This contemporary residence offers a clean look with wire-brushed wood floors, LED lighting and a modern kitchen with a tiled backsplash and custom cabinetry. A glass-enclosed staircase leads up three floors to a private rooftop deck plumbed for a gas barbecue and a spa.
The corner of Sunset Blvd. and Alpine Drive became a traffic nightmare. Tour buses made it a stop. Tourists and locals alike milled about, gawked and took pictures. The neighbors were incensed. The "renovation" performed by Sheik Mohammed al Fassi, then 28, and his wife made them the talk of the town.
Smathers' style is evidenced by high ceilings, terrace balconies and formal areas designed for small and large-scale entertaining. Hedged privacy walls and eucalyptus trees, landscaped grounds feature a brick-lined patio, an outdoor dining room, a swimming pool and formal gardens.
Spyglass Hill was the first of the planned communities that emerged in Newport Beach. Originally owned by the Irvine family, the land was developed under the auspices of the Irvine Co. Spyglass Hill was built in the early 1970s by the Lusk Co., and the last tract was completed in 1972.