Investor Stephen Paul, whose family owns a minority stake in the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers, and his wife, Nancy Paul, have just listed their Beverly Hills residence, one of only five in California designed by noted architect Howard Backen, for $62 million.
The Pauls bought the property in 2006 for $8.555 million, according to property records, and had Backen design the house, which was completed in 2015. The Wall Street Journal first reported the listing.
Backen, who was christened the “Frank Lloyd Wright of Napa Valley” because of the way he designed his homes to be one with nature, made a name for himself designing private residences and wineries, including Napa’s iconic Promontory.
“This house is the perfect trifecta of skilled designers: architect Backen, interior designer Tommy Clements and landscape architect Mark Rios,” said Aaron Kirman of Christie’s International Real Estate Southern California, who co-listed it on Oct. 8 with Linda May of Carolwood Estates. “The entire home is magical.”
The indoor-outdoor house, whose facade is concrete, glass and cedar, is set behind gates. A glass bridge, worthy of a modern fairy tale, serves as the passageway to the entry courtyard.
“Howard Backen was known for symmetry throughout the design of his homes,” May said. “This residence reflects the essence of this element in the relationship between the indoors and outdoors. It seamlessly blends nature with urban sophistication.”
In addition to five bedrooms, six full bathrooms and one half bath, the 12,294-square-foot house has a wine cellar, a billiards room, a theater and a fitness studio. The formal living room and primary suite have vaulted ceilings and pocket doors that slide aside to let the views come streaming in. And there are three islands in the kitchen.
“One of my favorite spaces is the primary suite,” Kirman said. “It has great views, and it’s intimate, sexy and romantic.”
The property, which covers nearly an acre, is made for luxury California living: It has a tennis court, an al fresco dining area and an infinity-edge swimming pool.
The estate gets its name, Villa Oliva, from the olive trees planted on the property.
Backen has designed only four other homes in the state: for actors Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis; “Modern Family” TV series creator Steven Levitan; film producer Jeffrey Katzenberg; and Paramount Pictures chairman and chief executive Brad Grey, who died in 2017.
Sales of these other houses have brought record prices. Investor Bruce Karsh bought Grey’s Santa Monica house in 2018 for $68.82 million; the Levitan house, in Santa Monica, sold for $41.08 million in 2017 in an off-market deal; and Katzenberg cashed out on his Beverly Hills pad in 2020 to the tune of $125 million in an all-cash deal.
Backen, founder of the architectural firm Backen & Backen, died in July at age 88. In 2013, 38 of his firm’s projects were featured in “From the Land: Backen, Gillam, & Kroeger Architects,” a monograph published by Rizzoli.
Seller Stephen Paul is part of the family that founded the Ampco-Pittsburgh steel company. The Pauls could not immediately be reached for comment.
