Another California hamlet is abuzz with news of Ellen DeGeneres.
Real estate website Realtor.com reports that the long-serving daytime host, comedian, and actress has invested roughly $21 million in a Moorish-inspired estate in Santa Barbara County, California.
Villa Tragara, located in Montecito, was inspired by the Alhambra palace in Granada, Spain, for its architectural design. According to sources at the time, the roughly 12,000-square-foot property on 2.45 acres had been listed for as much as $35 million in 2019, indicating that the 64-year-old had gotten a fantastic deal.
DeGeneres, whose show will be canceled this year, and her wife, Portia de Rossi, 49, are no strangers to the Montecito area in Southern California. According to Dirt, the couple owns a ranch in the area worth $14.3 million, as well as a tiny cottage.
In the same neighborhood, a property that DeGeneres and de Rossi purchased off-market for $12 million is now on the market for $13.9 million, with a price tag of $12 million. (Dirt also points out that the latter pad appears to have found a buyer, but that the transaction is “locked up” in escrow.)
Additionally, the DeGeneres’ wives own a midcentury contemporary property in Beverly Hills, which DeGeneres purchased for $8.5 million in August of last year.
As a designer and builder of this recently sold Montecito mansion, Kinka Usher, a French director of television commercials whose film credits include the 1999 box office failure “Mystery Men,” created and built this estate in 2014.
There is only one listing photograph available, which depicts a red-toned facade highlighted with candy cane-striped arches reminiscent of those found on the Mezquita cathedral in Cordoba, Spain, and a red-tone interior.
The property is situated on a knoll with panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean. For visitors’ arrival, there is a formal motor court and a hand-carved main door to the property.
The radiant-heated floors, which were imported from Europe, were installed throughout the house. Aside from that, there are baths inspired by Turkish hammam spas and artistic accents of Corinthian columns throughout the building.
An outdoor heated pool, which reportedly cost Usher $400,000 to construct, can be found on the beautifully planted grounds. There are also pickleball, bocce, and tennis courts, as well as a covered pergola with seating for 16 people and koi ponds. In addition, the description mentions that the property has a fire pit and an olive orchard on it.
The seller was represented by Nancy Kogevinas of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties, and the buyer was represented by Riskin Partners Group at Village Properties.
