Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Business
Emma Magnus

Chris Martin demolishes beachside house in Malibu to build a new 5,000-square foot home with open-air amphitheatre

The Malibu home before it was bought by Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow

(Picture: ES)

Coldplay frontman Chris Martin has embarked on a full reconstruction of his beachside home in Malibu — which includes razing the entire building to the ground in order to rebuild it.

The singer’s house, known as The Garwood Residence, is in Point Dume, an exclusive Malibu neighbourhood which has been home to the likes of Julia Roberts, Barbra Streisand and Bob Dylan. Martin bought the house in 2014 for $14 million (£11.7 million) with his then-partner Gwyneth Paltrow and now owns the home after their divorce in 2016.

Point Dume is one of Malibu’s most exclusive neighbourhoods (tmastro/Wikipedia Commons)

Designed by the architect John Lautner and built in 1972, the original four-bedroom house had private access to Little Dume beach, popular with surfers. Billed on the 2014 listing as “a true architectural gem”, it covered 3,650 square feet and had a swimming pool, tennis court, gym and private yoga studio.

Despite the architect’s fame, Martin’s house was snubbed at the time of construction and described as a “lesser Lautner” in the press. Martin’s plans for the Garwood Residence have been in the works since 2019, when he applied for planning permission. Now, three years later, the house has been knocked down, as reported by Dirt.

Out with the old: a bedroom in the now-demolished house (Zillow)

Martin and his partner Dakota Johnson plan to construct a new 5,389sq ft property in its place. According to the planning application, the new house will have a detached garage, swimming pool, spa, tennis court and amphitheatre. There will also be a 900sq ft guesthouse and enormous open-air car port.

Chris Martin performing earlier this year (Rick Scuteri/Invision/AP)

Luckily, Martin and Johnson have somewhere to stay during the build — a private estate which is walking distance from the Garwood Residence. Martin also owns a smaller, renovated sixties ranch house in Point Dume, purchased for £4.25 million in 2019, and the local theatre, the Malibu Playhouse.

Earlier this year, it was reported that Martin sold his 33-room home in Primrose Hill for a £7 million profit. Initially two houses —one bought from Kate Winslet— it was then merged into one property. He is one of a number of celebrities, including Kate Moss, Olivia Colman and Jeremy Clarkson, to leave London for pastures new.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.