Looks like this modern family is getting a decidedly mod real estate upgrade. Veteran “Days of Our Lives” actress Arleen Sorkin and her prolific screenwriter/producer husband Christopher Lloyd have paid a combined $19.6 million for two painstakingly preserved midcentury homes in Beverly Hills, both of them with enviable architectural pedigrees, cinematic walls of glass, and terrazzo aplenty.
Lloyd first became widely known for his executive producer role on “Frasier” in the ’90s, during which time the show won five consecutive Emmy Awards for Outstanding Comedy. Nowadays, though, he’s probably most famous for being a co-creator, with Steve Levitan, of “Modern Family,” the ABC sitcom juggernaut that recently wrapped after eleven seasons.
The couple have long owned a stately Mediterranean-style mansion in L.A.’s Little Holmby neighborhood — likely valued at somewhere north of $10 million — but it seems they’re ready to explore new real estate pastures. Their quest has led them to a quiet cul-de-sac in a prime 90210 pocket, where the two side-by-side homes sit on knolls high above the street, behind impressively long driveways.
Both properties were sold to Sorkin and Lloyd by the same sellers. Back in February, the owners Jim and Wendy Abrams — he’s the COO of Medline, one of the country’s biggest manufacturer-distributors of healthcare products, she’s the daughter of Medline founder James Mills, the couple are major Democratic Party donors — put the pair on the market for a combined $22 million. The sale price, while significantly less than asking, is still well above the $16.3 million the couple paid for the homes in two recent but separate transactions: one in 2019, the other in 2020.
Max Nelson of Compass held the listing on both homes; Wayne Saks of Rodeo Realty repped the buyers.
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Image Credit: Realtor.com The larger and more lavish property, sold for $11.6 million, was formerly owned by “A Star Is Born” producer Bill Gerber and includes a strikingly angular structure known as the Kritzer House. Built in 1966 and designed by noted architect Rex Lotery, the place was meticulously restored during Gerber’s ownership by L.A.’s Kovac Design Studio.
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Image Credit: Realtor.com Floor-to-ceiling walls of glass and an abundance clerestory windows and skylights highlight a variety of well-proportioned living spaces; there’s a library, a chef’s kitchen with Wolf and SubZero appliances, living and dining rooms, and wide expanses of white walls, perfect for a trophy art collection.
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Image Credit: Realtor.com There are four bedrooms and four baths, including a master retreat with a vaulted ceiling and dual bathroom vanities.
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Image Credit: Realtor.com Outdoors, the half-acre lot’s meticulously maintained grounds were designed by preeminent landscape architect Pamela Burton and feature a casually elegant mix of olive and pine trees paired with bunches of lavender and sage. Plentiful outdoor seating areas and an oversized swimming pool complete the attractive package.
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Image Credit: Realtor.com The second house, while not quite as glam as the first, is no less stylish. Completed in 1961 and designed by midcentury modern specialist Matthew Leizer, the place is a veritable time capsule, complete with teal front doors, a wood-paneled den, and a central courtyard overlooked by an enormous skylight.
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Image Credit: Realtor.com The three-bed, five-bath structure also includes a master suite with dual dressing rooms bisected by a terrazzo soaking tub, a library with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, and a large outdoor pool set into a brick patio.
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Image Credit: Realtor.com Because of their work with the manufacturing and distribution powerhouse known as Medline, the Abramses have quietly become two of the most influential leaders in the healthcare industry. As COO of Medline Industries’ multibillion-dollar international operation, which provides hospitals, physician offices and other healthcare outlets with critical care products — sutures, gloves, syringes and the like — Jim Abrams presides over 27,000-plus employees worldwide.
Wendy Abrams, for her part, is a member of the billionaire Mills clan, the family who founded Medline, and the sister of Medline’s current CEO Charlie Mills. She’s also a noted environmentalist and social activist, having founded Cool Globes, a nonprofit dedicated to raising awareness for climate change, in 2006.
Though the couple may be leaving Beverly Hills, they’re far from homeless in their native Illinois. Back in 2007, the couple paid $17.6 million for a 17.5-acre lakefront estate in Highland Park, one of the biggest residential deals ever recorded in the Chicago area.