Hot Property: Maroon 5's James Valentine makes his move - Los Angeles Times
Advertisement

Hot Property: Maroon 5’s James Valentine makes his move

Share via

They may not be moves like Jagger, but James Valentine is certainly making moves. The Maroon 5 guitarist has listed his Los Feliz home for sale at $3.785 million and bought a Toluca Lake home from mega-producer Dana Brunetti for $6.4 million.

The home Valentine is selling, a striking Midcentury Modern residence built in 1960, is known as the Steel House for its steel construction and cantilevered wing. Architect Neil A. Johnson drew inspiration from the postwar Arts & Architecture Case Study House program when designing the residence. A recent restoration by Mark Haddawy has brought it back to its original form.

Set on a knoll with city-light views, the single-story home epitomizes cool California modernism with its clean lines, overhanging eaves and walls of glass. Some 2,100 square feet of interior features terrazzo floors, beamed ceilings and an open floor plan.

Advertisement

A suspended fireplace serves as the focal point in the living room. A garden-view dining room and an updated kitchen sit off the living room area. There are three bedrooms and two bathrooms.

The flat-roofed residence sits on about a third of an acre and has a swimming pool with a spa, a cold plunge and a sauna. A carport is below the house.

Valentine’s new residence was built by Toluca Lake pioneer William Klump in the 1920s. Among features of the 6,500-square-foot house are modern fixtures, Kentucky oak herringbone floors and a marble-clad kitchen. Curved French doors, wood paneling and a vintage phone alcove speak to the home’s 1920s roots.

Advertisement

The quarter-acre property was previously owned by Eurythmics singer-songwriter Dave Stewart and television producer Mark Brazill. Silent-film star Billie Dove, Oscar-winning actress Janet Gaynor and Park French, the original architect of Toluca Lake, are among others to have lived there.

Valentine, 40, was part of the musical trio Square and also played with the ska band Reel Big Fish before joining Kara’s Flowers, later renamed Maroon 5, in the early 2000s. The group is known for such hits as “Harder to Breathe,” “Makes Me Wonder” and “Moves Like Jagger.”

Brunetti, 46, has producer credits that include the acclaimed Netflix series “House of Cards” and the films “21” and “Mastermind.” His films “The Social Network” and “Captain Phillips” both received Oscar nominations for best picture.

Advertisement

Juan Longfellow and Louise Leach of Deasy Penner Podley and Alex Barad of Nourmand & Associates hold the Los Feliz listing.

Cassandra Corum of Six17 and Marc Silver of Compass were the listing agents for the Toluca Lake estate; Longfellow and Leach represented Valentine in the purchase.

Out of the great wide open

Tom Petty’s scenic retreat has finally found a fan. The Lake Sherwood villa that was owned by the late rocker at the time of his death has sold for $4 million.

Petty paid $4.41 million for the property in 2007, and after multiple years of relists and price cuts, it was most recently offered for $4.695 million.

Olive and cypress trees surround the hilltop estate, which centers on a stone-clad home built in 1931.

Advertisement

Spanning three stories above Lake Sherwood, the villa is awash in Old World details. A centerpiece great room features 2-foot-thick stone walls, beamed ceilings and flagstone floors. Saltillo tile floors accent the family room and kitchen. In the dining room, French doors open to a balcony overlooking the lake.

The 5,300-square-foot interior also holds three bedrooms and three bathrooms. The most impressive by far is the master suite, which features a sauna-like bathroom with a deep stone tub and a private balcony with a fireplace.

Outside, stone pathways descend to 125 feet of water frontage, as well as a boat ramp and dock.

Petty, who died in 2017 at 66, gained fame in the late ’70s as the frontman of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. The group’s hits include “Breakdown,” “Free Fallin’” and “Don’t Do Me Like That.” The singer-songwriter later embarked on a successful solo career that included the albums “Full Moon Fever” and “Highway Companion.”

Team Nicki and Karen and Dana Sparks of Compass held the listing.

Icing on their torte

Advertisement

Husband-and-wife Hungarian curlers György Nagy and Ildikó Szekeres have made their way to the United States, paying $6.1 million for a Mediterranean-style mansion in Bel-Air.

Covering half an acre, the grand estate had waffled on and off the market for the last four years — first listing for $7.5 million in 2015 — before the Olympians finally bought it.

A long, gated driveway winds through the park-like grounds, eventually landing at a flagstone motor court with three garages. Inside, a chandelier-topped foyer with dual staircases and custom inlaid floors set the stage for the 8,360-square-foot interior. A formal dining room sits off one side of the foyer, and a bright living room with light hardwood floors sits off the other.

The center-island kitchen switches things up a bit, pairing crisp white cabinetry with black countertops and tile floors. Picture windows take in verdant views of the backyard.

Upstairs, the master suite is a space all of its own with a gym, sauna, ocean-view balcony and palatial marble bathroom. In total, there are six bedrooms and eight bathrooms.

Advertisement

A terrace tops the garages in the front. Out back, palm trees hang over a fountain-fed pool, patio and lawn.

Jonathan London of Aaron Kirman Group at Compass held the listing with Aram Afshar of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage. Christophe Choo, also with Coldwell Banker, represented the buyers.

Together, Nagy and Szekeres have competed in five world mixed double curling championships, winning a silver medal in 2009.

Moving on from her Waverly Place

Actress and singer Bridgit Mendler of Disney Channel fame has put her home in Silver Lake on the market for $1.997 million.

The traditional-style house, built in 1935 and well-maintained, is gated and sits high up from the street with views of the reservoir.

Past a covered brick front porch, the home opens to a little over 2,400 square feet of white-walled interior. A living room with a fireplace, a classic dining room with built-ins, three bedrooms and 3.75 bathrooms are among the living spaces. The vaulted-ceiling kitchen has been updated with custom tile floors, an island and a window alcove.

Advertisement

The master suite lies upstairs and features a vintage shower and soaking tub topped by a skylight. Another bedroom has bonus space for an office.

Outside, the hedged property has multiple patios and a pergola-topped sitting area. A vegetable garden with raised planter beds sits above the back patio.

Mendler, 26, bought the house six years ago for $1.075 million.

The actress-singer is known for her roles on the Disney Channel shows “Wizards of Waverly Place” and “Good Luck Charlie.” More recently, she appeared on the series “Undateable” and “Nashville.”

As a singer, Mendler was featured on the soundtrack for the television movie “Lemonade Mouth,” in which she also starred. She released her debut solo album “Hello My Name Is…” in 2012.

Patricia Ruben of Sotheby’s International Realty holds the listing.

Touching down in Tarzana

Advertisement

Philadelphia Eagles running back Darren Sproles has purchased a newly built home in Tarzana for $3.655 million.

Fashioned in the modern farmhouse style, the two-story spread has 6,000 square feet of living space, oak floors with gold inlays, custom paneling and designer fixtures. The gleaming kitchen, anchored by an oversized island, opens to the family room. A butler’s pantry sits off the dining room. There’s also a theater.

The master suite has one of four fireplaces and a walk-in closet for a total of five bedrooms and five bathrooms.

Outside, a patch of lawn fills space between the home and a zero-edge swimming pool. A sports court, a fire pit, a built-in barbecue and a pool house fill out the grounds.

The purchase marks something of a northern migration for the Eagles speedster, who began his professional career with the San Diego Chargers and has made his home in San Diego for about a decade.

In July, Sproles put his Poway home — a sprawling Mediterranean-style mansion of nearly 9,000 square feet — on the market. The 4.44-acre property is currently listed for about $3 million.

Advertisement

The 36-year-old tailback, now in his 14th NFL season, has made three Pro Bowls with the Eagles as a special teams player. In 2011, he led the NFL in all-purpose yards with 2,696. He is currently tied with Dave Meggett for seventh all-time in punt returns for touchdowns with seven.

Dennis Chernov of Keller Williams Realty Studio City was the listing agent. Craig Knizek of the Agency represented the buyer.

Advertisement