Nicholas C. “Nick” Pritzker — a marijuana entrepreneur, member of the Pritzker family and heir to the Hyatt Hotel fortune — has purchased a particularly eye-catching John Lautner-designed residence hovering high above Los Angeles, as first reported by The Wall Street Journal.
The sellers are showbiz couple John McIlwee and Bill Damaschke, who paid actor/director Vincent Gallo $1.2 million for the modernist-style home back in 2002 and subsequently embarked upon an extensive renovation of the premises in collaboration with the interior design firm Marmol Radziner.
Listen beautiful relax classics on our Youtube channel.
Originally listed for an impressive $16 million, the place ultimately sold to Pritzker for a discounted but still hefty $12.5 million. The son of billionaire Anthony “Tony” Pritzker and his wife Jeanne, the younger Pritzker, 29, is CEO of Aperture Brands, an L.A.-based startup building premium cannabis brands.
Built in 1961 for film composer and arranger Russell Garcia and his wife Gina — and known as the “Garcia House” — Pritzker’s newly acquired property rests on a 1.2-acre hillside parcel, and is easily recognizable with its parabolic roof, expansive stained-glass windows and caisson supports. Inside, three bedrooms and a matching number of baths are found in just over 2,500 square feet of Darren Brown-designed living space boasting terrazzo floors throughout.
Featured in the film “Lethal Weapon 2,” the two-story structure boasts a dramatic lava rock entryway that flows into a sunken living room spotlighted by a stone fireplace, built-in seating, stained walnut cabinetry and walls of glass. There’s also a media room, plus a curved dining area that connects to an updated kitchen outfitted with the original sink and newer Dacor appliances.
A sweeping spiral staircase leads to the upper-level bedrooms, which include a master suite offering up stunning views of the entire L.A. Basin; and outdoors, the picturesque grounds are laced with agave, cacti and a mature rubber tree, and host an expansive balcony and garden designed by landscape architect John Sharp, as well as an ellipse-shaped pool that was added around 2008 in keeping with Lautner’s initial design.
The listing was held by Weston Littlefield, Aaron Kirman and Dalton Gomez of AKG | Christie’s International Real Estate; Nichole Shanfeld of Carolwood Estates repped the buyer.
Source: artnews.com