A Beverly Hills compound offered at $59.5 million comes with a park-like setting and amenities galore, but it’s a wealth of flexible space that the listing agents believe will be the real draw in today’s market.
In the age of COVID-19, people have become acutely aware of space — or the lack thereof. Linda May and Joe Cilic, the listing agents for the property, say homebuyers are looking for unique features that are particularly valuable in today’s world: office space, a gym for home workouts or a room where kids can do homework. Flexible space outside of the main house, where a homeowner can host and collaborate with people, is also in high demand, they added.
“This house has a 6,000-square-foot tennis court lounge that has its own private drive, a motor court and access from the main property,” said May.
The massive lounge was built into the sloped hillside bowl that surrounds the lighted tennis court. Although it currently holds a home theater, a golf simulator and a recording studio, it could easily be converted into enough office space to host a team on-site, said Cilic.
The 6,000-square-foot tennis court lounge currently holds a home theater and other amenities.
(Jim Bartsch)
The tennis court lounge is one of several structures on the estate, which is being listed by Los Angeles investor Bruce Karsh and his wife, attorney-designer Martha Karsh. The couple is selling because they are moving to another residence on the Westside.
A long curving drive leads past specimen trees to reach the English Tudor-style main residence. Former White House designer Michael S. Smith updated the main home, transforming the formal interiors to create thoughtful, family-oriented living spaces. The 1930 home was later featured in Smith’s 2015 book, “The Curated House.”
A salon/office draws the eye with green-glazed millwork, as does the light-filled living room topped with original lacy detailing. A two-story library wing features hand-stenciled ceilings and waxed pine panels; the latter feature is repeated in the adjacent billiards room. An octagonal breakfast room is off the kitchen.
The compound encompasses three acres of grounds designed by landscape architect Christine London. Hundreds of plants help to create the park-like setting, which is intersected by a series of limestone paths.
Designed as a series of outdoor spaces, there are courtyards, gardens, fountains, expansive lawn, a heated dining gazebo and a stone-and-glass conservatory. A two-story guesthouse holds two bedroom suites. The swimming pool has a pool house and a pavilion.
Cilic said the property’s dense landscaping made it incredibly private — even from above. “We did drone shots,” he said, “but it was hard to capture the entire estate because of the trees.”
The main house was once owned by French film composer Maurice Jarre, who won Academy Awards for his work on “Lawrence of Arabia” (1962), “Doctor Zhivago” (1965) and “A Passage to India” (1984), records show. The current owners commissioned architect Oscar Shamamian to design all the outbuildings on the property as well as the gazebo, according to Cilic.
May is an agent with Hilton & Hyland, and Cilic is an agent with Sotheby’s International Realty.