Beastie Boy Mike D Snags Venice Architectural

Although the deal actually closed well over a year ago, it’s only now become known that the previously unreported buyer who paid $3.2 million for a towering architectural home along Venice’s coveted walk streets was iconic musician Michael Diamond — better known to scores of ’90s rap aficionados and Beastie Boys fans as Manhattan native Mike D, one of the genre-defining group’s founding members.

The Beastie Boys officially disbanded nearly a decade ago. Since then, Diamond has done occasional work on the production side of the business but is essentially retired to Malibu, for all intents and purposes. On star-studded Point Dume, the 55-year-old owns a landlocked estate with several structures, all of which were renovated by acclaimed architect — and Diamond’s longtime friend — Barbara Bestor, the same designer responsible for the recent overhaul of John Lautner’s epic Silvertop complex in Silver Lake. The resulting beachy spread, playfully casual with vibrant pops of color, was photographed for a 2017 issue of Architectural Digest.

But Diamond also wants a more in-town house closer to the L.A.’s bustle and hustle, it seems, so the tightly packed Venice neighborhood will do. First constructed in 1927 but totally rebuilt circa 1960 — and extensively renovated at least twice since then — the two-level architectural includes vast expanses of clerestory windows and concrete flooring for an airy, vaguely industrial feel. There are three bedrooms and 2.5 baths in just under 3,000 square feet of living space.

Secured behind walls and gates, the boxy structure is defined by its near-complete openness — the main level is essentially one large room, combining the den with the traditional living and family areas. A stainless steel kitchen flaunts top-of-the-line appliances, and the powder room is encased in its own wood-paneled box, of sorts. To prevent the giant space from feeling drafty, a centrally-placed manufactured fireplace warms passersby, and the concrete floors are equipped with radiant heating.

Upstairs are the home’s three bedrooms, the master with a double-sided fireplace also warming an exterior terrace and a private bathroom upgraded with dual vanities and a built-in soaking tub. The two guest bedrooms share a single full bathroom, this one sheathed in a medium-blue tile.

Outside, the postage stamp-sized lot is really too petite for a swimming pool or any sort of yard, though there are privacy hedges and a wee patch of (faux) grass. Behind the house, a green-frosted paneled metal gate guards entry to the property’s one-car garage, accessed via a discreet back alleyway.

Susan Allen of Power Brokers International and Randolph Wright of Bulldog Realtors jointly held the listing; Jasmine Comino of Compass repped Diamond.