Even though the house was photographed in all its glitzy pastel glory for Architectural Digest just a few short months ago, records reveal Melissa Rivers has quietly and somewhat unexpectedly sold her Santa Monica residential Shangri-La for a whopping $15.5 million. That’s a profit-assuring $4.5 million more than the $11 million she paid for the place almost exactly five years ago, back in January 2016. After her purchase, the 7,000-square-foot mansion subsequently underwent a full-scale design refresh courtesy of celebrity interior specialist Martyn Lawrence Bullard, and Rivers moved in circa 2018.
Built in 1991 and set behind walls and gates, the Mediterranean-inspired villa lies on a whisper-quiet cul-de-sac deep in gorgeous Santa Monica Canyon. It also sits on an unusually deep lot, with nearly an acre of usable land and a huge backyard currently upgraded with a lawn big enough for a proper game of croquet, plus a sports court and an eye-poppingly massive retaining wall completely covered by a blanket of manicured ivy. There’s also the expected backyard swimming pool and spa, of course, plus generous terraces for al fresco dining and entertaining.
Though the estate was never on the market, records confirm the speedy buyers are Mike Patterson, founder and CEO of battery manufacturer Romeo Power, and his wife Elizabeth Patterson, a senior attorney with the Starz TV network. The Pattersons won’t have far to move — they previously lived in nearby Pacific Palisades, in a smaller Cape Cod-style home that was sold just last week for about $4.8 million.