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Actor Brad Pitt has purchased the former home of American businessman and writer D.L. James in the Carmel Highlands of California, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The $40 million deal marks one of the priciest to ever close in the Carmel area, according to local agents.
The home is located atop a steep bluff on the oceanside of Highway 1 and was constructed out of locally-quarried sandstone and granite. It also has a tiled Mediterranean-style roof, arched windows and ocean views.
The property was constructed around 1918 and designed by American Arts and Crafts movement pioneer and prominent architect Charles Sumner Greene.
Charles and his brother, Henry Mather Greene, grew up alternately in Cincinnati, rural West Virginia and St. Louis in the late 19th century. At their father’s urging, the two went to architectural school and ultimately founded the architectural firm Greene & Greene together in Pasadena.
They’re known for the construction of their bungalows, many of which have a clear “wooden aesthetic,” according to the website of The Gamble House, an organization that educates the public about the Greene brothers and their best-preserved work, The Gamble House in Pasadena.
Most recently, the property once owned by the author known for “Famous All Over Town,” was owned by Chicago-based options trader Joe Ritchie and his wife, Sharon. Joe Ritchie passed away in early 2022. The property was sold off-market to Pitt by Searock, a limited liability company tied to the Ritchies.
Pitt, who is known for films like “Fight Club,” “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” and “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” is also reportedly an architecture buff who especially appreciates Craftsman-style homes.
The sale in Carmel Highlands follows another celebrity sale in the area, the former home of the late actor Betty White, which sold for $10.775 million.