Kanye West ’s changes to a Tadao Ando-designed mansion in Malibu have been called “dumb” by the property’s new owner. When the 47-year-old rapper bought the property for $57.3 million three years ago, he stripped it bare, preparing it for extensive renovations.
According to an ex-project manager Tony Saxon, West envisioned turning the beach house - which the rapper bought in an off-market deal in 2021 – into “ a bomb shelter from the 1910s ”. The idea never came to fruition as West ultimately sold the property to California-based real estate crowdfunding firm Belwood Investments at a $36 million loss. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times , Belwood Investments CEO Bo Belmont criticized how the rapper gutted the home, noting that it did a disservice to the property’s original architectural design.
“That was a really dumb move. Really no purpose,” he told the outlet. “He single-handedly destroyed this architectural masterpiece.
My goal is to make it as though Kanye was never there. The house will be restored right back to what it was.” He added that West’s alterations didn’t obtain the city of Malibu’s approval.
“It would have required extensive review, he said. “There’s a process to it and he does things his own way, and the city of Malibu, they don’t care who you are they’ll hold you accountable.” In a previous statement, Belmont said that the investment was part of an ongoing goal of the company to “revitalize” any historica.