A newly listed Hollywood Hills home has a celebrity lineage and is rooted in midcentury design, making it as L.A. as it gets.
A modernist treasure initially created by the late architect Harry Gesner, nestled above the Sunset Strip, has come back onto the market with Hilton & Hyland and Levik Stephan and Anita Stephan for an impressive $8.4 million. The circa-1960s property has been on and off the market for almost 2.5 years, with an original asking price of about $10 million, according to public records. Architect Gesner, who passed away in 2022 at the age of 97, was hired in 1960 by movie producer-director Jack Haley Jr., who later married actress and performer Liza Minnelli in 1974. The pair occupied the home together until
In 2003, nearly twenty-five years later, pop sensation Christina Aguilera paid $5 million for the residence. Before giving the keys to the current owner and seller, Beautyblender president and former Shiseido executive Carsten Fischer, in 2011, the singer hired designer and developer Steve Hermann to renovate the space with glass walls during her occupancy. The home has 6,500 square feet of living area, four bedrooms, and five and a half bathrooms.
The residence is tucked away behind a geometric gate and is accessed by an angled, slat-wood door. It boasts warm walnut floors, exposed-beam ceilings, stone, and marble. Several skylights and clerestory windows abound, adding to the enormous glass walls’ abundance of natural light. You’ll also get some truly amazing views of the city and the ocean.
Among the more remarkable areas is the modern family room, which has a steel-faced fireplace and a sunken conversation pit with custom seats. The chef’s kitchen, which is nearby, is fully equipped with a breakfast nook, a central island, and premium appliances. The main suite was meant to be pampered. Spread across an impressive 1,200 square feet, this luxurious hideaway features two fireplaces, a sitting area, a walk-in closet, and a marble-topped ensuite bathroom. This area features a glass-enclosed shower, a freestanding soaking tub, and an aquarium with three sides.
A discrete lower level with a temperature-controlled wine cellar and wet bar, as well as an 18-person screening room with comfortable built-in seats, are just two of the aerie residence’s many luxurious features. The backyard is equipped with an outdoor fireplace, a grilling area, a lagoon-style spa, and a huge swimming pool with blue tiles. To fully enjoy the expansive views, an enormous deck doubles as an observation area and a place to have fun.