The one-time Santa Monica, California digs of singer-song writer and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Jackson Browne and his actress partner Daryl Hannah just hit the market for $22.5 million. Known as The Witbeck House, the property is a prime example of American Arts and Crafts style architecture.
Influential early 20th Century American architects Charles Sumner Greene and Henry Mather Greene were commissioned by businessman Charles Witbeck in 1917 to create a large two- story shingle style house that would exude East Coast charm in a California setting. The brothers created a home of warmth and character that was unlike any other work they had done.
This rare gem of a property compound consists of a graciously proportioned five-bedroom, five-bath main house, a two bedroom guest house with full kitchen and bath and a two-story A-frame office which once served as Browne’s music studio. It has been updated while retaining many of its period details. The property is one of the most significant coastal offerings to date for Southern California.
Browne and Hannah moved during the 80’s and sold the property to the current sellers in 1995. The music studio is now an office and the equipment was removed, however, someone could convert it back to a music studio.
The home has not had any major structural changes since the sellers have owned it, but they have renovated over the years and made the interior light and bright to reflect the original owner’s English Cottage desire. Simple touches like hand painted walls, updated flooring, updated kitchen, a new primary suite bathroom and the gardens have been meticulously enhanced over time.
The exterior wood timbers are mostly original, but otherwise as history explains, Witbeck set out to have an English Cottage version of a Greene and Greene which is a more accurate description of the home’s style and interiors rather than Arts & Crafts.
There are several Santa Monica interpretations of Craftsman homes but none are Greene & Greene. The scale and location of this property are far superior to most offerings in Santa Monica. A near 27,000-square-foot lot fully enclosed by mature hedges and trees creates an environment that is rare for all of Santa Monica, more reminiscent of Pasadena or Santa Monica Canyon.
The property sits in an incredibly desired area with walkability to the shops and restaurants on trendy Montana Avenue, less than one block to Palisades Park and the beach, convenient to San Vicente Boulevard, putting one in Brentwood in less than 10 minutes. Justin Alexander of The Alexander Group at Compass is the listing agent.