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Katy Perry Convent Will Rent For $25K A Month, But Remain Empty
(Photo by Michael Locke via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr)
There has been a new development in the battle between pop star Katy Perry and entrepreneur Dana Hollister over a historic Los Feliz convent.To fill you in on this thrilling saga: There's a gorgeous, 1927 convent in Los Feliz called Waverly Retreat that Perry wants to live in and Hollister (owner of Brite Spot and 4100 Club) wants to turn into a hotel. Perry tried to buy the convent from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles for $15.5 million, while the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary said they were granted permission to sell the convent and sold it to Hollister for $14.5 million. Superior Court Judge C. Chalfant decided that the nuns' sale wasn't valid in July, but that Perry couldn't buy it until they figured this whole thing out, which could take a while. So in the interim, Hollister will be forking over $25,000 a month to rent, plus maintenance. Her offer to do so was, according to one of her attorneys, in order to "de-escalate some of the tension" that had endured over the last few months, the Los Feliz Ledger reports.
Renting the convent isn't as romantic as it may sound. One condition of Hollister's deal is that she has to vacate the convent, though she can access it for emergency repairs if she provides 24 hours notice to everyone involved. Starting November 1, Hollister will also have to submit a report of any needed repairs, plus expenses, to the archdiocese. The money will go to the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary's nonprofit institute.
The Los Angeles Archdiocese attorney’s put $75,000 a month on the table, but Chalfant rejected this sum as too high, considering the state of the property. Michael Hennigan, a lawyer for the archdiocese, said he was “amazed” by Hollister’s decision to pay rent while the convent sits empty, the L.A. Times reports. Perry’s team did not speak at the hearing today.
In October, it's back to the courtroom to determine who is actually entitled to sell the convent.
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