2019-10-16 The Hollywood Reporter

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER 88 OCTOBER 16, 2019

Illustration by Steve Scott

HOLLYWOOD DESIGN

n residential

design, where

sprawling gyms

and cryochambers once

lured health-obsessed

homebuyers, a new ame-

nity list includes escape

tunnels, biometric access

and museum-grade laser

systems that promise

safety. “The world has

changed, particularly in

California, where there has

been a huge increase in

robberies and burglaries,”

says Mauricio Umansky,

founder and CEO of luxury

real estate brokerage The

Agency, who sees those

changes reflected in every

aspect of the high-end

real estate market in L.A.

“Fingerprints and retinas

now open doors instead of

keys, safes are bullet-

proof, as are entire rooms.

We just sold a home with

a bulletproof master

bedroom.” (Umansky

himself upgraded to two

full-time armed guards

after thieves stole more

than $1 million in hand-

bags, jewelry and watches

from his 10,000-square-

foot Colonial in Encino,

formerly owned by

Smokey Robinson.)

Enter Katy Perry more than 40 years later.
In 2014, the pop star struck a deal with the
L.A. Archdiocese to buy the 8.5-acre prop-
erty for $14.5 million. But shortly thereafter,
Silver Lake businesswoman Dana Hollister
engaged several of the sisters to make a
separate deal. A drawn-out, bitter legal battle
ensued (one of the nuns actually died in court
during a hearing).
The dispute hinged
on whether the court
thought the Archdiocese
or the three nuns had the
authority to sell the prop-
erty. In 2017, Perry and
the Archdiocese prevailed
over Hollister, who was
forced to pay $6.5 mil-
lion in damages for
attempting to sabotage
Perry’s deal.
But the saga still isn’t
over. The pop star’s
agreement with the Archdiocese requires
that she find a replacement for the convent’s
House of Prayer, which still is in use by local
clergy. So far, a replacement has eluded Perry.
At one point, a solution presented itself in the
3-acre Chateau Emanuel in Eagle Rock, but
that deal fell apart. Now it’s an open ques-
tion whether Perry can pull off finalizing the
transaction. In August, Perry’s option to pay
the $14.5 million for the Waverly property
expired. But a spokesman for the church says
they’re still open to a deal. A lawyer repre-
senting Perry declined to comment.

L.A. HOME SECURITY: ‘LASER SYSTEMS IN EVERY SINGLE PROJECT’

But escape tunnels and biometric access won’t protect you from smart appliances BY ALEXANDRIA ABRAMIAN

1

The original

spiral staircase as

designed by iconic

architect Bernard

Maybeck for

Anthony in 1927.

2

Another view of

the staircase as

it was used by the

sisters in 2015.

I

NOW

1

2

Security booths, guards

and laser systems have

become expected ele-

ments in the $40 million to

$50 million homes devel-

oper Ramtin Ray Nosrati

builds for buyers like the

NBA’s DeAndre Jordan.

“We’re installing laser sys-

tems in every single one of

our projects,” says Nosrati,

adding that buyers pay

$35,000 to $50,000 and

often are “celebrities, ath-

letes and musicians who

aren’t home much. Lasers

surround the property so

intruders can’t get to the

home to disable the alarm