For more than three decades, Venezia Pacifica has quietly occupied one of the most extraordinary positions anywhere along the California coast.
Perched atop the Point Dume bluff at the end of exclusive Cliffside Drive, the sprawling estate has remained in the same family since it was completed in 1991, overlooking the Pacific while becoming one of Malibu’s most recognizable private residences.
Now, following the passing of its original owner, self-made developer Ken Harges, the landmark property is coming to market for the very first time, asking $90 million.
Listed with Chris Cortazzo of Compass, the 17,700-square-foot estate represents an increasingly rare opportunity: a home whose sheer size, location, and architectural envelope simply couldn’t be recreated under today’s California coastal regulations.
A remarkable journey to Point Dume
The story behind Venezia Pacifica begins thousands of miles from Malibu.
Ken Harges grew up in rural Tennessee before joining the Marine Corps after high school and moving west to California in search of opportunity. Starting with a plastering business built from the ground up, he eventually became a successful multifamily developer responsible for more than 70 residential projects.
When it came time to build his own family home, Harges envisioned something designed not for headlines, but for generations.
His daughters, Bonnie Furgurson and Wendy Geweke, who grew up at the estate, are now offering the property for sale as successor trustees.
Point Dume’s most coveted bluff
Within Malibu, Point Dume has long occupied a category of its own.
Its dramatic coastline, private beach access, expansive parcels, and remarkable privacy have attracted celebrities, entrepreneurs, and business leaders for decades. Opportunities to purchase here are scarce even in strong markets, particularly on Cliffside Drive, one of the neighborhood’s most exclusive cul-de-sacs.
Venezia Pacifica occupies one of the finest positions on the bluff, enjoying uninterrupted 180-degree views across the Pacific.
Built before the rules changed
Timing has become one of the estate’s greatest luxuries.
Completed in 1991, the residence predates many of California’s modern coastal development restrictions, including today’s height limitations and permitting requirements.
As a result, its overall scale, architectural presence, and relationship to the bluff would be extraordinarily difficult — if not impossible — to duplicate today.
That alone places the property among the rarest offerings on the Malibu coastline.
One of the largest homes on Point Dume
At approximately 17,700 square feet, Venezia Pacifica ranks among the largest single-lot residences ever built atop the Point Dume bluff.
The scale is immediately apparent.
Grand entertaining spaces flow beneath soaring ceilings, while windows frame the Pacific from nearly every principal room. Rather than relying on excessive ornamentation, the home lets its proportions and extraordinary setting do much of the work.
Even by Malibu standards, the sense of volume is exceptional.
Spaces designed for entertaining
Venezia Pacifica was conceived on a scale few private residences can match.
Its principal rooms unfold beneath soaring ceilings, with expansive entertaining areas flowing naturally from one space to the next.
Interiors that embrace openness
Rather than feeling compartmentalized, the home’s layout embraces openness, allowing large gatherings while still creating moments of intimacy throughout the nearly 17,700-square-foot residence.
For a house originally designed around a large family, those proportions remain just as relevant today.
The pavilion at the edge of the Pacific
Every memorable estate has one defining image.
Here, it’s the oceanfront pavilion.
Positioned at the edge of the bluff and framed by classical columns against an endless Pacific horizon, the structure has become Venezia Pacifica’s architectural signature. It serves equally well as a quiet place to watch the sunset or as an unforgettable setting for large-scale entertaining above the water.
It’s the kind of feature visitors tend to remember long after they’ve left.
Every major room faces the Pacific
The architecture never lets you forget where you are.
Walls of glass frame uninterrupted ocean views throughout the home’s principal living spaces, drawing the Pacific deep into the interiors and filling the residence with natural light. Whether entertaining guests or enjoying a quiet morning at home, the coastline remains the constant backdrop.
It’s one of the reasons Point Dume has become synonymous with California luxury.
Nine bedrooms, endless flexibility
With nine bedrooms and fifteen bathrooms, the estate was designed to accommodate far more than occasional overnight guests.
The layout easily supports multigenerational living, visiting family, live-in staff, or dedicated wellness, office, and entertainment spaces. That flexibility has become increasingly valuable as luxury buyers seek homes capable of adapting to changing lifestyles.
Resort living above the coastline
The outdoor spaces are every bit as ambitious as the house itself.
Broad terraces step gracefully toward the bluff, creating multiple destinations for entertaining, dining, or simply taking in the ocean air.
A resort-style pool and spa enjoy sweeping coastal views, while mature landscaping provides privacy without obscuring the property’s greatest asset: the Pacific itself.
The entire estate was designed to celebrate its remarkable setting.
Riviera III Beach Key access
Along with its blufftop position, ownership includes coveted Riviera III Beach Key access.
The private key provides entry to one of Point Dume’s most desirable stretches of coastline, allowing owners to enjoy the neighborhood’s celebrated beaches without sacrificing the privacy and elevation of a blufftop estate.
It’s an amenity that remains highly prized among Point Dume homeowners.
A familiar face in Hollywood
Even if you’ve never visited Point Dume, chances are you’ve already seen Venezia Pacifica.
The estate has quietly built one of Malibu’s most impressive Hollywood résumés, appearing in Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, The O.C., Last Action Hero, Showgirls, Bulletproof, CSI: Miami, The Brady Bunch Movie, The Pretender, and numerous other productions.
It also served as the backdrop for Jay-Z’s “Money Ain’t a Thang” music video, cementing its place among Malibu’s most recognizable filming locations.
Twenty-car underground garage
Beneath the residence sits one of its most remarkable features.
A roughly 9,500-square-foot subterranean garage provides parking for approximately twenty vehicles, making it as impressive as many standalone luxury homes.
Whether housing a significant automobile collection or simply providing unmatched flexibility, the underground level reinforces the estate’s monumental proportions.
A foundation for the next chapter
One of the home’s greatest strengths is its flexibility.
While beautifully maintained, Venezia Pacifica also presents an extraordinary canvas for a future owner looking to tailor the residence to contemporary tastes. The architectural framework, generous room sizes, and existing infrastructure provide a foundation capable of supporting virtually any design vision without requiring compromises on scale.
Finding that kind of opportunity on California’s tightly regulated coastline has become increasingly uncommon.
A legacy measured in decades
Luxury listings come and go.
Properties that remain in one family for more than thirty years — particularly on Point Dume — are another matter entirely.
For the Harges family, Venezia Pacifica was the setting for decades of family life. For its next owner, it offers something increasingly difficult to find anywhere along the California coast: extraordinary scale, irreplaceable location, grandfathered architectural freedom, and the chance to become the next steward of one of Malibu’s defining blufftop estates.
Some opportunities are measured in square footage.
This one is measured in generations.
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