TV producer Shonda Rhimes has spun off her Italianate villa-style mansion in Hancock Park for $21 million–a record price for the stately neighborhood in the center of Los Angeles.
Rhimes bought the three-story home from “Everybody Loves Raymond” actress Patricia Heaton for $8.8 million in 2014, according to the Los Angeles Times. She first listed it for $25 million, then dropped the price to $23 million last fall.
The 11,700-square-foot manor was built 99 years ago by architect Elmer Grey, noted designer of the Beverly Hills Hotel, Huntington Art Gallery and other landmarks across Southern California.
The seven-bedroom, 10-bath estate on more than an acre includes two parcels on a corner lot. Its tree-covered grounds feature a swimming pool, cabana, paddle tennis court and a hidden hedged garden.
The listing was held by Ed Solorzano of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties. The unnamed buyer was represented by Josh and Matt Altman of Douglas Elliman.
The price beat a Hancock Park record set by Ted Sarandos, the CEO of Netflix who paid $15.95 million in 2015 for an opulent mansion owned by Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith.
It was Sarandos who would later entice Rhimes–the creator of the popular television series “Scandal” and “Grey’s Anatomy”–with a deal to make new shows for the global streaming service. Her Shondaland production company has come chalked up other hits, including “Private Practice” and “How to Get Away With Murder.”
In her seven years at the Hancock Park mansion, Rhimes worked with interior designer Michael Smith, who renovated the Oval Office for Obama, to conduct a massive makeover of the property.
(Source: TheMLS.com)
She junked the Santa Barbara mission-style exterior and restored the Italianate villa-style facade built by Grey. She tore the interior down to the studs.
She swapped the wood front door with glass to let in more light. She fashioned a two-story gallery by ripping the ceiling out of the first-floor loggia.
The spruced up mansion would dazzle guests with marble floors, Venetian plaster, crown molding and glass-blown skylights. The home features a formal dining room, two kitchens, eight fireplaces, a library, playroom, movie theater and snack bar. Plus a guesthouse replete with a hair salon.
Rhimes also owns a penthouse in Manhattan. In 2019, she sold another home in Hancock Park for $7.2 million.
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[Los Angeles Times] – Dana Bartholomew