The fully restored and stunningly beautiful vintage mansion is just 500 feet from Coronado Island in San Diego, Calif. It was Brian Mariotti, the head of Funko Pop collectible toys, who first spotted the house while riding his bike with Shannon, who reimagined it.
This home, known as the W.A. Gunn House, was built in 1925 by San Diego architect Richard Requa for a Michigan furniture maker and was designated as a historic property in 2004. Today, that seems like a paltry amount. And it is. However, back then, that was more than 10 times the average cost of homes being built in the area.
The one big problem for the Mariottis: the house wasn’t for sale. But when you’re rich enough, everything is for sale! The Mariottis quickly and successfully engaged a real estate agent to knock on the door and make a play for the property. In February 2017, the couple bought a 6,000-square-foot house on half an acre for .2 million. In addition to the half acre, the couple also negotiated to buy the 2,500-square-foot house next door, which became their garage.
Three buildings, a garden with tranquil fountains, and an estancia make up the property, one of Coronado’s largest lots. According to Compass, Chris Clements, Jan Clements and Lennie Clements are listing the compound for million, down from $39 million. Douglas Elliman is listing Joshua Altman of The Altman Brothers. The home includes a 4,142-square-foot main house with five bedrooms and seven bathrooms, a 935-square-foot guest house with full kitchen, and a pool house.
When the Mariottis took over, their designer, Kim Grant, said they took as their inspiration the Eagles’ “Hotel California” album cover, with the castle-like house with palm trees. Over the years, the couple updated the house with materials that looked as old as possible, keeping it true to the original design. Old tiles, wooden beams, and stone fireplaces replaced more modern additions.
A distinctly modern feature of the house is the lower level, which required careful excavation and pumping out six million gallons of water. A costly feat of engineering, the lower level now includes a Star Wars themed home theater, with life-size Storm Troopers, Boba Fett, and additional characters, as well as a golf simulator, a media room with bar, a trophy room, and a 1,300-square-foot fitness center and spa replete with dry sauna, massage table, and ice bath. The Tennis Channel is shown on a big screen in another media room decorated with vintage tennis rackets, Mariotti’s favorite sport.
A six-hole putting green is available outside the house, as is a patio with dining tables and a flat screen TV in the living area. The estate includes a swimming pool, an outdoor kitchen with a pizza oven and three beer taps on a French stone patio, and a garden with olive trees and magnolia trees. The project cost over $20 million to complete.
In an ideal world, tennis fans, Star Wars stans, and golf aficionados would be the perfect new owners. Maybe the sellers will throw in some autographed Funko Pops as well.
