Madonna's former LA home below Hollywood sign lists for $21m
Stunning 1920s Los Angeles home perched on ridge below the Hollywood sign once owned by Madonna lists for $21 million as current owner – fashion designer Leon Max – flees to England for his child’s education
- The Spanish-style house selling for $21 million, spans roughly 10,500 square feet, has views of the famed Hollywood sign, two towers and nine bedrooms
- Fashion designer Leon Max of Max Studio owns the estate, but is looking to sell because he plans to move to England for his child’s education
- Madonna bought the property for around $5 million in 1993 and sold it in 1996
A stunning 1920s Spanish-style estate overlooking the famed Hollywood sign – and once owned Madonna – has hit the market for $21 million.
The property, which is roughly 10,500 square feet and known as Castillo del Lago, crafts a scene of iconic Hollywood history, architecture and location, according to a listing description by agents Linda May and Brett Lawyer of Carolwood Estates.
Fashion designer Leon Max of Max Studio currently owns the estate, the Wall Street Journal reported. But he has released a statement announcing he is looking to sell because he intends to move to England for his child’s education.
The home was designed by architect John DeLario circa 1926 and is one of the most significant Spanish estates ever built in southern California, according to the listing.
A stunning 1920s Spanish-style estate overlooking the famed Hollywood sign – and once owned Madonna – has hit the market for $21 million
The home has a media room, a wine room, multiple terraces and an outdoor lap pool
The home boasts breathtaking 360-views over glimmering Lake Hollywood, the iconic Hollywood sign and vast downtown to ocean vistas, according to the listing
‘I had known about Castillo del Lago for many years as it is a beautiful landmark property with a uniquely convenient location to downtown, West Hollywood and to the West Side via a picturesque drive down the Mulholland,’ Leon Max said in a statement. ‘I am selling the house because we are returning to England for our child’s school,’ he added.
The house is positioned on top of a hill to take advantage of the iconic views of all Los Angeles landmarks and yet it feels like one is somewhere in Southern Europe.
‘It is decorated in a manner that is romantic and is in keeping with the Spanish Colonial style of the structure,’ Max continued. ‘A mix of Renaissance and Moorish furniture and art objects create a timeless warmth of a country house reminiscent of interiors designed by Renzo Mongiardino.’
There have been countless renovations to the nine-bedroom, six-bathroom estate – which is down a winding driveway and behind private gates perched on a three-acre plot under the Hollywood sign.
The luxurious bedrooms showcase of LA, sprawling lush grounds which is an oasis with a classic lap pool, fountains, expansive surrounding lawns, rose gardens, sculpted hedges, citrus and mature specimen trees
The massive estate has two towers – one with a dramatic spiral staircase in the entry and a vintage wood-paneled elevator – and this lush courtyard
The home boasts breathtaking 360-views over glimmering Lake Hollywood, the iconic Hollywood sign and vast downtown to ocean vistas, according to the listing
There are nine bedrooms and six bathrooms in the Mulholland estate
There are many architectural highlights including coffered ceilings, custom wrought iron features, terracotta flooring, vibrant period tile, hand painted artistry
Throughout the house, there is rich architectural detail including terracotta floors, coffered ceilings, colorful tilework and Moorish arched doorways
The home boasts breathtaking 360-views over glimmering Lake Hollywood, the iconic Hollywood sign and vast downtown to ocean vistas, according to the listing.
Before Leon Max, legendary pop star Madonna owned the home back in the 1990s, according to a memoir written by her brother, Christopher Ciccone.
The pop star brought the property for about $5 million in 1993 and then sold it to commercial director Joe Pytka in 1996.
But before selling, Madonna spent millions on renovations. Her brother, who is an interior designer, wrote in his book that these included painting the turrets and retaining walls with red stripes to look like a church in Portofino.
He said she sent him to London where he spent a ‘fortune’ on fabrics and furniture, including 16 William and Mary-style chairs, and a painting that was first commissioned for the Palace of Versailles – which was installed in the living room.
After Madonna sold the house to Pytka, he flipped it to Leon Max for $7 million in 2010, the WSJ reported.
Pytka is known for branding campaigns like ‘This Is Your Brain on Drugs,’ ‘Nothing but Net,’ but told the Los Angeles Times that the most rewarding piece of work he has ever done was a video called ‘Free as a Bird’ for a mid-’90s Beatles anthology.
He spent 15 years restoring the Spanish Colonial Revival, which was built in 1926 for an oilman who invested $250,000 in the project that ‘very much reflects the times of the original architecture,’ Pytka said.
‘It’s a magical house, almost like a fairy-tale place,’ he told the Los Angeles Times in 2009.
Leon Max (right) and wife Yana Boyko (left) attend the Claridge’s Zodiac Party hosted by Diane von Furstenberg in London in 2018. He listed his Hollywood home because he plans to move to England for his child’s education
Legendary pop star Madonna (pictured here in 2017) bought the home in 1993 and sold it in 1996 after $3 million of renovations, according to her brother Christopher Ciccone’s memoir
He said when he bought the house from Madonna for about $5 million, he considered it a standout compared with what else was on the market. ‘Nothing was remotely close.’
The pop singer had changed the exterior to a red and yellow scheme which he opted to keep.
‘If you go to Portofino, [Italy,] there are houses like this all over the place,’ he said. ‘It’s fabulous.’
But he changed other things in the home like redoing the master bedroom from a fake Moroccan tile to an authentic tile.
Madonna had also cut off a third of the master bedroom for a shoe closet.
But Pytka had other ideas. ‘I made the whole floor into one big gallery that leads up to the tower,’ he said.
The central courtyard has a fountain, outdoor fireplace and terrace has ornate wood beams
The home boasts grand fireplaces, exposed wood beamed ceilings, Spanish archways and a vintage wood paneled elevator
A massive spiral staircase is in one of the towers on the massive Hollywood estate
After his renovations were complete, he sold the house to Leon Max and moved on to restore Taggart House, a 1922 Lloyd Wright-designed residence.
Leon Max is a Russian-born American fashion designer and retailer who opened his first Max Studio women’s sportswear store in 1979.
In 2005, he paid nearly $15 million for a 550-acre estate in the English countryside where he lived with his second wife, an American model named Ame Austin. His first wife was model Kim Adams.
Max and Austin divorced and he married Yana Boyko in 2014. They have a son who was born in 2017.
Max completed his own renovations of the Hollywood Hills estate, including reversing some of what Madonna had done.
‘The first order of the day was to re-paint the house back to a weathered white and to re-open the breezeway to gain back something resembling a minstrel’s gallery overhanging the main inner courtyard,’ he said.
‘The house has a number of hanging gardens and fountains that were repaired and re-planted to create an abundant overhang of climbing plants like fig ivy, bougainvillea, wisteria and jasmine. There is also a large collection of potted cacti,’ he continued.
The home was one of the first built in Hollywoodland, a neighborhood that started out as a 1920s real-estate development, according to the 2007 book ‘Houses of Los Angeles’.
The listing for the home calls it a ‘rare opportunity to acquire one of the most spectacular trophy Hollywood Hills Estates’.
It’s a recognizable location – a landmark where scenes from the 1984 movie ‘Beverly Hills Cop’ were filmed, according to movie database IMDb, and where gangster Bugsy Siegel reportedly operated a gambling den in the 1930s.
French doors in the two-story formal living room open to the expansive view terrace of the glimmering lake and a fountain in the courtyard
Canopy beds with heavy curtains are in many of the bedrooms at the estate
The current owner says the house is decorated in a ‘manner that is romantic and is in keeping with the Spanish Colonial style of the structure’
The estate boasts also boasts a motor court, two-car garage, media room, office, refrigerated wine room, two staff rooms with kitchen, separate gym with large terrace and a guest suite
‘This storied estate is special because of its rich Hollywood history, fabulous architecture and coveted location,’ Linda May, agent with Carolwood Estates said.
‘The estate’s sensational views epitomize Los Angeles from every room of the house– the Hollywood sign, the swimming pool with the DTLA skyline backdrop, the ocean, the glistening Lake Hollywood. There are countless beautiful, surreal ‘moments’ featured within the home’s interiors and on its grounds. There’s a reason why it’s iconic, it’s simply fabulous in every way possible.’
The massive estate has two towers – one with a dramatic spiral staircase in the entry and a vintage wood-paneled elevator.
According to the listing, there are many architectural highlights including coffered ceilings, custom wrought iron features, terracotta flooring, vibrant period tile, hand painted artistry, grand fireplaces, exposed wood beamed ceilings, Spanish archways and a vintage wood paneled elevator.
French doors in the two-story formal living room open to the expansive view terrace of the glimmering lake, the listing says.
And there is an exquisite wood paneled library with a cozy fireplace and picturesque views. Towering palms, a fountain and outdoor fireplace adorn a lush courtyard.
The luxurious bedrooms showcase Los Angeles views along with views of the sprawling lush grounds which is an oasis with a classic lap pool, fountains, expansive surrounding lawns, rose gardens, sculpted hedges, citrus and mature specimen trees, the listing says.
If that isn’t enough, the estate boasts a motor court, two-car garage, media room, office, refrigerated wine room, two staff rooms with kitchen, separate gym with large terrace and a guest suite.
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