Dirt: MasterClass Founder Buys 1930s Storybook Gem in Beverly Hills
Because it lies sandwiched between $25 million estates in one of Beverly Hills’ poshest neighborhood pockets, encountering this gingerbread house makes for a pleasant surprise. The 1930s storybook traditional, far smaller and less ostentatious than other nearby homes, looks like it belongs in a Thomas Kinkade painting, or maybe in the pages of “Grimms’ Fairy Tales.” Certainly not in the gilt-trimmed land of Ferraris and botox parties, but that’s where it remains.
Last sold in 2009 for $3.1 million, the house was long owned by Hilary Tisch, the late daughter of billionaire New York Giants owner Steve Tisch.
Surrounded by ancient redwood trees, the park-like grounds include secluded brick patios and a swimming pool with inset spa. Sun filters in through the canopy of leaves. Inside, loft-like living spaces are filled with natural light, and there are white oak hardwood floors throughout.
The house first came up for sale over the summer. Buyers were wowed by the property, and it sold in just one month for exactly $6 million, a full $1 million over the asking price. The new owner is tech entrepreneur David Rogier, a Los Angeles native who is the founder and CEO of San Francisco-based MasterClass — the online education subscription platform of choice for celebrity instructors like Jodie Foster, Shonda Rhimes, Steph Curry, Helen Mirren, Usher, Serena Williams and Gordon Ramsay.
Rogier, 39, will enjoy 3,400 square feet of whitewashed interiors that have been renovated but remain laden with charm. The dining room sports original leaded windows and dark wainscoting, while the breakfast room lies behind French doors and flaunts a flowery wallpaper. Upstairs, the master retreat has a sitting area and fireplace, plus a spa-like bathroom. An adjoining spare bedroom was converted into a boutique-style dressing room/closet, while another of the three extra bedrooms is currently outfitted as an office.
Though MasterClass remains based in the tech hub of San Francisco, Rogier was born and raised in L.A.’s wealthy Brentwood neighborhood, the grandson of Holocaust survivors. By his own account, he struggled in school as a child but ultimately graduated from Stanford GSB, one of the world’s top business schools. MasterClass was founded in 2015 by Rogier and Aaron Rasmussen and has since raised nearly $500 million in venture capital. Today, the company offers 100+ courses from dozens of celeb instructors, thousands of lessons — and a whopping $2.75 billion valuation.
Max Shapiro of Westside Estate Agency held the listing.
