The ultra-charming Santa Monica estate of late Emmy Award-winning SNL writer John Bowman is looking for a buyer to join the ranks of its famous owners.
A sprawling coastal estate with three separate structures and over half an acre of exquisite outdoor space, the property recently hit the market for $16,850,000 (Justin Alexander of The Alexander Group at Compass holds the listing).
Since 1995, the property has served as home to John Bowman and his wife, Shannon. Bowman, who passed away in 2022, was an accomplished TV showrunner, an Emmy Award-winning SNL writer, Martin series co-creator and producer who also led the WGA’s negotiating committee during the 2007-08 strike.
A three-time Emmy nominee, Bowman is known for writing on In Living Color, co-creating the ’90 sitcom Martin, and for his countless writing credits, which include The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, It’s Garry Shandling’s Show, Men Behaving Badly, The Hughleys, and Murphy Brown. He served as an executive producer on the latter three, as well as on Frank TV, Root of All Evil, Cedric the Entertainer Presents, The Show, and Princesses.
But he wasn’t the only famous resident of the Santa Monica estate.
John and Shannon bought the 1917-built home from singer/songwriter and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, Jackson Browne and his then-partner, actress Daryl Hannah, who owned it back in the day.
But despite its roster of famous residents, the Santa Monica house is known as the Witbeck House — after its first owner, businessman Charles Witbeck. Witbeck commissioned the property, with Arts and Crafts architects Charles and Henry Greene delivering the East Coast-inspired shingle house that we see today.
Inside the celebrity-favorite Witbeck House in Santa Monica
Set among over a half-acre of park-like grounds, this rare three-structure estate in the heart of Santa Monica boasts a five-bedroom main house with grand formal and gathering rooms and a hidden playroom, a detached two-story A-frame studio, and a detached two-bedroom guest house.
The East Coast shingle-style main house has four large bedrooms upstairs, including a stunning primary suite with soaring cathedral ceilings and a luxurious spa bath, an office, and a hidden playroom.
Downstairs we find another full bedroom with its own bathroom, as well as grand, formal gathering rooms — each featuring French doors that open into the backyard.
Also on the property, a storybook A-frame cottage serves as a detached two-story studio, perfect for creators, musicians, writers, and innovators to carry on the legacy of the estate. An additional two-bedroom guest house with a kitchen and bath is also included.
The park-like grounds feature a custom patio firepit with an al-fresco dining deck, a resort-inspired swimming pool, an expansive grass lawn, a rose garden, and a private sports court. Adding an extra note of privacy, the property is surrounded by beautiful mature trees and extra tall hedges.
But despite the home’s many attributes, it’s the location that makes it all the more desirable.
The Palisades Ave property sits on one of the most sought-after streets in all of Santa Monica, just two blocks from the beach, and within reach of the best shops and restaurants on Montana, the Jonathan Club, and a short drive to LA’s premier Westside golf courses.
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