Cannabis Mogul Sells Exotic, Mysterious Lloyd Wright-Designed Showpiece

Back in early 2018, CBD entrepreneur Dan Goldfarb doled out nearly $4.7 million for a historic Lloyd Wright-designed residence in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles. A former hedge-fund analyst from New York who founded Canna-Pet — a Seattle-based company that sells hemp CBD for pets — he planned to use the space as a hub for social and fund-raising events.

Now, a little over four years later, Goldfarb and his wife Jenny Landers have sold their unique home. The buyer, records indicate, is Nate Daneshgar — a member of a wealthy Beverly Hills family that made their money in commercial real estate and are perhaps best known for owning DTLA’s Grand Central Market. Daneshgar forked over just under $6.2 million for the place in an off-market deal, or almost $1.5 million more than Goldfarb and Landers paid for the property back in April 2018.

Originally designed and built in 1926 by Lloyd Wright (the son of famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright) for painter and photographer John Sowden and his wife Ruth — and aptly named the “Sowden House” — the neo-Mayan structure has also been nicknamed “the Jaws House,” for its ominous shark teeth-like exterior entrance.

The estate is perhaps best known for its link to the unsolved Black Dahlia case; it even made a cameo in a recent TNT limited TV series, “I Am the Night,” a fictionalized account of the 1947 murder of aspiring actress Elizabeth Short, who is believed to have been allegedly murdered in the basement by former owner Dr. George Hodel.

In subsequent years, it was extensively restored and modernized to the tune of $1.6 million by another former owner, L.A.-based designer and developer Xorin Balbes, who covered the interior walls in metallic bronze and silver, expanded the kitchen, and added a pool and spa. Along the way, the dwelling was designated by the city of L.A. in 2003 as a historic-cultural monument.

Resting on a 0.3-acre parcel of land dotted with lush foliage, the rectangular-shaped home’s striking exterior boasts hand-casted concrete textile blocks featuring images of the harvest, water, clouds and sun, and stacked in an homage to the ancient Mayan pyramids. Four connected wings surround a central courtyard holding a pool and spa nestled alongside an al fresco lounging space marked by a clay fire-pit.

In its current iteration, four bedrooms and five baths are spread across 5,600 square feet of living space adorned throughout with soaring ceilings, oak and tile floors, floor-to-ceiling windows, built-in shelving and myriad ornamental details. Sculpted copper gates open into a cave-like entryway encompassing the entire lower level, with winding stairs leading up to the main living quarters.

From there, highlights include a spacious living room displaying a massive fireplace and bookcases that are said to conceal a “secret room,” as well as a formal dining room and gourmet kitchen outfitted with updated appliances — all of which spill out to the open-air courtyard via French doors separated by columns.

A onetime studio space now serves as the fireside master retreat, complete with a stylish bath sporting a dressing area, stainless soaking tub, steam shower and access to an outdoor koi pond. Rounding it all out: a two-car garage.

Sherri Rogers and Ryan Ponce of Compass served as the listing agents; Juan Longfellow and Louise Leach of DPP Real Estate repped the buyer.