Key Takeaways
- • New Stream Capital, a hedge fund, took the Robert Taylor Ranch in Brentwood, Los Angeles, from concert promoter Ken Roberts in 2010 to settle a $27.5 million legal claim, according to Variety.
- • The 112-acre estate sold at a live Concierge Auctions event on Nov. 30, 2012 for $12 million, less than half the $27.5 million claim, to a company controlled by Chicago developer Fred Latsko.
- • The property's asking price fell from $28.9 million under New Stream's listing to $18.9 million by August 2012 before the auction, which drew about 760 potential buyers and 12 bidders.
- • The estate later resold in 2015 for $18.7 million, and returned to market in July 2025 at $70 million, which the Los Angeles Times described as the largest residential estate to hit the Los Angeles market since at least the 1980s.
Summary
The Robert Taylor Ranch, a 112-acre estate in Brentwood, Los Angeles, has changed hands several times since its 1950 construction, and its most recent history illustrates how quickly high asking prices can erode. Architect Robert Byrd designed the property for petroleum magnate Waite Phillips, according to Variety. Actor Robert Taylor and his wife, Barbara Stanwyck, later hosted parties there, and Taylor owned the estate until his death in 1969, per Brentwood News. According to Nourmand & Associates, a hidden door behind a rotating bookcase still leads to a hallway that once opened onto a secret casino, which has since been removed.
In the 1970s, concert promoter Ken Roberts, who turned KROQ-FM into a rock radio powerhouse, bought the ranch for about $900,000, per Variety. The property was also the main setting for the 1983 film The Osterman Weekend, according to Patch. Roberts attempted to sell the estate several times, asking $45 million in 1990 and $35 million afterward without finding a buyer, and listed it again in 2008 at $65 million.
In 2010, Roberts lost the ranch to New Stream Capital, a hedge fund, to settle a $27.5 million legal claim, according to Variety. New Stream listed the property at $28.9 million, and by August 2012 the asking price had dropped to $18.9 million. Concierge Auctions held a live auction at the property on Nov. 30, 2012, which drew roughly 760 potential buyers, with 12 bidders participating, according to Haute Living. The ranch sold for $12 million, less than half the amount of the original claim. The buyer was a company controlled by Chicago developer Fred Latsko, per Variety.
Latsko listed the property at $20 million in May 2014 and withdrew it about three months later, according to Variety. The estate sold again in 2015 for $18.7 million, per Brentwood News. In July 2025 it returned to the market at $70 million, which the Los Angeles Times described, as quoted by Brentwood News, as the largest residential estate to hit the Los Angeles market since at least the 1980s.
In the 1970s, concert promoter Ken Roberts, who turned KROQ-FM into a rock radio powerhouse, bought the ranch for about $900,000, per Variety. The property was also the main setting for the 1983 film The Osterman Weekend, according to Patch. Roberts attempted to sell the estate several times, asking $45 million in 1990 and $35 million afterward without finding a buyer, and listed it again in 2008 at $65 million.
In 2010, Roberts lost the ranch to New Stream Capital, a hedge fund, to settle a $27.5 million legal claim, according to Variety. New Stream listed the property at $28.9 million, and by August 2012 the asking price had dropped to $18.9 million. Concierge Auctions held a live auction at the property on Nov. 30, 2012, which drew roughly 760 potential buyers, with 12 bidders participating, according to Haute Living. The ranch sold for $12 million, less than half the amount of the original claim. The buyer was a company controlled by Chicago developer Fred Latsko, per Variety.
Latsko listed the property at $20 million in May 2014 and withdrew it about three months later, according to Variety. The estate sold again in 2015 for $18.7 million, per Brentwood News. In July 2025 it returned to the market at $70 million, which the Los Angeles Times described, as quoted by Brentwood News, as the largest residential estate to hit the Los Angeles market since at least the 1980s.
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