Less than a year ago, San Francisco-based philanthropist Stacey Frost forked out $25.1 million for an elephantine Brentwood mansion. Now records reveal she’s already done it again — the former wife of low-profile billionaire Andrew Frost has paid another $25 million for a sumptuous house in the Riviera area of L.A.’s Pacific Palisades neighborhood, this one sold by Michelle Pfeiffer and her longtime producer husband David E. Kelley (“Big Little Lies,” “Ally McBeal,” “Boston Legal,” “The Practice”).
It’s actually not surprising that Frost would be on an L.A. property spending spree, as she appears to be permanently relocating here from the Bay Area. Just last month, the Urban Re:Vision sustainability endeavor founder sold her longtime San Francisco mansion for exactly $29 million — more than double what she paid for the place nine years ago — to private equity guru Josh Cohen. And back in 2016, she sold another San Francisco mansion, this one a majestic ocean-view Beaux Arts villa, for $17.8 million to Salesforce billionaire Marc Benioff.
Frost, 55, shares two children with her former husband, a Wall Street trader who cofounded Susquehanna International Group in 1987. Previously described by the Wall Street Journal as “highly secretive,” Susquehanna steadfastly shuns any sort of publicity, rendering the company largely unknown to the public. But that began to change last year, when it was first revealed that Frost and his firm have quietly become the largest outside investors in ByteDance, owning 15% of the Chinese conglomerate that owns TikTok. Acquired way back in 2012 for millions, that TikTok stake is worth north of $30 billion today.
Built new in 2019, Pfeiffer and Kelley acquired their Palisades house in early 2020 for $22.3 million. Sited on a ridgeline rim of the Riviera neighborhood, with views over the exclusive Riviera Country Club, the property has more than 10,300 square feet of living space, with seven bedrooms and 10.5 baths.
Cindy Ambuehl of Compass held the listing; Marc Noah and Kyle Dordick of Hilton & Hyland jointly repped the buyer.
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Image Credit: Realtor.com Hidden behind a high hedge and surrounded by relaxed gardens, the stately home was designed by architect Steve Giannetti, according to the listing, to reflect “Old World charm interwoven with modern sensibility.”
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Image Credit: Realtor.com A groin-vaulted ceiling adds historic architectural interest in the otherwise minimalist foyer, while slender wood beams provide the large living room with rustic appeal. A vast wall of floor-to-ceiling windows vanish into the walls and open the room to the backyard.
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Image Credit: Realtor.com An antique stone fireplace against a vertically paneled wall showcases the combo library/office, while the dining room comfortably seats eight beneath a delicate crystal chandelier.
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Image Credit: Realtor.com Equipped with an imported French range, fitted with bespoke cabinets and configured around two large islands — one topped in black granite, the other in quartz — the kitchen spills over into a cozy lounge area where a second wall of windows opens to the backyard.
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Image Credit: Realtor.com Anchored by another stone fireplace, the mansion’s primary suite spills out though floor-to-ceiling French doors to a glass-railed patio with unobstructed golf course views.
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Image Credit: Realtor.com The primary suite includes two bathrooms, the larger with a dedicated makeup vanity and a soaking tub set against a floor-to-ceiling window.
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Image Credit: Realtor.com The basement level is party-ready with a climate-controlled wine cellar, dedicated tasting area, a state-of-the-art movie theater and two spacious guest bedroom suites.
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Image Credit: Realtor.com Out back, the pancake flat alfresco living and entertaining areas include spacious patios, an infinity-edge swimming pool and a lush swath of grassy lawn.
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Image Credit: Realtor.com Secretly tucked underneath the backyard’s lawn, a loft-like art studio is flooded with southeastern light thanks to huge banks of floor-to-ceiling windows.
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Image Credit: Realtor.com Pfeiffer and Kelley have been on a real estate tear over the past two years. Back in 2019, they sold another property on the Palisades Riviera for $9.1 million, and they still own the teardown house next door. They’re also selling a remote, 340-acre compound in Canada; in late 2019, they offloaded an 8.5-acre equestrian estate in California’s Silicon Valley for $22 million to Laurene Powell Jobs.
As for Frost, her new and very glossy Brentwood and Palisades mansions are a big style change from her former San Francisco homes. She previously lived in a European-style villa in the exclusive Presidio Heights area of San Francisco, which was sold for the aforementioned $29 million last month (below).
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Image Credit: Redfin Arguably her better San Francisco home, however, was a vaguely Beaux Arts-style manor in the Sea Cliff area of town, built in 1920 and directly overlooking the Pacific Ocean. That house (below) was sold for $17.8 million in 2016 to her neighbor, billionaire Benioff.
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Image Credit: Redfin