Edward Norton bought a wave-shaped Malibu home for $11.8 million in 2017; its original asking price was $22 million

Edward Norton bought the Stevens House in Malibu for $11.8 million in August 2017. The property was designed by architect John Lautner and built in 1968. It had been offered for $22 million in 2013. The home sits inside the gated Malibu Colony. It is spread in 3,366 square feet area. It has five bedrooms and five bathrooms. The property also has direct sandy beach frontage, a pool and a beach deck.

Edward Norton bought the Stevens House for $11.8 million

Edward Norton bought the Malibu property from movie producer Michael LaFetra in August 2017. The purchase price was $11.8 million. The Stevens House had originally been offered for $22 million in 2013. That means Norton paid about half of the earlier asking price. The house had also been on and off the market for about four years before the sale.


The property is located in Malibu Colony, a gated community in Malibu, California. The area has a history of being home to people from the film and entertainment industries. The house is known as the Stevens House. It was designed by architect John Lautner and completed in 1968. The property has 3,366 square feet of living space. It contains five bedrooms and five bathrooms.

Who designed the Stevens House?

John Lautner designed the Stevens House in 1968. The main feature of the Stevens House is its architectural design. John Lautner used concrete and wood to create walls that curve around the property to resemble oceanic waves. The house has 37 feet of sandy ocean frontage. It also includes a large beach deck, a grassy yard and an open-air swimming pool. The property has been designated as a California State Cultural Landmark.

Michael LaFetra restored the Malibu property

Movie producer Michael LaFetra was the owner before Norton. LaFetra bought the Stevens House in 2007 for $13.8 million. He then carried out an extensive restoration of the property. LaFetra was known for collecting houses in the same way that some people collect art. He also worked on restoring other properties with architectural significance.

However, the later sale to Norton meant LaFetra sold the Stevens House for less than he had paid for it. The 2007 purchase price was $13.8 million. Norton paid $11.8 million in 2017. The difference between those two sale prices was $2 million, before considering the money spent on restoration and other ownership costs. The property had also been listed for $22 million in 2013. It remained on and off the market before the eventual sale.

Edward Norton already owned another Malibu property

Norton was not new to Malibu real estate when he purchased the Stevens House. In 2008, he bought an oceanfront duplex on Las Flores Beach for $2.72 million. The property was another home connected to the actor's ownership of Malibu real estate.

The Stevens House and the Las Flores Beach duplex were among several properties Norton owned with his producer wife, Shauna Robertson. The Stevens House therefore added another oceanfront property to the couple's real estate holdings.

Malibu Colony has a history of celebrity residents

The Stevens House is located in Malibu Colony, which has a history connected to Hollywood. Variety has reported on the community's past and listed several people who have lived there. Bing Crosby, Gary Cooper and Merle Oberon once maintained homes in the enclave.

Current or more recent owners listed in reports have included Sting, Rob Reiner, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, John McEnroe and Patty Smyth, Roma Downey and Mark Burnett, Jason Statham and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Jane Leeves, Pam Anderson and Paul Reiser. The community's history means Norton's neighbors included people from film, music, television and sports.

John Lautner designed other homes in Malibu

The Stevens House is not the only John Lautner house connected to Hollywood. Architectural Digest previously featured another Lautner property in Malibu. Former Los Angeles Dodgers co-owner and CEO Jamie McCourt bought a Lautner house on Carbon Beach from actors Courtney Cox and David Arquette in 2006.

That property covers 7,000 square feet and was built in 1980. McCourt described the house as being like one of her closest friends. The description showed how some owners view Lautner's houses as more than conventional residential properties. Lautner's work has also included houses outside Malibu that became associated with the world of art and entertainment.