Looks like the list of biggest 2021 real estate deals needs updating. On December 22nd, a big Bel Air property quietly transferred for a whopping $133 million, tax records now reveal. The place was never officially on the market, though it had been privately shopped around to qualified parties. At this point, the buyer remains unidentified, though there aren’t very many people in the world who can afford to pay $133 million — in cash, no less — for a house, so we’ll see how long that lasts.
Actually, this place isn’t just a “house,” it’s a bonafide estate compound that spans four contiguous parcels of land totaling roughly 4.6 acres. There are two large homes on the property, which sits behind tall gates and taller hedges for maximum privacy. The larger main house, spanning roughly 19,000 square feet, is a rare structure designed by internationally acclaimed English architect John Pawson — in fact, it’s the only Pawson-designed house in Los Angeles. The smaller guesthouse was built in the 1930s by Paul R. Williams and has its own swimming pool, poolhouse, and 6,600 square feet of space.
The seller was Japanese businessman Hideki Tomita, CEO of job-search agency Dip Corp. While his $133 million score isn’t as blockbuster as that recent $177 million Malibu deal, it’s still the fourth-highest price ever paid for a California home. The price is also an eye-popping $48 million more than Tomita paid for the place less than four years ago, in March 2018. Back then, the 55-year-old entrepreneur forked over $85 million to buy the entire caboodle from its original owners — booze heiress Ellen Bronfman Hauptman, a daughter of billionaire Seagram scion Charles Bronfman, and her investor husband Andrew Hauptman.
The Hauptmans acquired the land in 2002 and built the main house in 2009. In 2017, the Pawson-designed structure was photographed for Architectural Digest. The pair originally wanted $125 million for the custom estate, but Tomita talked them into a big discount — a move that appears to have paid off handsomely for him.
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Image Credit: Google An imposing gated driveway accesses the bifurcated estate; from there, a blacktopped drive splits off in two directions: turn to the right to access the Pawson-designed main house, while the Williams-designed “guest mansion” is over to the left. The estate’s 4.6 acres sit on a prime promontory in coveted lower Bel Air, surrounded by some of California’s priciest real estate.
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Image Credit: Google Enormous hedges surround the entire property, discouraging nosy neighbors and passersby.
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Image Credit: John Pawson Spanning 19,000 square feet, the minimalist main manse is essentially two cubes stacked atop one another, with the top portion cantilevered over the lower. There are five bedrooms and eight bathrooms, plus staff quarters and a children’s playroom in the subterranean basement. Vast, rolling lawns surround the house, which is blessed with panoramic views of the city.
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Image Credit: John Pawson Walls of glass flood the place with natural light, and the exteriors also mix in cream-colored stucco and cedar wood accents. Three of the bedrooms have their own private terraces.
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Image Credit: Jim Bartsch Acres of white oak flooring traverse throughout the monolithic structure, including in the double-height dining room.
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Image Credit: Todd Eberle/Architectural Digest Oak also covers nearly every surface in the kitchen, save for the La Cornue range and Caesarstone sink.
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Image Credit: Jim Bartsch Like the rest of the home, the master suite is free from overwrought decorative embellishment. There’s a sitting area and built-in bookcases in the bedroom, while the bathroom sports a windowed alcove and soaking tub overlooking a private courtyard with an outdoor shower, hot tub and firepit.
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Image Credit: Jim Bartsch Also on the premises are a movie theater and a home gym.
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Image Credit: Jim Bartsch In all, the massive compound includes two swimming pools, two mansion-sized homes and one full-size tennis court. Stone terraces off the main house allow for grand-scale entertaining, and there are motorcourt parking spaces for dozens of cars.
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Image Credit: Jim Bartsch The property’s interiors were designed by husband-and-wife team Alexandra and Michael Misczynski of Atelier AM, while the landscape design was curated by architect Jonathan Bell.