Words: Jonathan Wells
Johnny Depp’s hard-living Hollywood life has seen its fair share of high and low points. He’s won acclaim over the years; nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor three times in four years, and immortalising culturally iconic characters from Captain Jack Sparrow to Edward Scissorhands. But he’s also endured lows — both professional and, more recently, personal.
These setbacks, however, have done little to affect Depp’s fortune, and the actor still maintains luxurious properties around the world — from a 45-acre island he eyed whilst filming Pirates of the Caribbean to an entire village in the south of France. And, despite any personal low points in Depp’s life, one of his highest — literally — of late remains his ownership of all five penthouses atop Downtown LA’s iconic Eastern Columbia Building.
The actor owned this clutch of condos back in 2015, and he and his then-wife Amber Heard lived together in the smaller one-bedroom unit. The building itself, designed by Claud Beelman and found in the city’s Broadway Theatre District, was once the headquarters for and flagship of the Eastern-Columbia Department Store, and was constructed in 1930.
Depp kept most of the Art Deco penthouses free for visiting family and friends; these rooftop residences clad in the property’s recognisable ‘melting turquoise’ terracotta tiles and sitting beneath both the trademark four-sided clock and vast white neon ‘EASTERN’ sign. Depp sold all five apartments in 2017 for a total of £10.3 million. And, following the finalisation of his and Heard’s divorce, his most personal penthouse is back on the market — for £1.42 million.
The property itself plays much like Depp’s own career. Though there are eccentric touches and theatrical flourishes — think a private zen garden and meticulously-maintained saltwater pool — a surprising proportion of the layout is simply decorated and reasonably restrained.
It features an intimate lounge area on the staircase landing, is spread across two floors and has twin bathrooms, a modestly-appointed kitchen area and windows wide enough to drink in the entire Los Angeles skyline. There’s bare brick on show throughout, and access to a communal fitness studio, spa and sundeck. But, of course, there are also parts of the property where Depp’s idiosyncrasies were put on full show…
Despite the building undergoing a $30 million restoration in 2006, and subsequently earning a Conservancy Preservation Award in 2008, Depp reportedly tried to connect three of the five penthouses to create a ‘rooftop mansion’. And this meant opening up certain rooms and creating distinct, unique spaces that chime more readily with the actor’s quirky character traits.
Certain spaces, such as the bold blue bedroom and dining areas above, have a bohemian feel — all tassels, murals and modern art. Others followed a more traditional template, with dark woods, studded leather furniture and movie memorabilia on show from the actor’s past projects.
But the principal draw of the decorative property — itself one of Los Angeles’ most-photographed buildings — is the view it affords its residents. Sitting pretty among landmarks including the Bradbury Building and Million Dollar Theatre, that rooftop pool is drenched in decadence, and affords every occupant truly movie star views.
Want more movie star residences? Take a tour of Hugh Jackman’s NYC penthouse apartment…
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