Shane Smith, the trailblazing and controversial co-founder of Vice Media, wants $50 million for his 3.4-acre Santa Monica estate.
The asking price easily makes it the priciest listing in the local market, according to the Los Angeles Times. At a combined 14,000 square feet — mansion, guesthouse and gatehouse — it’s also the largest residential property on the market in Santa Monica.
The estate at 609 East Channel Road, known as Villa Ruchello, has 13 bedrooms and 12.5 bathrooms split among the three houses. It is centered on a 1930s-era Mediterranean-style mansion. The home is surrounded by lawns, gardens, and citrus groves. There is a 74-foot swimming pool and a pool house, along with private water wells and a generator on-site.
Smith bought the property in 2015 for $23 million. A year later he bought a smaller property in Pacific Palisades for $3.8 million.
Villa Ruchello was already well-known when Smith bought it, having appeared in Eddie Murphy’s “Beverly Hills Cop” and “Entourage.” Over the years, members of Fleetwood Mac and director Henry Jaglom have lived there.
Smith, who started Vice as a magazine in 1994, stepped down as CEO of Vice Media in 2018. He currently serves as executive chairman.
The last notable residential deal to close in Santa Monica was in October, when Amazon Web Services CEO Andy Jassy and his family bought a 5,500-square-foot home in the city for $6.7 million. On Tuesday, Jeff Bezos announced he would step down as Amazon CEO and named Jassy his successor. [LAT] — Dennis Lynch