Back in early 2022, after having picked up a $14 million spread in the steep mountains above Beverly Hills—and already owning a petite hideaway in the exclusive Malibu Colony gated community—Michael “Flea” Balzary decided to hoist his funky architectural digs tucked away in the La Crescenta foothills of Los Angeles onto the market for $9.8 million. Now, a little more than two years later, the Red Hot Chili Pepper bassist’s pedigreed property in the unincorporated community near Glendale has once again resurfaced for sale, per TMZ, this time asking a speck under $7 million.
That’s still a lot more than the $4.3 million Balzary paid contemporary artists Lari Pittman and Roy Dowell for the place in 2018, but it does include an 875-square-foot addition that was installed on the land in 2021, as well as a pool and cabin that were tacked on in 2020.
Sited about 20 miles north of Downtown L.A., amid a “curated succulent garden” bordering the Angeles National Forest, the hilltop compound is sequestered down a lengthy driveway and features two primary dwellings—a glassy main house designed by L.A.-based architect Michael Maltzan in 2009, plus a 1950s home specially crafted by noted modernist architect Richard Neutra for his secretary Dorothy Serulnic and her husband George.
Also on the premises are a striking accessory cabin clad entirely in redwood, an outdoor movie pavilion, and sweeping mountain and city lights views from every vantage point. As for the main home, commissioned by Pittman and Dowell, it includes an impressive seven-sided structure wrapped around a central courtyard, along with the aforementioned recent Maltzan addition. Featured in Architectural Record, it’s garnered a trio of awards from the American Institute of Architects.
Particularly standing out inside is a primary bedroom sporting a curvilinear penny-tiled bath, and the space also holds an office, a den and tons of built-in storage space; outdoors, a Johnston Vidal lap pool stretches 50 feet, while an open-air movie pavilion is outfitted with a wind screen and catering kitchen.
Known as the “Dorothy Serulnic Residence,” the original abode packs two bedrooms and a full bath into 1,350 square feet of restored living space boasting walls of glass and a stone fireplace. Neutra-designed built-ins can be found throughout—think a sofa system sporting a record player and concealed speakers, along with numerous desks, shelving systems, a dining room table, sliding breakfast nook and vanity.
“The property is literally your own midcentury space station right here in Los Angeles,” says Branden Williams of The Beverly Hills Estates, who shares the listing with Rayni Williams of The Beverly Hills Estates, and Sherri Rogers and Anthony Stellini of Compass.
Click here for more photos of Flea’s Los Angeles compound.
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