With a heap of lawsuits and a lack of lucrative partnerships, renovations on Kanye West’s $57 million beach house in Malibu have been halted.
West purchased the home in 2021 and immediately began renovations. The residence was originally built by architect Tadao Ando in 2013. Ando is the same architect behind Jay-Z and Beyonce’s new $200 million California home.
When West purchased the home in an off-market deal from retired Wall Street financier Richard Sachs it was the second-highest amount paid for a Malibu property in 2021, Dirt reports. Sachs reportedly invested several million dollars constructing the three-story house before putting it on the market for $75 million and later withdrawing it.
West hired Ando to redesign the 4,000-square-foot residence, which included four bedrooms and four-and-a-half bathrooms.
Stop Construction
Yet even before the lawsuits began mounting and partnerships ended for West, construction had halted on the beachfront residence as well as his $4.5 million Hidden Hills home. The renovation stoppages were widely interpreted then a result of the supply chain crisis.
However, many now are assuming West’s decline in net worth from billionaire status to less than $400 million has left him too cash-strapped to continue pricy renovation projects.
West’s Malibu Beachfront Renovation Halt
The Daily Mail reported in April that the property had “fallen into despair.” The outlet posted photos of the property that appears to be abandoned. It’s enormous floor-to-ceiling windows that once boasted ocean views have been removed, leaving that side of the home open to the elements.
The house’s metal railings are rusted, and the home no longer resembles its former magnificence.
Other West Properties
In addition to the Malibu home, West owns a ranch in Wyoming, a ranch in Calabasas, California, and two condos in New York City. He had also announced he wanted to build a village of dome-like homes on the outskirts of Calabasas. The 300 acres of land was razed before it was discovered that the planned homes did not meet building codes.
Looming Lawsuits and Severed Partnerships
West is embroiled in a number of lawsuits.
In June 2022, stylist David Casavant sued West for $400,000 for not returning clothes. Phantom Labs, a company specializing in production, filed a lawsuit for $7 million. However, they dropped its claim in May.
In late May, Gap filed a $2 million lawsuit in what is now a three-way dispute over a building that had been slated to house a retail outlet for West’s Yeezy Gap line. The lawsuit came months after the September 2022 announcement the collaboration West had ended. West and Gap mutually agreed to terminate their agreement involving the Yeezy Gap apparel line.
Finally, Adidas severed ties with West in October 2022 over his anti-Semitic remarks.
