Even in a prime location like Los Angeles’s Bel Air, there are always some properties that stand out.
Take the newly constructed home at 1910 Bel Air Road, which is located on one of the area’s highest ridges. Overlooking the Stone Canyon Reservoir, the source of drinking water for Los Angeles residents, the six-bedroom, eight-bathroom home is "quite a perch," said listing agent Ernie Carswell. It was recently listed for $21.9 million.
"It truly looks like an alpine lake," Mr. Carswell said. "It’s like something you’d see in Switzerland or Austria."
Until 2014, singer and actress Della Reese lived on the property. When she moved there in the 1980s, she knew she wanted to make it her long-time home, Mr. Carswell said. And she did, spending more than 30 years there with her husband, producer Franklin Lett.
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Ms. Reese, who starred in "Touched by an Angel" from 1994 to 2003, is now in her 80s and in "careful health," said Mr. Carswell, who handled the deal. She needed to move to a more manageable space. Representatives for Ms. Reese did not immediately return a request for comment.
"She was very interested to know who would be getting the property," he said. "We did the deal at the foot of her bed."
Ms. Reese sold the home for $7.5 million, according to public records. Pathfinder Partners, a San Diego-based investor, was the buyer, and they soon razed the existing structure to make room for an 11,805-square-foot mansion.
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The architect, Los Angeles-based Bobby Rees, was inspired by Mid-Century modern design, according to Mr. Carswell. And although it takes some cues from the past, the home has all the modern amenities a buyer would expect for today’s living.
That includes sliding glass walls that disappear at the press of a button, offering "an unbroken openness to the outside," Mr. Carswell said.
On the ground floor, a 30-foot disappearing glass wall divides the open living area—with a dining room, kitchen and lounge—from the zero edge pool and spa outside. The kitchen is outfitted with Miele and Sub-Zero appliances. There’s a second caterer’s kitchen as well.
The master suite also has a disappearing glass door, leading out onto a balcony. The six-room suite is the kind of sleeping quarters "you’d expect a monarch to live in," Mr. Carswell said, with plenty of space and "subdued but luxurious" finishes. There are five other bedroom suites.
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Mr. Carswell said the home has a Zen-like feel, due in part to the interior design by Aman Resort Group. And the views from every room, extending passed the reservoir to the Pacific Ocean and Santa Monica Bay, don’t hurt.
It’s also a very private property, where Ms. Reese entertained many VIPs over the years, Mr. Carswell said. The new home is equipped with security cameras throughout the grounds, as well as smart home technology to control the alarm system, heating and lighting.
Other amenities include a walk-in wine room, fitness center, yoga studio and movie theater, according to the listing. There’s guest house on the property, as well as an ocean view lounge, dining pavilion and grilling courtyard, plus two garages.
Completed in March 2017, the home was originally listed in April for $23.5 million.