When Angelina Jolie reportedly agreed to pay $24.5 million for a Los Angeles estate earlier this month, the actress and humanitarian added to a real estate portfolio that includes sprawling homes and apartments around the globe.
Yet the purchase of the 11,000-square-foot property is shining a light on Los Feliz, a hillside neighborhood near Hollywood where Jolie's new property sits. The district in central Los Angeles near Griffith Park is increasingly turning into a celebrity magnet.
The boldface names in the district range from actors Kristen Bell and Jon Hamm to singer Demi Lovato and actress Eva Mendes. Colin Farrell purchased a four-bedroom home for $4.3 million in Los Feliz while Zac Efron lives in Los Feliz residence he paid $3.9 million in 2013. His neighbor is actor Chris Pine who paid $3 million for his Los Feliz property.
While posh areas of West LA such as Beverly Hills, Bel Air, and Brentwood still attract A-list stars, Loz Feliz's perfectly preserved midcentury architecture, and a laidback vibe is proving popular with hip celebrities.
The stone paving that encircles Moby’s two-storey home in Los Feliz is surrounded by dozens of shrubs and trees that serve as a sort of secluded, urban refuge, the electronic music pioneer recently told me on a tour of his home. “Most people want views of the canyon or city when they move to Los Angeles,” says the 50-year-old bachelor, who was born Richard Melville Hall. (His parents nicknamed him Moby in honor of his ancestor, Herman Melville, author of Moby-Dick.) “But I wanted to look out of every window in the house and see trees.”
Moby bought his 1920s brick home in 2014 for $2.9m. Polished oak flooring covers the entire residence, while modern furnishings dominate the decor. A walnut veneer sideboard for books and vinyl records occupies a wall in the sitting room. An oak dining table stands near the kitchen. A writing desk made from cherrywood anchors a small office near the front door.
“One of the strangest things about LA is that there’s an integration of nature to the city that people might not see if they’re visiting,” Moby says. “This access to nature and the constant presence of nature alters your perspective.”
The home that Angelina Jolie purchased once belonged to legendary film director Cecil B. DeMille. The Beaux Arts–style mansion was built in 1913 and has six bedrooms and 10 bathrooms. It sits on a 2.1-acre lot with views of the Griffith Park Observatory. The property recently underwent a years-long renovation that preserved many of its original details while adding new amenities such as a state-of-the-art security system.
Brett Lawyer and Rayni Williams of Hilton & Hyland, an affiliate of Christie’s International Real Estate, were the listing agents.
Los Feliz's ruggedly beautiful slopes are also well-known for incredible architecture: Wallace Neff, Frank Lloyd Wright, Richard Neutra, Gregory Ain, R.M. Schindler have all left their mark on the hills of Los Feliz.
Brad Pitt, an avid architecture buff, bought a historic mansion in Los Feliz in 1994. He and then-wife Jennifer Aniston lived there until their divorce in 2005.
