Although this previously unreported deal actually went down well over a year ago, it’s a summer weekend and we thought it would be fun to take a quick peek at what $18 million buys you in what is perhaps Malibu’s most desirable guard-gated community: the historic Malibu Movie Colony, now known simply as Malibu Colony.
The Colony, a mile-long stretch of houses along a strip of Malibu sand, dates to the late 1920s and is essentially an oceanfront village, a sandy neighborhood bubble sealed off from the real world. For its first few decades, it was a favored hangout for early Hollywood stars, legendary names like Lana Turner, Cary Grant and Liz Taylor. By the 1970s, it was attracting more of the rock ‘n’ roll musical type: James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt and Neil Diamond.
Today, the largest Colony homes can sell for well over $30 million, which has put them far out of reach of all but the wealthiest Hollywood celebrities. As such, rather than famous faces, the place has become swarmed with billionaire and near-billionaire business titans, people like the late casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, hedge fund honcho Stanley Druckenmiller, Afterpay founder Nick Molnar, and Chrome Hearts owners Richard and Laurie Stark.
Still, Hollywood holdouts remain in the neighborhood: Tom Hanks and Sting among them. The newest resident member of that group is film maverick Spike Jonze (“Her,” “Being John Malkovich,” “Adaption,” “Where the Wild Things Are”), who recently and quietly paid $18 million for this oceanfront Colony home, sold by “Touched by an Angel” actress Roma Downey. It appears Downey did well for herself on this deal—she bought the house way back in 1994 for less than $3 million; over the years, she occasionally rented it out for hefty sums to both individuals and production companies alike. (The home’s exterior was featured in “Two and a Half Men” as the beach digs of Charlie Harper.)
Despite its sky-high price tag, the 1960s structure is unpretentious, with muted traditional furnishings, five bedrooms and four baths in about 4,400 square feet of living space.
Like all Colony homes, the house sits cheek-to-jowl against neighboring properties on a long and very narrow lot, so the three-story house itself is thus quite long and narrow.
On the main floor, guests to the walled and gated property are greeted by medium-brown hardwood floors, wood-beamed ceilings, and a long living room visually dominated by a chunky brick fireplace. There is one bedroom suite on this level, plus a clean-lined kitchen with granite countertops and built-in banquette seating.
The second floor offers three more family bedrooms connected by a den. Among them is the oceanside primary suite, which features a renovated bathroom with dual sinks, a built-in tub and steam shower, plus a bedroom with a fireplace, sitting area and private balcony. The other two bedrooms on this level sport land-side views of the craggy Santa Monica mountains overlooking Malibu.
The home’s penthouse level is really more like a very fancy attic—it sports just one narrow guest bedroom, albeit one with a cool skylight, and a wee bathroom with some rather fetching green tile.
Though private outdoor space is limited given the 8,700-square-foot lot, the property does offer a Saltillo-tiled front patio with space for al fresco dining and entertaining, in addition to the back patio with a built-in BBQ and majestic ocean views.
Jonze’s new home is also one of only just a handful of oceanfront Colony homes that sport a pool, so the 55-year-old and his partner Allie Teliz can choose whether they’d prefer to splash around in the ocean or somewhere less sandy.
And in addition to his new Colony escape, Jonze also owns multimillion-dollar residences in the Point Dume area of Malibu, in L.A.’s Los Feliz neighborhood, and on Manhattan’s Lower East Side.
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