A Hollywood producer of the canceled, then revived, “Coyote vs. Acme” has bought a $8.25 million Pacific Heights home just as the animated and live-action film crosses the $100 million mark at the box office.
Former Warner Bros. producer and Dreamworks Animation executive Christopher DeFaria and wife Alexandra are the new owners of the nearly 4,200-square-foot residence at 2023 Pacific Ave., according to public records.
The turn-of-the-century home sits two blocks north of Lafayette Park and has four bedrooms and three and a half baths.
The home underwent a major renovation in 2019 but retains its period charm. | Source: Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/The Standard
DeFaria was born in 1959 in San Francisco and worked as a child actor, voicing the “Peanuts” character Peppermint Patty in late 1960s and early 1970s TV specials, including the seasonal classic “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.” Later, he remained focused on animation as a producer, but his credits also include the live-action blockbusters “Gravity,” “Mad Max: Fury Road,” and “Ready Player One.”
DeFaria appears to have spent much of his adult life in Los Angeles but recently returned to his hometown after founding Chronicle Studios. The media and entertainment company, which raised $11.6 million in seed funding last year, uses AI to attract audiences and increase brand awareness. It recently signed deals for webseries with an animator of “How to Train Your Dragon” and the illustrator behind “The Goonies: The Illustrated Storybook.”
Alexandra and Christopher DeFaria. | Source: Michael Buckner/Variety/Getty Images
The sellers of 2023 Pacific Ave., a family trust, owned the detached Victorian for 20 years and took on a major renovation in 2019 that maintained the original millwork and pocket doors, bay windows, and fireplaces, according to permit records and listing notes from Robert and Barbara Callan of Sotheby’s. The kitchen has Sub-Zero, Wolf, Thermador and Miele appliances, as well as three sets of French doors that lead to a south-facing garden with stone terraces and a pergola. The sellers’ agents did not reply to a request for comment.
The home hit the market Aug.17, asking just under $8 million, and was in contract one month later. That seems like an eternity in today’s turbocharged market, and the buyers’ agent, Ruth Krishnan of Compass, isn’t sure why it didn’t sell faster or for more over asking. There are a lot of steps up to the front door and no water view, but her clients didn’t feel those were deal breakers.
“Every once in a while there is a house that gets overlooked for a myriad of reasons, and I think buyers sometimes think that it’s something to do with the house, but sometimes it’s just dumb luck,” she said.
The home has almost 4,200 square feet, plus potential for expansion in the attic. | Source: Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/The Standard
She declined to confirm her clients’ identities or talk about their home search specifically, but said the property has an attractive combination of updates and historic features, plus a covetable layout with three bedrooms and two baths on the upper level and the outdoor access from the kitchen. It is also walkable to Fillmore and Union streets.
“It is the quintessential San Francisco north-side home, and so they were very happy to buy it,” she said.