J.K. Simmons has put his Del Mar estate up for sale for $4.495 million. He’s owned the property for a little under a year, having purchased it in December 2015 for $3.94 million. By a career-flipper’s criteria, eleven months of ownership before listing is a little excessive. But, for anyone else, it qualifies the sale as a quick flip. Simmons has a true character actor’s brilliant timing, and subsequent gift for upstaging; we’ll see how he fares in the fickle real estate market.
The 5 bedroom, 6,681 square-foot Mediterranean rests on 1.63 acres, and is augmented with a cozy, 1,387 square-foot, one-bed, one-bath poolside guest house, and a casita. The grounds are strikingly landscaped, and the garden and walking path hint at the Edenic ideals of rococo design.
The main house boasts an expansive foyer that floods into an open-concept living/dining room of limestone, arched walls, and fireplace. The neighboring kitchen features a glass wall that opens to the backyard. There is a large entertainment room. There is a comfortable office with in-set desk and cabinets. The spaces flow easily into one another. The whole house is a comforting pleasure to walk through, and it seems that no detail has been left unconsidered; the same degree of thoughtfulness graces the grounds, most notably in the flagstone footbridge that arcs over a rocky, seasonal creek, and acts as a conduit between indoor spaces and meandering gardens. The feel is overwhelmingly romantic.
J.K. Simmons was an eminently recognizable actor long before he signed on to become the figurehead of Farmers Insurance in 2010, having established his credibility in indies ‘Thank-You for Smoking’ and ‘Juno,’ and Sam Raimi’s hugely popular Spider-Man trilogy; he’d also provided essential characterizations in ‘Law and Order,’ ‘New York Undercover,’ and ‘Oz.’ In 2015 he took home a BAFTA, a Golden Globe award, and an Oscar—and garnered over thirty other awards and accolades—for his portrayal of ruthlessly demanding conductor/father-figure Terence Fletcher in 2014’s ‘Whiplash.’
