What a trip. In the San Jacinto Mountains, a desert ranch where the LSD advocate Timothy Leary and his Hippie Mafia once congregated has found a new owner: YouTube personality and amateur boxer Logan Paul.
Paul, who last week lost a boxing match against British YouTuber KSI at Staples Center, paid a dollar over $1 million for the 80-acre property in Mountain Center.
Billed as the only private property in Duchess Canyon, the compound has enough structures to house a small community — and it once did. About 30 members of the Hippie Mafia, a.k.a. the Brotherhood of Eternal Love, led by Leary, occupied the property in the 1960s, using it to take and manufacture LSD, as well as worship nature in the rugged landscape.
Leary and his wife, Rosemary, lived in the two-bedroom main house while the rest occupied outbuildings and tepees scattered across the grounds. One of the group’s members died of an overdose in 1969, and three years later, narcotics agents raided the compound and made seven arrests, ending the drug-fueled stay.
Advertisement
The ranch house remains the largest home on the property, and other structures include a guesthouse, bunkhouse and workshop. There’s also a barn, two-car garage and two solar panel systems for power. A pair of springs feeds a 70,000-gallon water tank.
Timothy McTavish of Pacific Sotheby’s International Realty held the listing.
Leary, who died in 1996 at 75, was a clinical psychologist at Harvard University when he oversaw the controversial Concord Prison Experiment and Marsh Chapel Experiment, which tested the effects of psilocybin, a psychedelic drug, on prisoners and theology students in the early 1960s. He became a strong proponent of using mind-altering drugs to treat behavioral disorders.
Paul, 24, gained a following on the video-sharing app Vine before creating a YouTube channel shortly after in 2013.
Advertisement
‘S’ is for sale
The Montecito home of late author Sue Grafton is seeking to start a new chapter, relisting for sale at $6.999 million.
It’s the second price cut for the two-acre estate after coming to market at the beginning of the year at $8.5 million.
Two structures fill out the gated grounds: a 5,800-square-foot home and an 800-square-foot guesthouse atop a three-car garage. Southern architectural flourishes are reminders of Grafton’s Kentucky roots. Latticework adorns the exterior, and a spacious front porch with a fireplace leads into a dramatic foyer and spacious common rooms designed for entertaining.
The step-down living room and formal dining room both feature stone fireplaces, and the kitchen adds an island and tiered breakfast bar. Clerestories ring the media room. Upstairs, built-in shelves cover the walls of the office.
Five bedrooms and 5.5 bathrooms finish off the floor plan, including a master suite with an ocean-view balcony. An elevator navigates the two-story interior.
Outside, covered patios access the landscaped grounds filled with manicured oak and fruit trees. Water features include a spa and small pond.
Advertisement
Crysta Metzger of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage holds the listing.
Grafton, who died in 2017 at 77, is best known for her “alphabet mystery” novels. The series included books such as “‘A’ Is for Alibi,” “‘B’ Is for Burglar” and “‘C’ Is for Corpse.”
Their move was scripted
Comedian Sebastian Maniscalco and his wife, artist Lana Gomez, have put their Beverly Grove abode on the market for $4.5 million.
The listing comes a few weeks after the couple wrapped up a massive home upgrade, paying $21.65 million for Gwen Stefani’s home in the Beverly Hills Post Office area.
The Mediterranean-style spot clocks in at just over 4,000 square feet — a tad smaller than their new 12,000-square-foot showplace — and has four bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms.
Inside, eye-catching living spaces by designer Kelly Wearstler feature bright splashes of color and varying textures. Custom furniture pieces from Pete Shire, Katie Stout and Ettore Sottsass pop up throughout.
Advertisement
An expansive chandelier-topped foyer opens the floor plan, leading into a turquoise living room and bright red dining room. The kitchen calms things down with hardwood floors and bold shades of black on the island and cabinetry.
Upstairs, the chic master suite combines a bedroom, marble bathroom, private balcony and two custom closets. The balcony overlooks the hedged backyard, where two covered patios adjoin a lounge, outdoor kitchen, swimming pool and spa.
Aaron Kirman of Compass holds the listing.
Maniscalco, 46, has released five comedy specials in the last decade, including 2019’s “Stay Hungry.” As an actor, he boasts roles in “Green Book,” “Tag” and Martin Scorsese’s upcoming film “The Irishman.”
His ‘peace’ of Encino
Former Lakers forward and budding tech entrepreneur Metta World Peace has purchased a home in Encino for $2.01 million.
The Tuscan-style house, built in 2006, features a two-story entry, six bedrooms, 4.5 bathrooms and nearly 5,400 square feet of living space on two stories. Arched French doors bring light into the family room. The chef’s kitchen is equipped with an island and a butler’s pantry.
Outside, tall hedges surround a paver patio, lawn and swimming pool.
The property originally hit the market a year ago for $2.6 million, records show.
Natalie Kraiem of Keller Williams Realty was the listing agent. Vanessa Peraza Virissimo of RezList Inc. represented the buyer.
World Peace, formerly Ron Artest, played 17 seasons in the NBA and won a championship with the Lakers in 2010. The former all-star and two-time NBA defensive player of the year was featured this year in the documentary “Quiet Storm: The Ron Artest Story,” which chronicled his upbringing and struggles throughout his playing career and raised awareness about mental health.
Last month, he announced the upcoming release of his app, XvsX Sports, which aims to help basketball players find and rent indoor basketball courts.
O.C. home has quite the presence
The longtime home of the Rev. Robert H. Schuller, the televangelist who built the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, has come up for sale in the city of Orange for $1.749 million.
The sprawling ranch-style is one of just 12 homes located in Hewes Park Estates, a late-1800s park turned gated community known for its 100-year-old trees.
Built in 1952 and later expanded, the 4,837-square-foot house retains its detailed millwork and custom built-ins while incorporating modern updates in the kitchen. A custom library was designed to evoke the St. Edmund Hall at the University of Oxford in England.
The light-filled living room has one of four fireplaces and expansive bay windows that bring garden views inside. Formal and informal dining rooms, a study with custom stained-glass windows, a bonus room, three bedrooms and six bathrooms fill out the single-story floor plan.
Outside, there’s a covered patio, lawn, palm trees and a fenced swimming pool.
Alice Schroeder of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties holds the listing.
Schuller, who died in 2015 at 88, started his Orange County ministry in 1955 at a drive-in movie theater off the 5 Freeway. He became a national fixture in the 1980s as creator and host of “Hour of Power,” a weekly Protestant program that became among the most-watched religious shows on television.
His landmark megachurch building, designed by Philip Johnson, was purchased by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange and, after a two-year, $72.3-million renovation, was officially dedicated in July as Christ Cathedral.