Kanye West bought a Tadao Ando-designed Malibu mansion for $57.3 million; after stripping out its windows and interiors, he sold it for $21 million, and an $8.5 million restoration followed

A $57.3 million Malibu house designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando became one of Ye’s most talked-about real estate purchases. But the extraordinary part came afterward. The oceanfront home was stripped down dramatically, leaving a celebrated architectural property exposed to the Pacific. After Ye sold it for $21 million, a new owner began an $8.5 million effort to restore the house, and the property has now found another buyer while the work is still underway. The report is sourced from Archinect, The New Yorker and Architectural Digest.

How did the $57.3 million Malibu house end up needing a major restoration?

When Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, purchased the Malibu property in 2021, he was buying a roughly 4,000-square-foot concrete house designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Tadao Ando.


The house had originally been commissioned by retired Wall Street financier Richard Sachs and was completed in 2013. It contained four bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms and sat directly on the beach.

The structure itself was an extraordinary piece of engineering. According to the reports, it reportedly required 1,200 tons of poured concrete, 200 tons of steel reinforcement and 12 pylons driven 60 feet into the ground to support the heavy structure above the sand.

Sachs had originally put the property on the market in 2020 for $75 million before it was eventually purchased by Ye in an off-market transaction for $57.3 million.

Tadao Ando was reportedly one of Ye’s favorite architects. Ye had previously described a visit to Japan’s art island of Naoshima, where Ando designed several buildings, as “life-changing.”

What happened after Ye bought the Ando house?

The transformation began soon after the purchase. According to The New Yorker’s account, construction worker Tony Saxon was brought to the property after receiving a message from a woman who introduced herself as Bianca. That woman was Bianca Censori, who had been working with Ye on design projects.

Saxon was initially asked to paint shelves, cabinets and closets so they would blend into the concrete walls. Censori told him of the owner, “He doesn’t want any of the wood to show.”

The work soon went much further. Saxon recalled removing cabinets and wood from the house and filling the garage with the discarded pieces. He was later asked to help remove foam from the stairs.

The changes eventually left the famous home stripped of much of its interior. Reports described the property as being reduced to a concrete shell, without plumbing, electricity or a roof, leaving it exposed to debris and spray from the Pacific Ocean.

Ye later listed the property for $53 million in December 2023 after failing to complete the renovations and amid an ongoing lawsuit involving former construction workers.

Who brought the Malibu mansion back from the concrete shell?

Belwood Investments stepped in. Steven “Bo” Belmont, founder of Belwood Investments, purchased the three-story property in September 2024 for $21 million. The plan was to return the brutalist structure to its original condition.

The restoration was estimated at $8.5 million, with architecture firm Marmol Radziner brought in to oversee the project. New roofing, plumbing, electrical systems and framing were added as the restoration progressed.

Marmol Radziner had also been the executive architect and general contractor involved in the original project.

The restoration was an attempt to bring back the architectural character of the house rather than continue the unfinished transformation that had left it exposed.

What happened to the Malibu house next?

The partially restored property returned to the market at $39 million. According to the Wall Street Journal, Belwood Investments subsequently accepted an all-cash offer reportedly between $30 million and $34 million. The property was reported to be under contract with Andrew Mazella Ventures LLC, a Montana-based luxury home developer, with the deal scheduled to close on May 1.

Mazzella, who has said he is a fan of Ando’s work, had not announced when the restoration would be completed or whether he would continue working with the architects involved during Belwood’s restoration.

Why is Tadao Ando’s Malibu house so distinctive?

Tadao Ando has built a reputation around concrete structures that are restrained, precise and highly controlled.

The Malibu house reflects that approach. The concrete was poured on-site and left unclad and unpainted, with the evenly spaced holes that have become an Ando signature.

From the street, the property appears relatively enclosed, but the interior opens toward the Pacific through floor-to-ceiling windows. The three-level home also features ocean-facing rooms, wide staircases, a courtyard with a fire pit and a concrete hot tub.

The property once contained custom wood cabinetry, marble bathrooms and works of art, including a sculpture of Ando himself by French artist Xavier Veilhan.

For a house that once commanded $57.3 million, its journey through demolition, resale and restoration has been remarkably complicated. What began as Ye’s purchase of a celebrated Tadao Ando residence became a dramatic stripping of the interiors, a $21 million resale and an $8.5 million effort to restore the property. Now, even before that restoration is finished, the Malibu house has another buyer waiting.

FAQs

How much did Kanye West pay for the Malibu house?
West paid $57.3 million for the 4,000-square-foot Tadao Ando-designed property in 2021.

Who bought the property after West?
Andrew Mazella Ventures LLC, a Montana-based luxury home developer, reportedly agreed to an all-cash deal between $30 million and $34 million.