Last month, after barely a year of ownership, Emma Chamberlain unloaded her “starter” Los Angeles home for $4.1 million. And in a video released this week, the wildly popular YouTuber detailed her reasons for selling, which had less to do with the house itself than its surroundings. While the ultra-contemporary structure was stylish and fun, Chamberlain noted, it was also located in prime West Hollywood — one of L.A.’s most heavily trafficked, noisy, crowded, and occasionally crime-infested areas.
The 20-year-old is now ready for some real doggone “peace and quiet,” as she puts it, and noted in the video that she’s already purchased a new home in a quieter and more relaxed part of town. But “it’s an older house,” as opposed to the nearly brand-new WeHo mansion, and so Chamberlain won’t move in for at least six months, until some extensive modernizations are complete. In the interim, she’s bunking up in a rented contemporary mansion in the hills above L.A.’s Sunset Strip.
A quick dig through property records reveals that newly purchased home is tucked away high in the mountains above Beverly Hills, on a whisper-quiet side street used only by local residents. The gated estate, mostly invisible from the street, includes a house built in 1955 and described in the listing as a “celebrity retreat.” Chamberlain paid $4.3 million for the keys, a nice little chunk off the original $4.7 million asking price.
And yes, the secluded property has an interesting, only-in-L.A. sort of pedigree. Over the past 60+ years, it’s changed hands more than a dozen times; while most of the recent owners haven’t been celebrities, the house was owned in the ’90s by actor Barry Bostwick (“The Rocky Picture Horror Show,” “Spin City”) and in the ’80s by R&B legend Natalie Cole (“Pink Cadillac,” “Our Love,” “This Will Be”) and actress Lisa Hartman (“Knots Landing”).
Records reveal Chamberlain bought the place from a non-famous couple. Despite the many different owners, the structure retains many of its original characteristics — most of them stylish in a funkily retro sort of way.
Zach Goldsmith of Hilton & Hyland and Clifford Rowe of Compass jointly held the listing; Casey Winchell Napolitano of Kennedy Wilson Real Estate repped Chamberlain.