A beachfront home in Del Mar that was built in the early 1950s and owned ever since by a pioneering San Diego family with deep ties to old Hollywood has been sold for $44.1 million, making it the most expensive home ever sold in San Diego County, according to a news release.
Built by Hollywood real estate developer C.E. Toberman – who was known as “Mr. Hollywood” – the ranch-style California beach house at 2940 Sandy Lane also includes a guesthouse, a detached apartment, a tennis court and a swimming pool on slightly over one acre of land. In all, the property features eight bedrooms and seven-and-a-half bathrooms.
Toberman, who built the Del Mar retreat to host family and friends on weekends and holidays, was instrumental in the early development of Hollywood. In the 1920s, he founded Hollywood Bowl and Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, among other institutions.
He is the maternal grandfather of well-known San Diego civic stalwart and business leader Charles “Kim” Fletcher, who resided at the home for several years with his wife Marilyn before his passing in 2019 at the age of 91. For decades, Fletcher served as president and CEO of Home Federal Savings & Loan, which he grew into San Diego’s largest financial institution. A tireless supporter of San Diego, Fletcher served as president of the United Way, as a trustee of the University of San Diego, and on the board of directors for SeaWorld and Sharp Healthcare. He also actively supported the Mt. Soledad National Veterans Memorial, the Boys & Girls Clubs of San Dieguito, the Boy Scouts of America and the Salvation Army, among many other organizations.
Fletcher’s paternal grandfather, Col. Ed Fletcher, served as a director of the 1915 and 1935 Expositions in Balboa Park. He helped develop Del Mar, Solana Beach, Mt. Helix and Fletcher Hills, and was instrumental in creating the Lake Hodges, Lake Henshaw and Cuyamaca reservoirs. He also served as a California state senator. Kim Fletcher’s father was Charles K. Fletcher, who represented San Diego as a member of the United States Congress. He also founded Home Federal Savings & Loan. Both Fletcher Cove in Solana Beach and Fletcher Hills in La Mesa are named for the family.
Real estate broker Brian Guiltinan of The Guiltinan Group represented both the buyer and the seller in this historic transaction. “This property stands as one of the largest beachfront parcels in California and it’s on one of the most beautiful stretches of coastline in America,” said Guiltinan in the news release. (The buyer was not identified in the news release.)
“The Fletcher family has a rich history in San Diego and a deep love for this community,” said Wendy Fletcher Dyer, Kim Fletcher’s eldest daughter, in the news release. “We’ve been blessed to call Del Mar and the greater San Diego area our home for decades and we have so many wonderful memories here, from 4th of July celebrations on Sandy Lane to riding horses on the beach.”
As a young girl, she spent time with Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball at their vacation home just down the beach and played on the sand and went rafting with their children, Desi Jr. and Lucie. Also, she was taught how to play “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head” on the piano by legendary composer and songwriter Burt Bacharach, who also had a vacation home on the beach there.
The sale marks the end of an era for the Fletcher family, which at one time owned several homes on Sandy Lane as part of a family compound of sorts that included aunts and uncles as well as close friends. This home, which was owned by the Investors Leasing Corporation – a Fletcher family company that also owns a number of successful self- storage businesses – is the last remaining Fletcher family home there.
The record-breaking sale not only underscores the enduring appeal of Del Mar’s oceanfront properties, but also highlights the expertise and proficiency of The Guiltinan Group in orchestrating high-value real estate transactions.
Brian Guiltinan, whose extensive portfolio includes collaborations with some of the nation’s most affluent families, has played a pivotal role in nearly every residential real estate transaction in San Diego County over $20 million.
Guiltinan also represented the seller in the previous record-setting home sale in San Diego County. In 2020, a modern beachfront home, also in Del Mar, sold for $43 million. — The Guiltinan Group news release
Credit: Source link