Exotic woods and full slabs of onyx

The estate offered for sale at 6001 La Jolla Scenic Drive South boasts “almost two acres of lush tropical grounds and an expansive residence combining a sleek contemporary aesthetic,” listing literature promises. “With exotic woods and full slabs of onyx, this gated estate offers luxury well beyond the level of the finest five-star resort.”

The amenities begin at the teak double-door entry, with a wall lined with those onyx slabs (also present on a fireplace and in the master suite). Teak, the prized tropical hardwood, is also featured as flooring and window-framing material, part of the “signature architect design with Polynesian accents” that “creates spectacular drama and calm.”

Other interior amenities include a “curvilinear 800-gallon aquarium” adjacent to the casual dining area off the kitchen (there’s also a separate formal dining room), a “state-of-the-art acoustically-engineered theater” with Crestron home automation controls also linked to a surveillance and security system, lighting and automatic window-shade controls, and a whole-house audio system. The home and grounds also have access to commercial-grade wireless internet access.

A “serious kitchen” features two refrigerators and two dishwashers among its chef-quality appliance suite, and there’s another six-door commercial refrigerator/freezer in the granite-floored garage. Redundancy continues with two clothes washers, two gas dryers, and a 5000kW diesel generator to power the whole house in case of grid outages, in addition to the home’s solar array.

The master suite, with nearly 450 square feet of living space in the bedroom area alone, boasts “a solid hand-carved granite tub,” a steam shower with two heads and “custom body wash system,” and “Toto automatic toilets.”

Outside, “air, water, and fire all take their place in the vast grounds approaching two acres,” the listing continues. “Mature specimen palms, many 50+ years old, and picturesque specimen plantings surround the vanishing edge pool and spa with laminar fountains and the covered, heated, pool pavilion with barbecue area nearby,” while “landscape lighting includes a generous number of lifetime-warrantied copper and brass fixtures.”

There’s also a detached guest house, and “a charming children’s playhouse is tucked into a corner of the grounds.”

Public records indicate the current owner of the La Jolla Scenic estate is Harry Rady, son of the billionaire philanthropist Ernest Rady (namesake of Rady Children’s Hospital), who bought the land for just under $2.8 million in 2001 before constructing the current residence in 2005, which is stated in listing materials as including 9300 square feet of living space (county records put the building size at 7522 square feet). It currently carries an assessed value of just over $3.1 million, but a mortgage lien for more than $3.3 million was filed in 2007. Records also indicate that loan briefly went into default in late 2009 during the midst of the Great Recession housing crash, and the property also spent a year on the market around this time, attracting no buyers with its $9.9 million price tag.

Rady has made his way into the news a few times in recent years. In 2011 he was sued by Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu, who claimed a large section of backyard washing away in a landslide was the result of unpermitted improvements made by Rady before he sold another house, also in La Jolla, to Polamalu.

In 2007, Rady pleaded guilty to illegally importing firearms from Arizona, including three Romanian AK-47s.

The estate was listed for sale in early May, with an asking price of $11,800,000 that remains unchanged to date.