Chateau Emanuel, the Los Angeles estate that was nearly purchased last year by pop star Katy Perry to donate to a group of Catholic priests, has now been sold to Chris Hardwick, the CEO of pop-culture media company Nerdist Industries.
Mr. Hardwick, 46, who also hosts AMC’s "Talking Dead," an aftershow affiliated with "The Walking Dead" and "Fear the Walking Dead," paid $5.25 million for the property, which closed Tuesday, according to a representative forPacific Union International, the brokerage who had the listing.
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Located in Eagle Rock—a neighborhood in the San Rafael Hills in northeast Los Angeles—spans nearly 8,896 square feet and sits on almost three acres. It has nine bedrooms, 10 bathrooms and three guest houses. The main house, built in 1925, has games and billiard rooms, a pool, a hot tub and a croquet court, according to the listing with agent Laura Brandt ofPacific Union International, who told Mansion Global the sale set a record for the Eagle Rock area of Los Angeles.
A family trust has owned Chateau Emanuel for decades, according to property records. It was relisted for $5.59 million in October when Ms. Perry’s plans to buy fell through.
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The Catholic Archdiocese in collaboration with a company tied to Ms. Perry had planned to convert the 80-year-old estate into a religious retreat with about 25 guest rooms.
Before Ms. Perry could close on the sale of the home and move forward with the project, she needed neighborhood approval, since the estate—now zoned as residential—would need to be rezoned.
Community members speculated that Ms. Perry, 33, wanted to purchase the estate and donate it to the priests for the tax break, according to council meeting minutes from November 2016, which state that: "Ms. Perry may end up with a $15 (million) tax write-off."
It’s not clear what exactly caused the ultimate demise of Ms. Perry’s project.
A representative for Mr. Hardwick did not respond to request for comment.