This $125 Million Home’s Underground Garage Doubles as a Ballroom

Back in 2013, after he paid $41 million for an oceanfront Malibu estate previously owned by the late movie producer Jerry Weintraub, Serge Azria hired Los Angeles-based architect Scott Mitchell to fully renovate the multi-building compound. The apparel mogul went on to sell the revitalized spread to venture capitalist Marc Andreessen for a whopping $177 million, breaking a record for the priciest California home sale at the time. Now a massive Hollywood Hills spec mansion designed and built by the same prominent architect has hit the market, asking a slightly less but still hefty $125 million.

And though that price might be unfathomable to some folks, the modern villa is loaded with posh perks that help justify the lofty figure. For one thing, it’s near the Hollywood Bowl and Chateau Marmont. For another, it spans over an acre with panoramic views of the Downtown L.A. skyline and Pacific Ocean beyond from its perch atop a promontory. There are also screening and billiards rooms, a gym, and two bars, plus a subterranean garage that can hold at least a dozen vehicles and, when it’s time to have a party, doubles as a ballroom.

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The recently completed spread was a collaborative effort between Mitchell and real estate brokers-turned-developers Rayni and Branden Williams of The Beverly Hills Estates. As first reported by The Wall Street Journal, the couple acquired the vacant parcel in 2015 for $8 million from actor Jeremy Renner, who had originally planned to develop it. Then they enlisted the help of Mitchell, who is known not only for crafting abodes for the likes of Tom Brady and Jeffrey Katzenberg but also for his work on Malibu’s Nobu restaurant.

Comprised of $30 million worth of monolithic, three-foot-thick board-formed concrete, curtain walls of steel-framed glass, and more than 100 caissons descending 100 feet into the earth, the seven-bedroom, 12-bath residence the seven-bedroom, 12-bath residence offers a whopping 22,000 square feet across three levels accessible via a grand skylight-topped staircase.

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Intimately elegant interiors are decked out with white oak floors, soaring ceilings, limestone accents, and walls of glass opening to lush grounds spotlighted by 12,000 square feet of decking, an infinity pool and spa, a standalone bar and lounge, and a sunken fire pit conversation area. Other highlights include formal living and dining rooms, an eat-in kitchen with top-tier appliances, a couple of studies, and a posh upstairs primary suite sporting dual dressing rooms and baths.

Per the WSJ, the project took almost a decade to complete and wound up costing around $80 million largely because of its tricky locale off a tight and winding road. Adding to delays was the decision to bury the property’s power lines, which led to a lengthy approval process, as well as materials shortages due to the COVID pandemic.

Click here for more photos of the Hollywood Hills residence.