Wanna have a nose around Henry Rollins’ three bedroom 5.5 bathroom 4,348 sq foot ‘audiophile’s heaven’ of a home? It’s currently on the market and could be yours for US$3,895,000
Yesterday, Henry Rollins, the famously intense and almost reclusive former lead singer of the pioneering hardcore punk band Black Flag and the Rollins Band, listed his L.A. home (an industrial-like lair in L.A.’s quiet and rustic, Nichols Canyon) for sale.
The musician, writer, performer and businessman first moved to Nichols Canyon in 1999 when he snapped up a small bungalow for $740,000. He sold that in 2009 for almost $1.1 million. Luckily for Henry, he didn’t have to move his instruments and ephemera too far because his current home is just a mile up the canyon.
Jointly listed with Jane Schore of Coldwell Banker Realty and Victoria Silver of Compass, the 4,348-square-foot home is billed as a “private gated celebrity compound” with three bedrooms and four full and two half baths.
Imposing iron gates swing open to a narrow, bamboo-lined drive that ascends to what the real estate agents describe as a “roomy concrete motor court.”
The main living area features industrial touches such as concrete walls and steel beams, while the rest of the home has a zen, calming feel.
The lounge and dining area has a long bank of glass sliders leading to a slender covered terrace with a leafy cross-canyon view. The dining area also doubles as alibrary with floor-to-ceiling shelving.
Henry’s kitchen is spacious and practical, with a large industrial stove and a cosy corner seating area.
The downstairs area includes a family room, also partly sheathed in sound-absorbing cork, and two spacious en-suite guest bedrooms, one with a recording booth fashioned from a spacious walk-in closet (elevates ‘singing in the shower’ to a whole new level!) All of the lower-level rooms have huge windows with leafy views and polished concrete floors.
The real estate agents say that the uppermost floor offers much flexibility in terms of use. Floor plans show it would be easy to add one or two and possibly even three bedrooms. However, the penthouse-like space is currently configured as a sprawling, multiroom master suite with a fireplace, two bathrooms, and a fitted walk-in closet, plus several smaller closets.
Several rooms have heavy-duty steel doors that open to a terrace with canyon-framed views, while a nearly secret exterior staircase nipped behind the master bathroom climbs to a trellis-covered gravel patio notched into the steep slope behind the house.
As you can imagine, Henry’s home is also totally wired for sound. Being a self-confessed audiophile, Henry has equipped his pad with only the best audio equipment, which, he says, allows the audio playback in his home to be as close as possible to the original master tape.
As you can see from the photos, Henry’s home is very utilitarian, with no soft touches. Not a huge amount has been spent on interior design, but far more importantly, every room has a stereo system and the home has six dedicated ‘Audio Rooms’.
Back in 2014 Henry took Design and Architecture presenter Frances Anderton and Rhythm Planet’s Tom Schnabel on a sonic tour of his high-fidelity audio-equipped home. Henry doesn’t mince words about why we all should all own analogue sound systems:
“If you’re going to listen to an MP3 – which is sacrilegious – through those ridiculous headphones through your phone, every band you’re listening, you’re sticking knives into their ribs, you are throwing them into the curb, and running them over with a truck.”
Listen to Henry talking about his home’s audio system
People often say ‘If only walls could talk’; however, they probably wouldn’t talk at Henry’s home- they’d sing punk songs, play guitar and drum.
The coolest house in the Hills is ready for its cool new owner – is that you?
Check out more photos and details here
Main photo of Henry Rollins © Ross Halfin. House interior photos © CB Global Luxury
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