As one of the wealthiest medical doctors in the world, per Forbes and Bloomberg, Dr. Gary Michelson can afford just about any house he pleases. For nearly 20 years, though, the L.A.-based billionaire orthopedic surgeon has been content bunking up in a French-influenced mansion within Brentwood’s sleepy Mandeville Canyon neighborhood, where the horses play and Gwyneth Paltrow runs her Goop lifestyle empire. But it’s finally time for a new estate.
Michelson, 73, and his Russian-born wife Alya, 38, are upgrading in a big way, plunking down $23.9 million for a newly completed mansion that’s essentially part resort, part home. The place was built on speculation by prolific luxury developer ANR Signature Collection , who have sold past projects to the likes of Cameron Diaz , Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott , the Chainsmokers’ Drew Taggart and cryptocurrency tycoon Jesse Powell . And it’s conveniently located in Brentwood, only a mile up the road from the Michelsons’ current home.
This particular project may be ANR’s biggest and boldest to date, and the boutique resort vibe is assuredly by design. The property was crafted in collaboration with Masastudio , the same folks responsible for styling Utah’s famed Amangiri resort. In addition to the soaring, gallery-esque walls — ideal for a modern art collection — and the fleet of glassy Fleetwood doors, elevator, pilates studio and three-bedroom guesthouse, there are uniquely extravagant amenities like multiple “prep kitchens,” a “security office,” a main garage and separate “staff garage,” plus a top-of-the-line Savant audiovisual/security system, per the listing.
A Philadelphia native, Michelson spent decades as a practicing spinal surgeon, during which time he patented nearly 1,000 technologies targeted at aiding spinal procedures. He sold many of those patents to medical device giant Medtronic in 2005, after a protracted legal battle resulted in a watershed $1.35 billion deal that immediately made him one of Forbes’ 400 wealthiest Americans. Michelson has since retired as a surgeon to become one of Southern California’s most prominent philanthropists, giving $100 million to establish an eponymous medical research foundation and $50 million to USC, among many other substantial grants.
