For more than a year now, Bruce Karsh has been trying to unload his three-acre 90210 spread with no takers. Located in the mountains above Beverly Hills, in the Benedict Canyon area, the 1930s English Tudor-style estate took a brief absence from the open market but has now returned. The billionaire investor and his attorney/architectural designer wife Martha are asking a substantially reduced $50 million for the place, a whopping $10 million less than the original list price.
If the Karshes do get anywhere near their still-hefty ask, it’ll be loads more than the $12 million the couple paid late French composer/conductor Maurice Jarre (“Lawrence of Arabia,” “Doctor Zhivago”) for the place way back in 2000. During their tenure, however, the couple did complete a seven-year restoration of the property, which included all-new landscaping by Christine London and distinctly traditional interiors by Obama White House designer Michael S. Smith.
Bruce Karsh, 65, is best known for co-founding Oaktree Capital Management in 1995 with Howard Marks. He currently serves as co-chairman and chief investment officer of Oaktree, which was acquired by Brookfield Asset Management in 2019. And with a net worth that tops $2 billion, he leads the firm’s distressed debt practice, which reportedly had over $33.5 billion in assets under management as of June. Martha Karsh helms the architect firm Clark & Karsh; together, the couple has doled out almost $300 million via their family foundation since it was formed in 1998.
Tucked away behind a lengthy gated and tree-lined driveway, minutes from Sunset Boulevard, the Beverly Hills spread includes an 8,700-square-foot main home, plus a swanky 5,700-square-foot tennis pavilion/entertainment building decked out with a movie theater, billiards room, recording studio, golf simulator, office and lounge with a wet bar.
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Image Credit: Realtor.com -
Image Credit: Realtor.com -
Image Credit: Realtor.com -
Image Credit: Realtor.com -
Image Credit: Realtor.com Elsewhere on the property, which is co-listed by Linda May of Hilton & Hyland and Joseph Cilic of Sotheby’s International Realty, is a two-story guest house with a duo of ensuite bedrooms, and a stone- and glass-clad conservatory sporting a fireplace and fountain.
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Image Credit: Realtor.com As for the main house, it has five bedrooms and 7.5 baths spread over 16,000-plus square feet of opulent living space offering city skyline, canyon and ocean views. Especially standing out is the formal living room, which is outfitted with a Georgian plaster fretwork ceiling, an antique limestone fireplace and Venetian plaster walls, and has French doors that open to expansive terraces and picturesque grounds.
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Image Credit: Realtor.com Other highlights include a billiards room that leads to a library wing boasting a soaring coffered, hand-stenciled ceiling and marble fireplace, and a salon/office adorned with green-glazed millwork paneling, a fireplace and “secret” bar.
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Image Credit: Realtor.com A formal dining room is awash in scenic Zuber wallpaper and has French doors that spill out to a terrace, while the gourmet kitchen features high-end stainless appliances an octagonal breakfast room with a vaulted ceiling.
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Image Credit: Realtor.com Upstairs, the sumptuous master retreat is outfitted with dual walk-in closets, and a luxe spa-like bath equipped with marble countertops, a soaking tub, sauna and walk-in shower. Two additional bedroom suites can be found on this floor, while the main-level family room has stairs that lead to another secluded upstairs bedroom suite.
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Image Credit: Realtor.com The lavish amenities continue outdoors, where the expansive grounds include a lighted tennis court with a loggia viewing area, and a pool flanked by a pavilion with a cabana and firepit. Rounding it all out: vast gardens that include a heated gazebo ideal for al fresco dining.
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Image Credit: Realtor.com -
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Image Credit: Realtor.com -
Image Credit: Realtor.com In addition to the Karshes’ primary Holmby Hills residence that they picked up from former Paramount Pictures CEO Brad Grey for $68.8 million in 2018, the couple also maintain several other residential holdings. Among them are a place on Hawaii’s Big Island, a Montecito tennis court estate and a $25 million New York City townhouse that once belonged to disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein.
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Image Credit: Realtor.com