A sprawling 3.5-acre estate traded this month for $22.85 million.
The 6,895-square-foot home at 2600 Mesa Drive, overlooking the Newport Harbor Back Bay, set a record for the Newport Beach section of Santa Ana Heights Neighborhood. The prior record for the community was $15 million, set last year by the house next door.
The six-bedroom, eight-bathroom, single-level ranch home sits on one of the largest residential lots in Newport Beach.
The home not only offers “stunning, unbelievable views, but it’s also equipped to support a ranch lifestyle”—a rarity in Newport Beach, listing agent Brian Sperry of Coldwell Banker Realty told the Business Journal.
The property is zoned for equestrian care; it can house up to six horses as well as other livestock, including chickens, goats and pigs.
Sperry co-listed the property with independent agent Bill Coté. Heather Kidder of Arbor Real Estate represented the buyer. Buck Johns, best known as a major player in the Republican Party, is the seller.
‘Jewel’ of Mesa Drive
The property was home to the couple who subdivided the entirety of Mesa Drive in 1951: George and Elinor Holstein.
“They kept this home for themselves, and it’s been the jewel of the street,” Sperry said.
George Holstein developed homes in Beverly Hills for movie stars and gained more recognition for building The Bluffs in Newport Beach.
The Holsteins sold the 2600 Mesa Drive property in the late 1970s to Sperry and Coté’s client, who has held onto the home for 47 years.
The property still remains in its original condition from when it was completed in 1951. Its other amenities include a tennis court, pool and complementary pool house.
Unlike other Newport Beach properties, the home boasts 381 feet of water frontage along the Back Bay. Nearby homes, by comparison, offer around 135 to 150 feet of frontage, according to Sperry.
Historic Guests
The sheer size of the 2600 Mesa Drive property has lent itself to political fundraising events with esteemed guests, including President Gerald Ford, Vice President Dan Quayle and California Governors Pete Wilson and George Deukmejian.
It’s unclear if new owners of 2600 Mesa Drive have any remodeling plans for the home or are aiming to use its size and ranch offerings to their full extent.
The buyers acted quickly when they saw the property, since “it was a once in a lifetime opportunity to buy this home,” Sperry said. “They realized that this was their chance.”
The home hit the market listed at $25 million in April. Three months later, it went into escrow, which closed this month at less than $2.5 million shy of the property’s asking price.
