EXCL: James Van Der Beek’s Former Beverly Hills Home Is Available To Rent
Late “Dawson’s Creek” star James Van Der Beek‘s former Beverly Hills home has been offered up for rent—five months after the actor passed away following a battle with cancer.
The actor, who died Feb. 11 at the age of 48, had been living at the four-bedroom, three-bathroom abode with his wife, Kimberly, and their children, prior to the family’s highly publicized move to Texas in 2020.
Shortly before they relocated to the Lone Star State—where they took up residence on a sprawling 36-acre ranch in Spicewood, TX—Van Der Beek and his spouse carried out an extensive design overhaul of their California dwelling, which was showcased in a shoot for Architectural Digest.
It was widely reported at the time that the Van Der Beeks owned the Beverly Hills abode, which is now worth around $4 million, according to estimates.
However, records indicate that the family had only ever leased the property—which is actually registered to a trust tied to billionaire real estate moguls and former Los Angeles Clippers owners Rochelle and Donald Sterling.
Now, the Sterlings are once again offering up the dwelling as a rental opportunity, listing the property for $13,950 a month—a significant increase on its 2021 asking price of $11,000.
Interestingly, the listing for the dwelling, which is held by Terri Scheid of Vision Realty, Inc., does not include a description of the property, which spans just over 3,100 square feet, although images show that it still retains much of the Spanish-style decor that was in place when the Van Der Beeks lived there.
The “Varsity Blues” star and his wife leaned heavily into that theme while redecorating the abode in 2020, with the couple revealing to Architectural Digest that they wanted to turn the home into a space that felt both calming and energetic at the same time.
They noted to the outlet that they also wanted to fill the dwelling with furniture that felt cohesive, but could easily be moved around to accommodate their kids and any friends who came to visit—with Van Der Beek admitting that the project marked the first time they had really had the chance to design their own space.
“We never really had the time to focus on designing the house properly before. We just kept having kids and working,” he explained. “Our home was a crazy jumble of pieces from different places we’d lived in before, all commingling, but not very happily; I called it the Island of Misfit Furniture.”
The couple worked with designer Tammy Price on the project—with Kimberly explaining that their first request for her was to source furniture that would work both inside and out.
“The first thing we told her was that we needed furniture that could move from room to room, indoors to out,” she said. “When you’ve got five kids, and usually a houseful of friends hanging out, flexibility is imperative.”
However, Van Der Beek himself ended up building what would become the couple’s favorite piece: a wooden daybed that he designed not long after they welcomed their fifth child, Gwendolyn, in 2018.
“It was my own personal triumph over dyslexia. When I was drawing up the plans, I kept worrying that I would transpose numbers and screw it all up, but it came out great,” he explained.
In the end, Price’s designer makeover came at the perfect time, concluding just before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw the family forced to quarantine inside the dwelling for weeks on end. They then relocated to Texas a few months after lockdown—explaining at the time that they realized they wanted to settle down in a place where their kids could spend more time in nature.
“The space available in Texas … where we’re at, it’s expansive and there’s a lot of space and I feel that for a big family … it was just really, really necessary for us,” Kimberly previously said in an Instagram Live video filmed at their home.
Initially, the family leased their ranch abode—telling People magazine shortly after they moved to Texas that they had wanted to test out the area for a year before committing to buying a property there.
However, Van Der Beek and Kimberly quickly fell in love with the property—as did their six children—and it was on the ranch where the “Varsity Blues” star began treatment for cancer, which he revealed he had been diagnosed with in 2024.
One month before the actor died, he and his wife officially purchased the ranch, with records showing that they closed on the property on Jan. 9, with the final sale price listed as $4.76 million.
The couple purchased the ranch through an LLC, which is managed by a California attorney.
It appears the deal took place off-market, and there is no record of the property being publicly listed before the sale was finalized.
The 36-acre spread includes a 5,149-square-foot main house, several cabins, a pool, and a backyard with views of the Pedernales River. The waterfront residence was previously described as being the perfect place to “channel your ‘hippie cowboy,’” according to an old listing.
The 5,149-square-foot main house features five bedrooms and three bathrooms. It comes with a commercial kitchen, balconies with sky and river views, an outdoor living space with a pool, and a tram to the river. The grounds include a barn perfect for throwing a party.
While the property boasts far more outdoor space than their Beverly Hills abode, for those seeking a private, secluded retreat in California, the couple’s former Golden State dwelling could well be the perfect place.
The house is set on a 7,645-square-foot lot with a swimming pool in the backyard and ample room for lounging. In keeping with the couple’s emphasis on indoor/outdoor living, the property features multiple French doors that open up directly to the yard, along with several balconies.
The main living space in the dwelling features hardwood vaulted ceilings with exposed beams and a cozy wood-burning fireplace, while the spacious kitchen has plenty of room for a dining area.
In the primary suite, residents can enjoy a spacious bathroom with a large soaking tub and a beautiful green-tiled shower, while a huge walk-in closet provides the perfect place for fashion fans to store their collection of clothing.
Hardwood floors run throughout the property, including in the bedrooms, save for the entryway which features a terracotta tile and a wrought iron staircase leading up to the second level.
Outside, there is a small poolhouse that provide another place for storage—or an area that could be transformed into an office or workout room.
However, interested parties will need to act quickly, with the Realtor.com listing showing that the property is already in “high demand,” indicating that it has received plenty of inquiries in the short time it has been on the market.
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