LOS ANGELES _ It may be some time before baseball returns to Los Angeles, but that's not stopping St. Louis Cardinals owner Bill DeWitt from landing a new offseason dugout. The businessman was the buyer of Eva Longoria's Hollywood Hills compound.
DeWitt paid $8.25 million for the place _ which wasn't even in the same ballpark as Longoria's original $14 million asking price _ and is just the latest in a string of high-profile names to own the French-influenced estate. Before Longoria, box office star Tom Cruise owned the compound.
Spanning 2.75 acres, the property includes a three-bedroom villa, four-bedroom guesthouse, two studios and a stone cottage. Outside, a whimsical bridge tops a resort-style pool lined with boulders.
Hardwood floors sit under whitewashed beams in the living spaces, which include a formal dining room and kitchen with a farmhouse sink. French doors line the living room, opening to a flagstone terrace overlooking L.A.
The master suite opens to a terrace of its own, one of many that fill out the back of the property. Meandering stone pathways navigate the landscaped grounds filled with patios and fountains.
DeWitt, 78, bought the Cardinals for $150 million in 1995 and has seen the team's value soar in the decades since, with Forbes currently estimating the club's worth at $2.2 billion. During his tenure, the team has won two World Series titles in 2006 and 2011.
Around the time of the sale, he quietly unloaded his place in Studio City in an off-market deal for $3.4 million.
As an actress, Longoria starred in "The Young and the Restless" before an eight-season run on the comedy-drama series "Desperate Housewives," which earned her a Golden Globe nomination. The 45-year-old has also been directing lately with credits on "The Mick" and "Grand Hotel."
