A 3.5-acre equestrian estate overlooking the Back Bay in Newport Beach has sold for $22.85 million.
Buck Johns, a major donor to the Republican Party, sold the 6,900-square-foot home at 2600 Mesa Drive, in Santa Ana Heights, the Orange County Business Journal reported. The buyer was undisclosed.
The deal set a home sale record for the neighborhood on the north side of the Upper Newport Back Bay. The prior record was set last year when the home next door sold for $15 million, after asking $25 million.
Brokers Brian Sperry of Coldwell Banker Realty and Bill Coté of Cote Realty Group represented the seller. Heather Kidder of Arbor Real Estate represented the buyer.
The six-bedroom, eight-bathroom ranch house was built in 1951 by Newport Beach developers George and Elinor Holstein, who subdivided the area along Mesa Drive and developed The Bluffs across the Bay as well as homes for movie stars in Beverly Hills.
They sold the bluffside estate in 1977 to Johns for $550,000, who listed the property in April for $25 million, according to the Orange County Register.
Considered among the largest residential estates in Newport Beach, the property has 381 feet of water frontage along the Back Bay. Nearby homes have between 135 and 150 feet, according to Sperry.
The rustic brown Mid-Century ranch house, with large windows, is unchanged from when it was built 73 years ago. The home has beamed ceilings, a large kitchen, gym, wine cellar and a guest wing.
Outside, there’s a sunken tennis court, gated swimming pool and pool pavilion. It’s also zoned for up to six horses as well as chickens, goats and pigs.
The house once served as a site for tennis court fundraisers, with guests that included President Gerald Ford, Vice Presidents Dick Cheney and Dan Quayle, Mike Huckabee, Larry Elder and Governors Pete Wilson and George Deukmejian.
Many older homes on smaller lots have been replaced by new construction, but larger properties are still available.
In August last year, a 2.7-acre Back Bay estate with a private lake, owned by the late OC developer Harry Rinker, was listed at 2342 Mesa Drive for $32 million.
— Dana Bartholomew
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