See elite Santa Barbara estate, last listed at $32M, designed by legendary architect
A sprawling Santa Barbara mansion designed by Wallace Neff, the architect known for popularizing the California-style home, has become available.
The Spanish Colonial-style estate known as the Straus House was previously listed for $32 million, but the listing agency has not yet publicized a new price. It is only available by request. In 2018, the property came off the market after listing at $21.5 million. Weston Littlefield and Dalton Gomez of Aaron Kirman Group at Compass hold the listing.
Neff designed homes for a Hollywood clientele. One of his most famous was the Pickfair mansion built for actors Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks.
The Straus House was designed in 1970 for Macy’s department store heir Robert K. Straus.
“Eye catching with a black circular driveway paired against the stark white of the building, the Straus House is located in the small and highly regarded equestrian-and-seaside community of Hope Ranch,” toptenrealestatedeals.com wrote.
The hacienda-style house at 4347 Marina Drive spans 14,000 square feet over one floor, according to toptenrealestatedeals.com. The center section of the H-style design offers a massive gathering room with a vaulted ceiling of floor-to-ceiling glass facing the Pacific Ocean. There are five bedrooms and five baths over two wings of the house, a chef’s kitchen, a dining room with ocean views, a theater, wine cellar, and a den with fireplace. The mansion sits blufftop on 1.54 acres.
An amazing feature of the property is found in a guest house tucked under the back lawn, leaving views unobstructed.
The current owners purchased the Neff house in 2007 for $7.5 million, according to the Mansion Global. They “painstakingly restored, expanded, and modernized over a 10-year period,” according to the official listing site.
“The home itself is a classic Neff hacienda design that makes the most of the jaw-dropping location high on a bluff overlooking the Pacific, with distant, hazy views of the Channel Islands,” according to the Robb Report.
Santa Barbara home prices have soared, as seen in other coastal and second-home markets during the coronavirus pandemic, according to realtor.com market data. Many families are looking for more space for working and schooling at home, real estate firms have reported. The luxury listing price in the Santa Barbara area grew 40.2% from a year ago in January, the real estate website reported.
“Architectural excellence, timeless elegance, and modern appeal — this seaside sanctuary commands a superior location in one of the most desirable communities in the world,” according to the realtor.com.
EDITOR’S NOTE: An early story misstated the community where Straus House is located. It is part of the Hope Ranch community north of Santa Barbara.
This story was originally published February 23, 2021 at 10:22 AM.
