When British actor, composer and filmmaker Charlie Chaplin needed a place to store his collection of firetrucks, he turned to a high-ceilinged property in Santa Monica, California.
Years later, when artist Sam Francis needed a similarly spacious studio for his often large works, he was drawn to the same property. Eventually, the building became more than just a space for a studio and storage: Francis raised his children at the residence and hosted a slew of other artists.
In the early 2000s, the firetruck-storage-unit-turned-artist-compound was transformed — again.
“It’s like this little village, this sort of Indonesian, Balinesian vibe,” according to real estate agent Frank Langen.
Now, the property is in search of its next steward. It’s on the market for $12.5 million. Langen holds the listing with Lili Geller. Both agents are with Compass.
Fire overtook part of the property
Langen said this isn’t the first time he’s represented the home in a sale. The first time was back in 2007, when part of the property burned down while it was in escrow.
“Most buyers would walk away because they want a house to live in,” Langen told Homes.com. “But this buyer was kind of a quasi-developer, so he closed on the transaction, and he got the insurance money from the fire insurance policy.”
The new owner also bought the neighboring property — a 6,000-square-foot parcel with a small Spanish-style house on it. In all, he had 18,000 square feet of land between the two purchases, Langen said.
The owner hired Christopher Sorensen, and over the next five years, the architect built what Langen described as “a little compound.”
“That entailed completely changing the face and the vibe,” Langen said, “and then adding on another one-story element to make this large, beautiful courtyard scenario … He tore down the Spanish house and built another 4,000-square-foot house there.”
And thus, the village was created, according to Langen.
A bulletproof pool cover, monastery gate and an imposing closet
In all, the property has five bedrooms, seven bathrooms and 8,000 square feet of living space, according to the listing on Homes.com.
The current owner is an engineer, according to Langen, so he “made sure all the systems are really working.”
“Now you’ve got not just this sort of vibey house, but everything’s really functional,” he said.
More than that, the home is built around a courtyard that features a pool that runs beneath bulletproof glass into the kitchen. A 500-year-old former Monastery gate guards the property, and one of the bedrooms has a closet that’s the size of “a mini store on Rodeo Drive,” Langen said.
The home was originally listed in March for $13.5 million, but it was relisted early this month after a $1 million price cut.
Langen said the market has fluctuated a lot in the past five months, since a firestorm tore through parts of Los Angeles in January. This property, for example, is in the buffer zone of the Palisades Fire, he said.
“It’s been keeping us on our toes,” he added.
Even so, Langen said the property is “one-of-a-kind."
“The Indonesian thing is very rare,” he said. “And it’s very well done.”
