“Woo woo woo woo woo woo woo… Barbra Streisand!” Have you ever been whistling this catchy tune by “Duck Sauce,” a Canadian-American DJ duo released in 2010? If you say “yes,” you probably have succumbed to the charm of Barbra’s personality. This gifted American diva has realized as an actress, singer, songwriter, TV producer, and film director.
With Jewish heritage and Ukrainian roots, born in a low-income family in Brooklyn, she managed to build a successful career that lasted around 60 years, leaving her impact on the cinema and musical industry. Now, an 81-year-old Barbra is one of the best-selling recording artists of all time, with sales exceeding 150 million records worldwide. She is an honorable winner of numerous awards, including two Oscars for Best Actress for “Funny Girl” (1968) and Best Original Song for “Evergreen” (1976). You might have an impression that Streisand is living large, and you are right. One of her compounds in Malibu costs $100 million!
Her success, with an estimated net worth of nearly $915 million, has resulted in an outstanding amount of luxurious belongings. Don’t rush to envy, though: Barbra deserved every penny. Did you know that Streisand lived on her own at 16, taking various menial jobs to earn a living? She even dragged an army cot and slept at her friends’ houses during one gloomy period. Now, an Oscar-winning superstar enjoys meeting a new day in the cliffside estate in Malibu, sharing it with her husband, American actor James Brolin, and their dog Samantha.
She moved there after donating her previous house in Malibu to the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy in 1993, where she had lived for over 20 years. It was a lovely $12 million estate, framed by 22,5 acres of picturesque landscape with sycamore, walnut, pine, and oak trees, charming bridges and gardens, occasional deers, and even a stream on the territory. It had been her home since 1974, and it took years and tons of effort for Barbra to decorate it to her liking. She made a lot of renovations, planted over 1,000 trees, and even rerouted a spring, directing it across a grassy meadow. The compound consisted of five different houses — the so-called “Barn” (the vine-covered home she lived in), “The Peach House” (a guest house and a private movie theater), the “Art Deco House” (used for entertaining guests), the “Barwood” (a craftsman bungalow), and a former caretaker’s residence.
For some time, the lavish 24-acre compound was open for public tours. In 1993, you could get a 90-minute tour, including tea on the patio, for $30 per person. Per special permission, newlyweds could even perform a marriage ceremony in the backyard with a marvelous view of a formal Art Deco house and a rustic barn-like building. Unfortunately, other prosperous neighbors in Malibu objected to being bothered by numerous visitors, so now the property isn’t accessible for public tours.
For more details, please check our video about Barbara Streisand