Ay Caramba! The Pacific Palisades, CA, estate of "The Simpsons" co-creator Sam Simon is on the market.
The ultraprivate compound includes Case Study House #20, a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument built in 1948, and a main home built in 2010. This collection of high-end properties on 1.3 acres will set you back $18 million.
Simon died this year at age 59. The sale of the property will benefit multiple charities, according to listing agent Stephen Sigoloff.
The home itself will benefit a very lucky buyer who appreciates aesthetics.
Commissioned by Arts and Architecture magazine in 1945, the Case Study House program challenged architects to create low-cost, experimental prototypes using modern materials. Thirty-six model homes were designed by now-famous architects, but only 24 were built.
"It's very rare" to find one of these desirable designs on the market, Sigoloff says. "It would be nice to get a good custodian for that house."
That custodian must have a great deal of money. As you've guessed by the price tag, these houses are the opposite of affordable.
The Case Study House was originally built for the Bailey family by legendary architect Richard Neutra.
"No. 20 is frankly of the typical restrictions of this day as to square footage and realistic budget. It is to serve young parents who find they can afford just that much, although their land is large enough to add later when the evolution of their lives may require it, " Neutra wrote in Arts and Architecture.
Despite the modest size of the two-bedroom home, the architect opened up the space by leveraging the "park-like" surroundings, adding plenty of walls of glass and sliding glass doors. He later added on as the Bailey family grew.
In 2004, Simon, a writer and producer for "Taxi" and "Cheers," bought the Neutra-designed home. "He was already living next door for many years," Sigoloff says.
The producer had put his stamp on television history by developing "The Simpsons" in 1989, with Matt Groening and James L. Brooks.
Simon then put his stamp on home design. He had the elegant glass, steel, and wood building preserved and renovated by local firm Marmol Radziner. He downsized the space to one bedroom and converted other bedrooms to offices.
In addition, Simon commissioned a second home on the property, which was completed in 2010. The property's main home is about 7,100 square feet, with two floors and three bedrooms.
The main home has its own high points: The contemporary structure was constructed with sustainable materials, and the living room opens to an outdoor paved deck and an infinity pool. Cowabunga!