In 2014, Shonda Rhimes bought a 1923 Hancock Park mansion for $8.8 million; after restoring and expanding it, she sold the 12,000-sq-ft estate for a record $21 million in 2022
There are houses that make a statement, and then there are houses that quietly become part of Los Angeles history. In Hancock Park, one such residence has now added another chapter to its century-old story. Once owned by television producer Shonda Rhimes, the sprawling estate changed hands for $21 million, setting a new record for the Wilshire neighbourhood and marking a remarkable rise from the $8.8 million Rhimes paid for it in 2014, states the Los Angeles Times report.
A landmark home gets a new lease of life
The LA Times report mentions that the estate began its life in 1923, designed by celebrated architect Elmer Grey, whose portfolio also includes the Beverly Hills Hotel and the Huntington Art Gallery. Set across more than an acre and combining two parcels on a prominent corner lot, the property had the scale and architectural pedigree of a grand Los Angeles residence.Rhimes purchased the mansion from actress Patricia Heaton, best known for Everybody Loves Raymond. Over the following seven years, she undertook an extensive restoration and redesign, turning the historic property into a home that balanced its original character with a more contemporary sense of space and light, 2022 online report states.
Restoring the Italianate villa
The report also states that working with interior designer Michael Smith, Rhimes moved away from the home’s later Santa Barbara mission-style appearance and brought back the Italianate villa aesthetic envisioned by Grey. The renovation was as much about revealing the architecture as it was about updating the interiors. A wood front door was replaced with glass, allowing more natural light into the entryway. The ceiling of the first-floor loggia was removed to create a dramatic two-storey gallery, while glass-blown skylights further opened up the interiors.Inside, marble floors, Venetian plaster, elaborate crown moulding and carefully restored architectural details give the nearly 12,000-square-foot residence a sense of old-world grandeur without making it feel frozen in time.
A compound built for entertaining
Spread across three floors, the mansion contains seven bedrooms and 10 bathrooms, alongside a formal dining room, two kitchens, a library, playroom and a movie theatre complete with a snack bar. A separate guesthouse adds another unusual feature: a private hair salon, adds the report.The grounds are equally expansive. Two yards, a swimming pool, cabana, paddle tennis court and a secluded hedged garden transform the property into something closer to a private compound than a traditional city home.
A record-setting sale
If we go by the online report, the property was initially listed for $25 million before the asking price was reduced to $23 million. It eventually sold for $21 million, making it the most expensive residential transaction ever recorded in Hancock Park’s Wilshire neighborhood. The record had previously been held by Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos, who paid $15.95 million in 2015 for the former home of Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith. Sarandos would later play a significant role in Rhimes’ career, bringing her to Netflix in 2017 through a major development deal.For Rhimes, the sale adds another notable chapter to an already extensive Los Angeles real estate portfolio. The Shondaland founder, whose television empire includes Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, Bridgerton and How to Get Away With Murder, has owned several properties in Hancock Park and also maintains a Manhattan penthouse. The $21 million sale ultimately reflects more than a celebrity premium. It is a testament to what can happen when historic architecture, thoughtful restoration and a coveted Los Angeles address come together under one roof.Images Courtesy: Wikipedia and Facebook
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