Veteran entertainment executive and film producer Donald De Line sold a soigné French Regency-style home of almost 7,500 square feet in L.A.’s hoity-toity Hancock Park neighborhood almost exactly a year ago, for almost $9.2 million to “Chicago Fire” creator Derek Haas. It wasn’t until now, however, per tax records, that he’s picked up a sophisticated (and substantially smaller) mid-floor condo at the celebrated and celeb-favored Sierra Towers complex at the western end of the Sunset Strip near the tony border between West Hollywood and Beverly Hills.
De Line, who formed De Line Productions in the late 1990s, has had his professional hands in past films that include “The Italian Job” (2003), “Burlesque” (2010), and “Green Lantern” (2011), while his current slate of projects includes Amazon’s upcoming feature film “Don’t Make Me Go” and the Epix series “Billy the Kid.”
Sold by PIMCO Funds Managing Director Ernest Schmider, who more than doubled his money on the condo he bought in 2012 for $2.1 million, the glass-walled aerie occupies a high-floor corner of the 31-story tower that is easily 15-stories taller than any other building for a couple miles around. The two-bedroom and two-bath unit, which measures just a bit more than 2,300 square feet, showcases five-star materials, bespoke craftsmanship and crisply tailored luxury with sweeping views to the north and west.
Designed by midcentury architect Jack A. Charney and completed in 1965, Sierra Towers has long attracted showbiz movers and shakers and other high-net worth individuals looking for a convenient, fully staffed perch in the center of Los Angeles. Residents’ hefty fees — the De Line unit traded with HOAs of nearly $3,400 a month — provide a laundry list of white-glove services and amenities: 24-hour valet parking, a secured and staffed lobby with concierge services, banquet facilities, a gym with sauna, and a rooftop swimming pool and sundeck.
-
Image Credit: Google The all-but-endless list of past and current owners include Sidney Poitier, George Hamilton, Courtney Cox, Sandra Bullock, Joan Collins, Diahann Carroll, Meg Whitman, Elton John, French billionaire Nicolas Berggruen, who owns numerous units, and Twinkie heir Evan Metropoulos. Vincent Gallo owned a rare duplex unit previously owned by David Geffen and sold in 2006 for $3 million to Cher, who transformed it into a Bali-nese inspired fantasy. The duplex is now owned by Hong Kong heiress Karen Lo who has it listed at $4.75 million, a steep discount on the almost $6.5 million she wanted it when it popped up for sale more than a year ago, and a half-million-dollars less than the $5.25 million paid to Cher for the 2,300-square-foot spread in 2013.
-
Image Credit: Redfin Wrapped in smooth wood paneling, the foyer of De Line’s new digs leads to a light-filled combination living and dining room plenty large enough to accommodate a baby grand piano and a couple of plush seating areas. Coved lighting adds drama to the high ceiling.
-
Image Credit: Redfin -
Image Credit: Redfin Floor-to-ceiling windows provide panoramic vistas of the verdant, mansion-strewn mountains that rise over the Sunset Strip, and glass sliders peel open to a covered terrace with open views.
-
Image Credit: Redfin -
Image Credit: Redfin Just off and open to the living/dining room, the stream-lined center-island kitchen is awash in blonde wood cabinets.
-
Image Credit: Redfin -
Image Credit: Redfin The guest bedroom/den and a pint-sized home office or media lounge share a sleek bathroom with hand-plastered walls and an over-sized shower.
-
Image Credit: Redfin -
Image Credit: Redfin -
Image Credit: Redfin In the main bedroom, a flat-screen TV is flush-mounted into a wood-paneled wall that continues across the ceiling and full-height glass sliders open to a slender balcony, while the bathroom oozes contemporary opulence with a delicate asymmetrical chandelier and a back-lit wall of buttery onyx behind the glassed-in steam shower and soaking tub.
-
Image Credit: Redfin The unit was listed with Joshua Greer and Rudy Serrato, both at Hilton & Hyland. De Line was represented in the transaction by Ernie Carswell and Christopher Pickett, both with Douglas Elliman.