Though it’s been less than three years since he bought a nearly $7 million estate in the Los Feliz part of town, Simon Helberg is already shuffling his Los Angeles real estate chips. Records reveal the Santa Monica native, 41, has paid nearly $8.4 million for a 116-year-old gated estate in Pasadena, on the fringes of California’s San Gabriel Valley. The deluxe spread includes a 23-room main house with three full floors, a substantial pool house, and a 1,200-square-foot garage building with four car stalls, an attic and workshop.
Of course, Helberg and his longtime wife Jocelyn Towne can well afford bouts of capriciousness. By the time hit sitcom “The Big Bang Theory” wrapped in 2019, Helberg was reportedly earning a cool $1 million per episode. In fall 2019, HBO Max secured the domestic streaming rights and TBS extended its syndication deal with the show, record deals worth well “into the billions.” Suffice to say that the show’s main cast is likely set for life.
Built in 1906 and described in the listing as an English Tudor Revival, the roughly 7,200 square foot mansion was designed by prolific turn-of-the-century architect Frederick L. Roehrig, a man credited with many of Pasadena’s fabulous old homes — including several on the so-called “Millionaire’s Row” — plus landmark buildings like Castle Green and the Braun Music Center at Westridge School, just to name a couple.
The mansion’s seller was foodservice businessman Jim Dal Pazzo, who bought the property in 2015 for $4.5 million and nearly doubled his money on the sale to Helberg, minus the cost of any renovations, taxes and seven years of utility bills and maintenance. Rita Whitney of The Agency held the listing; Elisa Ritt of Compass repped the buyer.
Over the last handful of years, Pasadena and the surrounding neighborhoods have become increasingly popular with showbiz types, folks appreciate the area’s laidback atmosphere, historic architecture and friendly neighborhoods. Current Pasadena residents include Meryl Streep, Oscar De La Hoya, Grimes, Kristen Wiig, Steven Yeun and Shia LaBeouf.
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Image Credit: Zillow Set behind giant iron gates and a notably long driveway on an irregularly-shaped 1.27 acre parcel, the main house is surrounded by ancient trees and completely invisible from the street out front.
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Image Credit: Zillow The English Tudor Revival structure was constructed of plaster, part of which is covered by a red brick veneer and leafy vines.
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Image Credit: Zillow Inside, there’s an abundance of original wood paneling, much of it oak and mahogany.
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Image Credit: Zillow Well-scaled public rooms include this formal sitting room, which has a brick veneer fireplace and oversized windows original to the house.
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Image Credit: Zillow The library has an oak bar and bar seating, plus plenty of built-in bookshelves.
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Image Credit: Zillow The formal dining room has been updated, but retains its tranquil garden views.
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Image Credit: Zillow One of the more obviously renovated spaces is the kitchen, which flaunts its pale yellow island, commercial-grade (Wolf, SubZero) appliances and imported tile backsplash and countertops.
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Image Credit: Zillow Also on the main floor are an office, powder room, and bedroom suite ideal for overnight guests or a live-in housekeeper.
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Image Credit: Zillow Upstairs are four family bedrooms, all of them with ensuite bathrooms and walk-in closets. The primary bedroom is vast but not overwhelming, with comfy seating areas and a demure wallpaper.
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Image Credit: Zillow The primary suite also offers dual closets and dual marble bathrooms.
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Image Credit: Zillow Per the listing, the house also includes an elevator that services the mansion’s three full floors, including a vast finished basement level.
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Image Credit: Zillow That lowest level contains a media room with built-in bookshelves and another oak bar. Also down there are a temperature-controlled “wine room,” a marble powder room for guests and laundry facilities.
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Image Credit: Zillow Additionally found on that basement level is another guest bedroom suite, this one unexpectedly spacious, with French doors opening to lower parts of the estate’s gardens.
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Image Credit: Zillow Out back, the resort-style amenities continue with a newer outdoor kitchen, complete with high-grade stainless appliances, a built-in BBQ and stone bar.
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Image Credit: Zillow The manicured gardens surround a flagstone patio with ample space for al fresco entertaining.
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Image Credit: Zillow Secluded in its own section of the yard and surrounded by lush greenery for privacy, the rectangular pool is flanked by a raised spa.
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Image Credit: Zillow The adjoining pool house spans approximately 870 square feet.
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Image Credit: Zillow Inside, the massive space has plenty of room for an airy party, thanks to the vaulted cathedral-style ceiling. A hulking brick fireplace warms the interiors.
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Image Credit: Zillow Besides his new Pasadena digs and his no-longer-needed Los Feliz home, Helberg also maintains a bucolic ranch-style estate in the scenic village of Carpinteria, Calif., just south of Santa Barbara and Montecito.