By Neal J. Leitereg and Jack Flemming / Los Angeles Times
LOS ANGELES — A high-profile name has emerged as the buyer of the Razor House, an architectural masterpiece on the coast of La Jolla.
Singer-songwriter Alicia Keys plunked down $20.8 million for the striking San Diego-area estate, according to people not authorized to comment on the sale. That’s the priciest deal in the coastal community this year.
A cutting-edge blend of concrete and glass, the jagged, sweeping structure listed last summer for $30 million before a price cut took it down to $24.995 million. It was built by architect Wallace E. Cunningham, who designed the three-story structure to match the dramatic landscape that surrounds it.
Employing a cantilevered base, the modernist home hugs the side of a cliff and takes in sweeping ocean views. Highlights are aplenty. There’s a subterranean garage and a series of geometric terraces up above — including an entertainer’s deck with a swimming pool and outdoor kitchen.
The entire structure wraps around a custom courtyard. Perhaps the home’s most stunning space, it features a collection of concrete monoliths around a turf lawn and fire pit.
Inside are touches of white concrete, stainless steel, stone and walnut across 11,545 square feet. Walls of glass line the living spaces, which include a two-story great room, rounded living room, billiards room, library, tiered movie theater and two kitchens.
The upper levels, accessed by a floating staircase, boast a lofted lounge and two master suites. There are four bedrooms in total, and the 1,300-square-foot detached guesthouse adds two more.
Keys, 38, has won 15 Grammys over the course of a career that has seen her release six studio albums and sell more than 65 million records. Her hits include “Fallin,’” “No One” and “If I Ain’t Got You.”
Actor Jonah Hill of “Moneyball” and “Superbad” fame has bought a home in Santa Monica through a trust for $6.77 million, records show.
The two-story Monterey Colonial-style house, built in 1950 and once owned by British actress Jean Simmons, features distressed wood floors, painted beams and a living room with a fireplace. The eat-in kitchen has been updated with a brick pizza oven. French doors in the sun-drenched dining room open to a covered patio.
The master suite lies on the main floor and has a garden view. Two upstairs bedrooms share a balcony overlooking the grounds. Including a separate guesthouse, which has a sauna, there are four bedrooms and five bathrooms.
Outside, a trellis with creeping vines covers a brick patio. Lawn surrounds the swimming pool, which has a spa. Near the pool area is a built-in barbecue.
The home, set behind gates on slightly more than a quarter-acre, hit the market in July for about $7 million and sold in roughly five weeks, records show.
The 35-year-old Hill this year appeared in the comedy “The Beach Bum” and had voice roles in the films “The Lego Movie 2” and “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World.” Last year, the versatile actor starred opposite Emma Stone in the Netflix miniseries “Maniac.”
On the real estate front, Hill four years ago sold a Hollywood Hills home built in 1959 for actress Beverly Garland by her husband, Fillmore Crank, and designed by architect Richard Dorman. He reportedly owns other real estate in New York.
Baseball star turned television analyst Alex Rodriguez has cleared a base in the Hollywood Hills, selling his home there for $4.4 million.
The striking contemporary-style house, with walls of glass and horizontal louvers, was designed by architectural firm Honnold & Rex and built in 1954 as part of the Architectural Products magazine research program. More recently, it was redesigned to emphasize indoor-outdoor living.
The two-story home features an open-space floor plan and sliding walls of glass that open to the back yard. A two-story living room lies at the heart of the house and has a textured block-wall fireplace. The chef’s kitchen is equipped with an island, custom cabinetry and a wine fridge. A media room sits off the kitchen.
Upstairs, the master suite takes in tree-top and city-light views in two directions. An office, which doubles as another bedroom, takes in the backyard and surrounding hilltops through floor-to-ceiling windows.
Outside, there’s a swimming pool and spa, a fire pit and secluded sitting area. Hedges and tall palms create a natural privacy barrier.
Rodriguez, who retired from baseball two years ago, bought the property in 2014 from Oscar-winning actress Meryl Streep.
The 44-year-old was among the most dynamic players in baseball during his career, amassing 696 home runs and 3,115 hits across 22 seasons. Rodriguez’s scores of accolades include 14 All-Star Game appearances, 10 Silver Slugger awards and two Gold Glove awards. He was named the American League MVP three times.
In real estate, Rodriguez made a westward move in February, buying a Malibu beach house with partner Jennifer Lopez from actor Jeremy Piven.
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