A property that has made Forbes’ 10 Most Expensive Homes list more than once is back on the market at $56 million. The 112-acre Robert Taylor Ranch is owned by concert promoter Kenneth J. Roberts, the man who built KROQ-FM (106.7) into a radio rock giant.
KROQ is the commercial radio station that brings the world “The Kevin and Bean Morning Show” and “Loveline” hosted by Dr. Drew Pinsky. Roberts, a.k.a. Mr. Radio Man, took what was once a fledgling station and turned it into an industry leader. He sold KROQ in 1987 for a reported $45 million. He hit pay dirt a second time in 1999 when he sold another radio station and its sister stations for $86 million.
The 11,000-square-foot Brentwood home he is selling sits in the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains. The main house was designed by architect Robert Byrd and once owned by actor Robert Taylor, hence the moniker.
Roberts paid $900,000 for the property in 1969 when he bought it from Taylor. The home was built in 1956 but has been remodeled and updated many times through the decades.
At one point, the 17-bedroom, 17-bath home was listed at $65 million. In 2002 and 2005, it ranked among Forbes’ Top Ten Most Expensive Properties list. It has four detached guest cottages, an office complex, a swimmer’s pool, horse stables and a championship tennis court. There is a wine cellar, and screening and game rooms. We can only assume that the sound system pipes in live radio to most rooms.
Marcie Hartley and Aaron Kirman, both of Hilton & Hyland Real Estate, Beverly Hills, share the listing.
Surfas House Sold
There are three must-see landmarks on any visitor’s tour of Los Angeles: the Hollywood sign, the Hollywood Bowl and the Surfas’ kitchen supply store in Culver City: It’s been around since 1937.
The longtime Cheviot Hills home of Gerald Surfas, who died in December at 93, was recently sold. It had been listed at $1.5 million. The three-bedroom midcentury modern sits on a large flat hilltop lot, with no neighbors on either side. There is a fountain in the foyer, a two-side stone fireplace in the living room and a large open floor plan. The 3,194-square-foot home was sold as a fixer.
The Surfas Restaurant Supply and Gourmet Food shop bills itself as “a chef’s paradise” – which will get no argument from me. It’s where you go to find high-end kitchen gadgets and the gourmet foods on which to use them. There’s also a Surfas Café for when you’d rather let someone else do the food preparation.
But the largest part of the business is the commercial kitchen-design component. Surfas has been designing and outfitting commercial kitchens in hotels, schools and restaurants for more than 60 years. Clients have included Four Seasons Hotel, Avalon Hotel, Coogie’s in Malibu and Brentwood School. In addition to the brick-and-mortar store, the Surfas family began CulinaryDistrict.com, offering online all of the 14,000 items available in the shop.
Ben Lee of Ben Lee Properties was the listing agent. Rebecca Davis, Coldwell Banker Beverly Hills East office, represented the buyer.
Topanga Listing
The king of the Brazilian Blowout – the latest rage for straightening and defrizzing hair in upscale salons – has listed his 1910 Topanga house for $3.8 million, history included.
Mike Brady, owner and chief executive of hair-care product company Brazilian Blowout, has listed for sale a 2.5-acre property that includes what is believed to be the original stagecoach stop in Topanga. The fireplace in the guesthouse bears the inscription of “Four Oaks,” which was the name of the stop. The home was designed by Baron Jean Van Gysel, who owns the international V brand of boutique hotels. Van Gysel – yes, a real baron – used pieces from Europe in the home, including a 1779 blessing stone from an old French chapel.
The 3,500-square-foot main house has three bedrooms and 3.5 baths; it sits on a 2.5-acre parklike setting.
Brady’s Brazilian Blowout has been heralded as the answer to frizzy hair in pretty much every fashion industry magazine worth its perfumed inserts. A frizzy hair cure is the fashion universe’s version of finding world peace. Vanity Fair, InStyle, Teen Vogue – they all love it.
Christine Kapetan of Pritchett-Rapf and Associates Topanga office has the listing.
Sun Sets
Moshe Sarid, owner of Forum Construction and Development Co. and the man who gave architectural buffs the magnificent home known as Sunset Plaza, has listed for sale at $4.5 million another architectural home he owns in the Hollywood Hills area.
Sarid is one of the city’s big residential developers. The home he has listed is steel, concrete and glass, and has city and canyon views. There is an open floor plan and lots of indoor-outdoor living features. The home has Parchment limestone and French oak hardwood floors, Fleetwood doors and the latest smart home technology. A real bells and whistles kind of place, this one.
There is a pool, spa and rooftop deck with a dining pavilion.
Marcie Hartley and Aaron Kirman, Hilton & Hyland, Beverly Hills, share the listing.
Ann Brenoff can be reached at [email protected].
