After years of attempting to sell her high-floor flat in L.A.’s iconic Sierra Towers building, initially for as much as $7 million, Hong Kong heiress Ki-Yan “Karen” Lo is getting serious and prepared to take a major loss. Following months off the market, the idiosyncratic duplex has just returned with a $4.75 million pricetag — that’s a whopping $500,000 less than what Lo paid back in 2013, when she bought the place from Cher.
Lo, a certified U.S. real estate whale with a $250 million property empire, is a member of two of Asia’s wealthiest families. Her grandfather Dr. Lo Kwee-Seong founded the billion-dollar Vitasoy beverage company, whose soy milk product have long been staples in China and Hong Kong. And she’s also related, albeit peripherally, to the late Macau casino tycoon Stanley Ho and his daughter Pansy Ho, who was at one time Asia’s richest woman.
Built in 1965 and designed by midcentury specialist Jack A. Charney, Sierra Towers remains a legend to fans of modernist, minimalist skyscrapers. Straddling the border between Beverly Hills and West Hollywood, the 32-floor tower is perched above the very western end of L.A.’s bustling Sunset Strip. That irreplaceable location has gifted the striking building with an almost endless list of current and former famous residents. Current owners include Sandra Bullock, Adam Sandler, Kelly Osbourne, Courteney Cox, and rocker PJ Harvey — just to name a few.
Lo’s condo has a particularly star-studded past. Per records, the spread was owned by David Geffen in the ’80s. In the early aughts, it was home to provocative Indie film producer Vincent Gallo (“The Brown Bunny,” “Buffalo ’66”). Gallo sold the place to Cher in 2003 for $3 million, and everyone’s favorite Egyptian warrior goddess subsequently hired flamboyant designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard to reimagine the interiors. Bullard’s overhaul remains intact today, and is best described as Moroccan-meets-Balinese in style.
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Image Credit: Redfin According to 2013 reports, Lo purchased the unit with plans to rip out the Bullard-designed interiors and replace them with something more to her own taste. She also acquired a smaller condo directly adjacent to the duplex unit, and planned to combine that spot with the larger unit, to fashion herself a true mansion in the sky. But that renovation and expansion never happened, and records show Lo sold off the adjacent condo years ago. Listings also note that the duplex’s two units, though currently combined by a spiral staircase, are “available for purchase separately,” though odds are good Lo would prefer to offload the whole shebang to one buyer.
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Image Credit: Redfin Per the listing, the duplex totals 2,302 square feet of living space. The current configuration includes only one bedroom — located in the upper floor — a setup that’s surely turned off some potential buyers, though the listing notes that the lower floor includes a living area that “could be a bedroom area.” Also on the lower floor is a powder room, a slim balcony accessed via floor-to-ceiling glass sliders, and an open kitchen with Miele appliances.
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Image Credit: Redfin Upstairs, the master suite spans the entire floor and includes a vast sitting area, another balcony, and the requisite spa-style bathroom outfitted with every glitzy amenity.
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Image Credit: Redfin -
Image Credit: Redfin -
Image Credit: Redfin Speaking of amenities, Sierra Towers has them in spades. The whopping $4,257 monthly HOA dues paid by Lo cover the 24/7 doorman and concierge, plus car-washing services, two deeded underground parking spots, pool and fitness facilities, and use of the communal elevators — where there’s always a good chance you’ll share the lift with somebody famous, or almost famous.
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Image Credit: Redfin James Harris & David Parnes of The Agency’s Bond Street Partners team hold the listing.