A mansion in Los Angeles' Bel-Air area that was owned for nearly a half-century by actress Jane Wyatt until her death in 2006 at age 96 and that now is owned by former talent manager and relentless self-promoter Sandy Gallin -- widely known as a serial flipper of high-end southern California real estate -- has come on the market for $32,000,000.
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The Wall Street Journal's Sara Lin appears to have broken the story of Gallin's listing on May 29, and the Los Angeles Times' Lauren Beale wrote about Gallin's listing on June 8. The house officially hit the MLS on June 1, which also should provide a clue that Gallin leaked the story to the Journal in hopes of getting them to make it their lead item. (It worked!)
We historically have eschewed writing about Gallin, because his capacity for self-promotion appears to know no bounds (note how freely he's willing to be quoted in news stories about his listings; if only we were able to get the actual *celebrity* subjects of our posts able to run off at the mouth the way Gallin does!). In addition, whenever Gallin puts a high-end property on the market, he notes what number house project this is for him (for the record, this property apparently is his 42nd). However, both because of the asking price and because of its provenance -- not only was it owned by Wyatt for 45 years, but it also was designed by architect Paul Williams -- we reluctantly decided to make an exception and write about this listing. Plus, there's also a good opportunity here for follow-up for us, since we wrote about this house way back in April 2007, when Wyatt's estate had it on the market for $5,995,000. Gallin wound up paying $7,000,000, according to public records (and not the "about $8 million" number that the Wall Street Journal reported last month) for this property -- for the land and view, he told the Los Angeles Times earlier this week. On top of that, Gallin estimated to the Times that he spent another $7 million just on hardscape, trees and other landscaping.
Built in 1936-1937, the mansion's current square footage is a bit of a mystery. Public records say it measures 4,847 square feet, while Gallin himself told the Journal that he added onto the house and increased its size by a third, to what he says is just over 12,000 square feet (we know, we know -- that math doesn't add up). Gallin said he opted to expand the house after city officials wouldn't allow him to raze it and put up a modern house in its place. Features in the seven-bedroom mansion, which is at 651 Siena Way in Bel-Air include 12 baths, a two-story circular entryway, large public rooms, a screening room, a gym, and a wine cellar, according to listing information. Outdoor features on the 0.67-acre or 0.68-acre (29,176-square-foot or 29,484-square-foot) property include gardens, a 110-foot infinity pool (or a 140-foot infinity pool, according to the Times), and a guesthouse, according to public records and listing information.
Check out an online listing sheet for the mansion -- complete with photos -- here. And, feel free to go to the website for the house, which is here.