By Craig Knizek

There’s an incomparable luxury for a property to have its own private tennis court.

The ability to play whenever one wants, at a moment’s notice, simply by walking out of your house, is a priceless attribute for the busy person who enjoys not only tennis, but basketball as well, since many private tennis courts also have at least one basketball hoop for a half-court game.

One of the reasons homes with tennis courts are automatically called an “estate” is that given the amount of flat usable land that is required, it invariably elevates the value of the property into the upper echelon of value.

There is a rarity of parcels that can accommodate the 60 x 120 feet measurements required for a tennis court. When the court also has a proper lighting system for playing after dark in the cooler summer nights instead of the intense daytime heat, then the value increases even more. That is particularly true now that some neighborhoods are placing restrictions on having newly constructed courts with lights.

One of the best attributes about a Tennis Court estate is the variety of usages a homeowner can enjoy with it-it doubles as a basketball or volleyball court, it can accommodate a bandstand and dance floor for a wedding reception or Bat Mitzvah, it’s a perfect surface for tenting and hosting a gala function or political fundraiser, or simply, it’s a safe place for children to ride bicycles and tricycles within property boundaries.

The pool at 3950 Vantage Court is a great way to cool off after a heated tennis game on the estate’s property.
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Certain properties here in town have become renowned for the social interaction and/or deal-making which occurred on that property’s tennis or basketball court. Merv Griffen’s, Garry Shandling’s and John Branca’s games all come to mind.

Billy Rose, President and Co-founder of The Agency, recalls “many of my friends and I still recall fondly my game at my St Ives house, at which some 50 top entertainment pros played for years each Saturday morning; it was perhaps the thing to which we each looked most forward each week!

Some homes in the canyons or hillsides that don’t have the required amount of flat land, extend their property utilization by building the court cantilevered over the sloping hillside. This can provide spectacular views that add to the enjoyment of the court.

Expert appraiser Chris Adelman offers that the value of a tennis court varies from area to area, but that in can add as much as $150,000 in value to a comparable property in the same area, especially if it has special features such as a clay or grass surface, a sunken court, or a grandstand for an audience.

I had a client purchase a tennis court estate in Tarzana, and then consider ripping the entire court up, since he didn’t play tennis. I urged him to consider just adding synthetic grass over the entire court so as to provide the green grassy area he wanted, but to preserve the value of the court for re- sale purposes. Ultimately, the owner smartly compromised, keeping the lights that were in place, using half of the court for a fantastic basketball court, and tore up half of the court for a huge grassy yard. Definitely a win-win-win solution.

Photo Above: The Lit Tennis Court and 2 Bed/2 Bath Guest House/Home Office at 3950 Vantage Ct. View More Photos.

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Our Agents’ Corner features posts written by our agents and management team about a broad range of topics, from thoughts on the real estate industry to commentary on everything but real estate, including entertainment, art, charity, food, sports and more. All views shared are those of the writer, unfiltered. 

The post Home Court Advantage: The Value And Luxury Of A Tennis Home appeared first on The Agency.

As part of Palm Springs Modernism Week, the iconic Elrod House will open its doors to the public for five tours over three days this February 24-26. The world-famous home, which appeared in the classic 1971 James Bond movie Diamonds Are Forever (including this classic scene), was designed by John Lautner for interior designer Arthur Elrod in 1968. At one time an apprentice to Frank Lloyd Wright, Lautner is revered for his bold, organic, timeless designs that featured unusual shapes and structures.

Commenting on The Elrod House, The Agency’s Billy Rose shared:

“The Elrod is one of my favorite all time houses. No question in the Hall of Fame or Pantheon of modernist architecture. I had dinner there one night, and it still burns indelibly in my brain. Concrete (pardon the pun) proof that Lautner is one of the most accomplished, innovative architects of all time — irrespective of style of architecture.”

Learn more about the Elrod House here (includes great interactive photo tour of the entire property). For ticket information, go here.

Additional photos of the Elrod House below.

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By Billy Rose

Featuring exceptional modern/contemporary design, the American Institute of Architects Los Angeles (AIA|LA) Home Tours are a favorite of mine.  The just-announced upcoming Spring tour on April 1 is no exception.

Highlighting five homes in Mar Vista, the tour will open homes designed by highly acclaimed architects including Neil M. Denari, Santiago Ortiz, Douglas V. Pierson, Richard Seltzer and the powerhouse team of Frank Escher and Ravi GuneWardena. Denari’s widely published Alan Voo House alone should be worth the price of admission.

For more info about the tour and to purchase tickets, go here.

More photos of the Alan Voo House below.

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Event:  California Design NOW: Temporary Insanity: The New Built Environment
Where:  Brown Auditorium, LACMA
When:  Tuesday, January 31, 7pm
Who Should Go:  architectural, design and art enthusiasts

On Tuesday, January 31, the Decorative Arts and Design Council will present a discussion at LACMA on the emergence of temporary architectural installations, the blurring of distinctions between art and architecture, and future directions for the field. The wide-ranging discussion will be moderated by Frances Anderton, host of DnA: Design and Architecture on 89.9 KCRW and Los Angeles editor of Dwell. The distinguished list of panelists include Benjamin Ball (Ball-Nogues Studio), Jenny Wu (Olyer Wu Collaborative) and Jenna Didier (Materials & Applications).

The event, which is organized in conjunction with the Pacific Standard Time exhibition California Design, 1930—1965: “Living in a Modern Way,” will be held in the Brown Auditorium at the LACMA. $20 general admission; $15 LACMA members. It is free for DADC members and students with ID. For tickets, call: 323-857-6528. Additional details here.

Read more about Pacific Standard Time in our story about the Eames House Living Room installation at LACMA.

About the photo above: Table Cloth is a performance space in the courtyard of Schoenberg Hall at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music in Los Angeles. Designed by Ball-Nogues Studio, the temporary architectural installation is made of hundreds of individual low, coffee-style tables and three legged stools. When the installation is over, the public is invited to take the pieces home.

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L.A. LIVE, the 4-million-square-foot entertainment and sports district in downtown Los Angeles that is home to the world-class residential tower The Ritz-Carlton Residences, will host the inaugural Los Angeles Food & Wine (LAFW) festival this October 13-16. Presented by American Express Publishing and produced by Coastal Luxury Management (CLM), AEG and dick clark productions, the 4-day culinary celebration will bring together all-star celebrities from the entertainment, sports and culinary worlds for the very best in food and drink culture.

At L.A. Live and locations across metropolitan Los Angeles, more than 100 celebrity chefs will present cooking demos, seminars, lunches, dinners, and dedicated after-hours events featuring tastings from more than 300 premier international wines. A portion of the proceeds from the events will benefit the St. Vincent Meals on Wheels, which delivers life-saving meals to homebound seniors and disabled or seriously ill adults across Los Angeles.

Reading like a who’s who of world-renowned culinary experts, the list of chefs participating include Wolfgang Puck, Daniel Boulud, Rick Bayless, Nobu Matsuhisa, Tom Colicchio, Nancy Silverton, Masaharu Morimoto, Tyler Florence, Michael Chiarello, Michael Mina, Sang Yoon, David Myers, Rory Herrmann, Walter Manzke, Sherry Yard, Josiah Citrin, David Myers, and Joachim Splichal.

“LAFW will capture both the incredible epicurean caliber found in Los Angeles and the celebrity achieved by today’s food and wine leaders. Pairing these talents with the world of Hollywood is a rare combination,” noted Rob Weakley, President and co-founder of CLM.

In addition to the food and celebrities, LAFW will include performances from top musical acts like Train, ?uestlove of the Roots, and Uncle Kracker, as well as Randy Jackson in his first-ever live DJ performance.

For more information about Los Angeles Food & Wine festival tickets, venues and events, visit the official website. For The Agency clients interested in attending, please contact our concierge service at 424.230.3712 for our preferred pricing.

To learn more about The Ritz-Carlton Residences at L.A. Live, including the special privileges homeowners are provided to events year-round at the STAPLES Center, NOKIA Theatre, Club NOKIA and Grammy Museum, contact Mauricio Umanksky at The Agency.

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Our good friends Ron Woodson and Jaime Rummerfield, acclaimed designers of the 42nd Floor Model Showcase at the Ritz-Carlton Residences at L.A. Live, will share their insights on modern glamour this December 9 at the Greystone Estate in Beverly Hills. The discussion is a part of the  Designer Lecture Series held in conjunction with “Maison de Luxe, A National Designer Show House at the Historic Greystone Estate.”

Presented by Luxe Interiors & Design, the City of Beverly Hills and Friends of Greystone, Maison de Luxe will see the interiors behind the classic facade of the Greystone Estate reimagined by over 20 of the nation’s leading designers, including Woodson and Rummerfield. A National Historic Landmark, Greystone Estate is a Baronial-style residence built in 1928 for the Doheny family. The estate is more than 46,000 square feet on 18.5 manicured acres.

From December 2 through December 22, the Greystone Estate will be open for tours, Tuesday-Sunday, from 10am-3pm, with an admission price of $35. The Designer Lecture Series is scheduled for December 2, 9 and 16. Admission is $50, which includes a Show House Tour. For more information on Maison de Luxe, including details on the Designer Lecture Series, please visit maisondeluxeatgreystone.com. To purchase tickets now, click here.

Prospective buyers may arrange a private tour of The Ritz-Carlton Residences at L.A. LIVE – and experience Woodson & Rummerfield’s exquisite interior design talents firsthand — by calling 213-622-4242.

The post Woodson & Rummerfield To Talk Modern Glamour at Greystone Estate appeared first on The Agency.

The Getty-spearheaded region-wide art celebration, Pacific Standard Time: Art in L.A. 1945–1980, officially begins this October, and for the event, the entire living room of the Eames House, aka Case Study #8, is being reconstructed inside the Resnick Pavilion at LACMA. The living room (seen above) will be a part of LACMA’s ‘California Design, 1930-1965: “Living in a Modern Way”’ exhibit.

At The Agency, we believe great design can truly change your perspective on the world, and The Eames House is an excellent example of this notion. Built in 1945 by noted design duo Charles and Ray Eames, the home reflects their perception of a modern way of living that emphasized productivity and functionality. For the exhibit, the entire living room of the Eames House will be painstakingly moved and reinstalled to the exact proportions, and it will include all of the original furniture, floors, lighting and bookshelves and their contents.

A collaboration between the Getty Foundation and the Getty Research Institute, as well as art institutions all across Southern California, “Pacific Standard Time” documents the emergence of the Los Angeles art scene after World War II. More than 60 different cultural centers and museums will host exhibitions over a six month period, with free admission to the general public offered at a number of museums on October 2. More info at http://www.pacificstandardtime.org.

 /via Curbed LA  (photos of the installation being assembled at Unframed)

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