What is the Seaward? Brad Pitt buys $40M century-old house amid French winery drama with Angelina Jolie
Brad Pitt has bought a century-old home, a historic DL James home known as ‘Seaward,' in the Carmel Highlands of California for $40 million. According to reports, the sale is one of the priciest ever closed in the Carmel area.
The craftsman-style house, which was designed by Charles Sumner Greene, a prominent 20th-century architect known for mastering the American Arts and Crafts movement, was built in 1918 for Kansas city businessman DL James Jr. According to SFGate, the house was later lived in by James' son, controversial writer Daniel Lewis James who was known for his novel ‘Famous All Over Town.’ The writer kept his identity secret for most of his life. And now the property, which is located south of Gibson's Beach atop a cliff, between the Pacific Coast Highway and the ocean, is the latest addition to Pitt's houses.
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According to The Wall Street Journal, before Pitt, the luxurious house was owned by Searock since 1999. Searock is a limited liability company tied to the late Chicago financier Joe Ritchie, a legendary trader and founder of the private investment group Fox River Partners who died earlier this year, and his wife, Sharon Ritchie. As per the reports, it is the latest celebrity-linked deal in Carmel and the most expensive. The pictures of the house can be seen on Alexander Vertikoff's website.
Inside Brad Pitt's new house
Known as the Seaward house, the massive property overlooks California’s central coast. The house is built from locally quarried sandstone and granite from cliffs, according to The Gamble House. It has arched windows, a tiled Mediterranean-style roof that is dominated by muted terra-cotta colors, and sweeping views of the ocean. Doors and windows are made of Siam teak, as per the site, and the doorsills are of white Vermont marble. Moreover, the bedrooms lead off the entry, and a 32 by 20 feet room is located down a short flight of stairs from the entrance level. Greene, the architect, designed the property so it would not interfere with nature on the plot of land, with trees and shrubs growing around the property since it was first built, according to DailyMail.
The news of the purchase comes days after Pitt lost the French winery case against ex-wife Angelina Jolie. Jolie and Pitt were embroiled in a legal battle over their French winery which they bought together in 2008 for an estimated $28.3 million. The couple, who got divorced in 2016, agreed not to sell their interests in the company. However, Pitt sued Jolie, accusing her of selling her part of their French vineyard.
