Hard Rock Cafe co-founder Peter Morton bought the Los Angeles home of radio-station mogul Norman Pattiz and his wife, Mary, records show, but a spokeswoman for Mr. Morton says the deal has been "canceled." The 9,000-square-foot home in Beverly Hills, Calif., had been listed at $19.95 million. Public records show Mr. Morton's trust agreeing to buy the home in September for an undisclosed sum, and paperwork for the transaction was recorded at the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder's office on Oct. 31. But this week, a spokeswoman for Mr. Morton said there had been "no purchase." "He was contemplating purchasing the house, but the sale has been canceled," she said, adding that Mr. Morton's deposit had been returned. She declined to elaborate. The gated four-acre property has a five-bedroom main house, built in about 1940, a two-bedroom guest house, a detached screening room and a four-car garage, according to the listing. The site, on a hill, has views of the city and the ocean. Public records indicate that Mr. Pattiz and his wife bought the house 20 years ago for $5.9 million from media titan and philanthropist David Geffen. Mr. Morton founded the Hard Rock Cafe restaurant chain with Isaac Tigrett in 1971. Mr. Morton later sold his interest in the company to Rank Group of Britain, but he still owns Mortons, a Los Angeles restaurant. Earlier this year, he agreed to sell his Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas to Morgans Hotel Group Co. for $770 million. Mr. Pattiz is founder and chairman of Westwood One, which provides news, sports and other programs to more than 5,000 radio stations across the country. He didn't return calls for comment. THE CO-FOUNDER of Burt's Bees, which makes lip balm and other personal-care products, is trying to sell three of her four houses in Palm Beach -- and says she doesn't care which ones go. Roxanne Quimby has put all four properties on the market and says she will sell the first three to find buyers, then pull the remaining one off the market. "I wouldn't know which one to keep," Ms. Quimby says, "so I'll just let the market decide." The four houses, all of which Ms. Quimby bought in the past two years and renovated, are modest by Palm Beach standards. "I'm very practical," Ms. Quimby says. "I don't think anyone needs a 15,000-square-foot house." Ms. Quimby bought the first house -- a 3,000-square-foot, three-bedroom home built in 1954 -- two years ago for about $1.8 million; it is now on the market for $2.85 million. In July 2005, Ms. Quimby bought two properties: a two-bedroom, Bermuda-style home near the island's north end, for which she paid $1.75 million, and a four-bedroom, 2,000-square-foot home for which she paid $1.5 million. They are now listed at almost $2.4 million and $2.75 million, respectively. (The latter is being sold furnished.) Then in April of this year, Ms. Quimby paid $2.425 million fo ... read the whole article |