, if I could afford the house, I could afford to fix it. Overall, the house/estate is amazing.

pch said...

I'm not sure of the exact arrangement at AD, Snowman, and someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but I'd be surprised if owners were presented with a bill for photography commissioned by the magazine.

I imagine owners/designers routinely commission their own photography when submitting projects to magazines like AD. And it's probably good enough, in many cases, to be used in publication if the project is selected.

In any case, the cost of photography is a negligible cost when you consider the value of free editorial coverage. The cost of buying four or six or eight pages of ad space in a national magazine would be stratospheric, and wouldn't have nearly the same impact as a glowing feature.

Anonymous said...

^^^ Correction...authentic

Anonymous said...

PCH - My understanding is the photographers you see in AD are more or less freelance. They scout jobs (or hear of them word of mouth), make a deal with the owner for the house to be photographed and submit to the editors. If selected, an accompanying article is written. I would imagine it depends on the house and the photographer's perception of likelihood the house would get selected as to whether they carry the cost of the photography or arrange for the homeowner to cover it up front. Needless to say a lot of houses are photographed that never appear in AD and the photos end up being the better quality photos you see in the RE listings.

Anonymous said...

Looks jus' like the dirt around my trailer

Anonymous said...

The shot from the street reminds me of Union Station downtown--can't decide if that's a good thing or a bad thing. I mean, the station is a beautiful classic, but then again Mlle K's house here really seems too big for its lot, squeezed in between its neighbors--plus it's only one door off Sunset, isn't it? Noisy? Too much $$ for a house south of Sunset. AS FOR Miss Ball's house--Paul Williams, I believe--at 1000 N Roxbury--if only Mlle K had gotten her hands on that one before the 'hole who tore it down and replaced it with the piece of shit now on the lot... if only.

Anonymous said...

Slightly off topic but I think this may be of interest to some of the children. I know prices are dropping like mad but today I saw a $349K foreclosure at 6212 Glen Oak Street. I never thought I'd see that kind of price again, even for a fixer.

Anonymous said...

sorry i mean 6215. one too many g & T's.

Anonymous said...

Classic Keaton restoration. Aside from the sobreros on parade I love it. And to add but one more note to the cacophony of WTF's... Roxbury is a great street, north or south of Sunset.

Anonymous said...

I love this house. The restoration is immaculate. I don't know if it can command it's current asking price, but to say that Roxbury is not a great street and this property is worth land value only is just ridiculous.

Alessandra said...

AD pays for the photography. You may hire a photographer to take photos to submit to the magazine for consideration, but they bring their people in to do the actual spread.

They would never bill the homeowner. That is just...not done.

I really admire Diane Keaton for her design sensibility, her commitment to restoration and revitalization and her good taste. That is all.

Anonymous said...

Yep, the sombrero-wearing dudes are, in the words of Jennifer Aniston, "very uncool."

Anonymous said...

yes, that sort of whimsy is not in line with price or the neighborhood. but it's so damn hard to not love Diane Keaton!

Anonymous said...

Seems like a conflict of interest if the person being written about in A.D. does the photo layout contracting & setup? Especially if they are flipping it out for a insane amount!

I like the house to some degree, but historic renovation can be personalized to everyones own tastes. Clay driveway vs. tile pavers, Tile inlay vs. statuary;etc. Sounds like some Frank Lloyd Wright house the way some of these bloggers are gushing over it.

But the house is best bought by one of her very rich artsy-fartsy friends with deep pockets and ego to match. Most people want a house, and not some famous persons attempt at overpriced historical interpretation. Anybody can historically renovate a house with help from designers and reference material. But asking that price in these hard times takes some major moxy!

Anonymous said...

What's up with the Nazi pottery in the corner of the living room? Did anyone else notice the band of swastikas around it?

Anonymous said...

I admire Diane Keaton's commitment to restoring historic properties.

However, I hate this house. But that's only because I hate Spanish architecture...hate the driveway...hate the courtyard...everything.

Anonymous said...

just curious,
when these types of houses sell, is the furniture included in the sale?

Anonymous said...

A house down the street from me used to have just ONE of those sombrero guys on top of their mail box pedestal. Poor thing used to have his head chopped off by vandals about every three weeks. The homeowners finally gave up and put a clay pot of cacti instead.

I can only imagine the fate of these poor guys after some teenager's rowdy party.

Anonymous said...

What's with the little figures around the patio fountain? Not really cute, but rather annoying since they make it difficult to go sit on the edge of the fountain, as I would do, on a warm summer's night.

Anonymous said...

anon 6:40 hush now we all know you are Woody Allen.

Anonymous said...

I like this house and appreciate what she's done with it. The crushed gravel motor court is appropriate but I would think it'd be somewhat impractical. Some of her artwork and accessories are a little cliche for my taste but that stuff isn't part of the architecture, anyway, and I agree with a previous poster who thought the pool would be better in the middle of the courtyard with driveway access to the garage from the front motor court. If I lived here, I'd want to see the facade when I arrived, not the alley.

Anonymous said...

8:13 - Don't think it is Woody Allen. He's a New Yorker. He would never call the alley a "lane". That was more likely a Eurotrash troll.

Anonymous said...

There are no security issues in this house. It's in Beverly Hills. If somebody rings your doorbell and you call the Police, they will come in 3 minutes and track the person down...if they walked away. BHPD...rocks...

Anonymous said...

House looks fugly.

Why are these homes so overpriced in Los Angeles? It's a disgusting, smoggy, overrated, UGLY ass city that would be dead if it weren't for the Hollywood industry.

I mean, you could get something for far nicer, cheaper parts of the country. Like those luxurious neighborhoods I've driven through north of Chicago.

Anonymous said...

And you would still live in? Chicago. Congratulations. You stay there and enjoy the wind, snow and bitter cold. Troll.

Anonymous said...

As a long time associate at the magazine and a fan of this website, I would like to clarify a few of misconceptions pertaining to Architectural Digest and it’s policies pertaining to featured properties and photography.

1. The magazine does not knowingly show homes that are currently on or will be going on the market for sale, nor does the magazine show those that have recently sold. The only exception is the Estates for Sale column;
2. When Architectural Digest commissions a photo shoot, the magazine absorbs the photo fees and expenses associated with such. These costs are NOT passed on to the homeowner. However, if the photographer is commissioned directly by the client (homeowner/designer/architect) to shoot on spec for them (this does happen), the magazine is not involved with these arrangements or costs.
3. Lastly, homes are like people, some are photogenic and some are not. Therefore, not everything that is photographed for the magazine sees print.

I hope you and your readers find this information helpful (and yes, Stephen S. is a nice guy).

StPaulSnowman said...

So........my siblings PCH and Alessandra were spot on with their information about AD shoots and photography. I thought this would be the case. I hope Ms. Keaton gives the sombrero munchkins to Candy Spelling. They would look great perched on her balcony rail.

Anonymous said...

Ms. Keaton's taste in clothing and accessories is beyond reproach.......and I should know

Anonymous said...

Where is the garage of this place? i cant figure it out

Anonymous said...

If I had to guess, I would say in the building against the back alley. Notice the broker description says "separate guest *suite* not guest house. Maybe if I'm bored this weekend I'll drive down the alley and see if there is a garage door for you.

Anonymous said...

Gorgeous! Just gorgeous!

One little quibble:

"The Eyes See What the Mind Knows?"

Really? I mean THIS HOUSE IS IN BEVERLY HILLS, right? Beverly Hills, the city whose current spirit is so exquisitely captured by the 1996 movie "Escape from L.A." in which the deranged Surgeon General of Beverly Hills gropes Taslima's breasts and gasps: "My God, they're real!"

Shouldn't the stencil around the library/entry read something like:

"The Mind Should Know To Correct What The Eyes Have Been Tricked To Think They See!"

Or did the designer just run out of stencils or something?

Just asking!

But, gorgeous! Just gorgeous! And it's all good. After all, everything real is a fake of something else! That's what I always say.

Anonymous said...

This type of driveway works in the country and not the city. She and her gay designers went overboard with this.

I like the courtyard, fountain, and driveway of the house Reese Witherspoon just bought. That is much nicer and works!

http://realestalker.blogspot.com/2008/03/country-place-for-reese-witherspoon.html

Anonymous said...

Kissy -

Apparently it is a quote from 19th century German writer & Philosopher Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. I don't think he was thinking of Beverly Hills or plastic surgery at the time.

Anonymous said...

The pictures on AD are stunning - It really is a beautiful house - The pictures posted here don't show the proportions all that well compared to the AD pictures ...

Those comparing LA with Chicago - Get a grip you idiots! Prices in LA are high because PEOPLE WANT TO LIVE HERE! Not some shit hole in middle america!

Anonymous said...

i don't like it. it looks odd.

Anonymous said...

I think she is to be admired for saving these homes from the tear down brigade. I think maybe this one seems a bit lackluster after the Navarro house property, after all, that is one tough act to follow.

Anonymous said...

Yes, I think she may be famous for saving homes from the "tear-down brigade!" She's on the Board of the LA Conservancy, which is run by my stepsister. She loves Diane...says she's so fun. My sister loves this house too. Said parties tehre have been fun, and Diane is down-to-Earth! psobe