by - Two empty Hollywood Hills mansions were taken over by squatters and covered in graffiti.
- Graffiti on the mansions is similar to tags on other vacant luxury properties in Los Angeles.
- The incidents recall a landmark case in which street artists were awarded $6.75 million after their art was destroyed.
In another unlikely spot in the City of Angels, spray-painted tags similar to those found on Los Angeles’ iconic graffiti towers have appeared. Two Hollywood Hills mansions are the latest targets in a growing trend to turn vacant luxury properties into illegal street art.
The vacant pair of properties, which were purchased for $4.7 million in 2012 and nearly $7 million in 2013, respectively, are located just miles apart in the exclusive area, The Los Angeles Times reported.
The LA Times reports, citing neighbors of the estates, that the properties have been abandoned and overrun by squatters and graffiti artists, who have covered the mansions with their tags.
The properties, which were purchased for $4.7 million in 2012 and nearly $7 million in 2013, respectively, are just a few miles apart in Los Angeles. David McNew/Getty Images
Both properties are owned by John Powers Middleton, who produced “The Lego Movie” and the TV series “Bates Motel.” After the vandalism made national headlines, Middleton issued a public apology through a spokesperson.
“What happened to the two properties I own is unacceptable, and whatever the cause, I own the homes,” the LA Times said in a statement. “Given the persistence of the numerous offenders, it is a battle.”
The Los Angeles Times reported that the property’s owner has promised to secure the townhouses, clean up the graffiti and reimburse the city for all costs incurred. David McNew/Getty Images
The Los Angeles Times reported that it is unclear why the estates have been vacant for so long, but through his attorney, Middleton promised to secure the buildings, clean up the graffiti and pay the city for any costs incurred.
Middleton is the son of John S. Middleton, a billionaire businessman and owner of the Philadelphia Phillies who sold his family’s tobacco business to Altria, the parent company of Philip Morris, for $2.9 billion in 2007, CNBC reported..
The Los Angeles Times reported that the Phillies released a statement saying:, “No other member of the Middleton family has ownership, investment, control or involvement in these properties.”
An attorney for John P. Middleton and representatives for Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.
In Bel Air, a few miles west, another property is for sale for $21.5 million has also turned into a canvas for graffiti artists — part of the growing local trend of vandals targeting affluent neighborhoods for their artwork, NBC Los Angeles reported.
Demolition could mean a payday for the artists
Andrew Lieb, a trial attorney who focuses on real estate legal issues, told Business Insider that the vandalism of Hollywood Hills properties reminded him of a famous 2013 federal case involving the Visual Artists Rights Act. The 1990 law gives artists legal rights to their publicly exhibited work, regardless of ownership, and prevents the destruction or alteration of the artwork in a way that could damage the artist’s reputation for 50 years after their death.
In the 5 Pointz mural case, a group of street artists sued a New York real estate developer when he painted over their graffiti murals. The artists ultimately won $6.75 million after their work was destroyed in a ruling upheld by the U.S. Court of Appeals, The New York Times reported in 2020.
If Middleton were to leave the graffiti on his Hollywood Hills property for an extended period of time, Lieb said he expected a similar legal challenge could arise.
“Don’t let people deface your property was the message from that case, unless you plan to keep it there,” Lieb told Business Insider.
The tags resemble graffiti on the Oceanwide Plaza Towers, a mixed-use complex near the Crypto.com Arena – home of the Los Angeles Lakers – that has been abandoned since the developer ran out of money in 2019.
Labels on the Hollywood Hills properties bear a striking resemblance to graffiti on the Oceanwide Plaza towers, a complex in downtown Los Angeles that has been abandoned since the developer ran out of money. Mario Tama/Getty Images
The towers attracted dozens of graffiti artists who tagged the property and BASE jumpers who used the 53-story buildings to jump from, prompting city officials to spend nearly $4 million to install a fence and clean up the building , Business Insider reported.
Bloomberg reported last month that the abandoned Oceanwide Plaza Towers project was headed to a bankruptcy auction. Although the unfinished project has drawn comparisons Following the demolition of the 5 Pointz mural, it remains unclear whether the street artists who tagged the Los Angeles property plan to claim their graffiti, which could result in a legal battle over its destruction.