Even though Edwin Castro is now living large in a $25 million Hollywood Hills bachelor pad, the record-setting lottery winner hasn't forgotten his Altadena roots. Records show the former mechanic and aspiring architect, 30, has dropped about $4 million to buy a lovely property just a short drive away from the Mobil gas station where he bought his winning Powerball ticket, worth some $2 billion.

Built in 1953, originally as a humble midcentury ranch-style structure, the house last sold in 2010 for $1.1 million to a noted French-born artist and her husband. The couple loved the location but wasn't fond of the architecturally unremarkable house itself, so they subsequently demolished the existing residence and rebuilt it as a larger, courtyard-style modern home with more than a dash of Japanese influence and Palm Springs vibes.

Unassuming from the street and semi-hidden behind olive trees and other native plantings, the single-story house flaunts striking Brazilian cherry hardwood floors throughout. Paired with high ceilings, snow-white walls and minimalist light fixtures used sparingly throughout, the place is ideal for displaying vibrantly colorful decor or a modern art collection.

Interior highlights include a notably large living room with a fireplace flanked by two giant windows, an eat-in kitchen with Thermador appliances and garden views, a whole-house water filtration system, solar system with Tesla PowerWall batteries and a master bedroom with direct access to the backyard. There are five bedrooms in the house, though two of them are currently configured as an art studio and a soundproof movie theater, respectively.

Outside, the U-shaped home wraps tightly around a tranquil pond and patio, and there's also a saltwater swimming pool nearby. The property offers off-street parking for more than a dozen vehicles, including in a detached two-car garage and separate covered carport. But the estate's most noteworthy feauture is undoubtedly its unobstructed views of the San Gabriel Mountains, all of them framed by soaring palm trees that surround the house.

While it's not nearly as trendy or celebrity-loved as other L.A. neighborhoods, Altadena offers its residents a relaxed and beautiful respite from the city's bustle, tucked into the foothills of Angeles National Forest. The unincorporated community is also just minutes from the shopping and dining destinations of Old Town Pasadena, the Rose Bowl, Huntington Library and numerous hiking trails.

Castro, who won a November 2022 lottery drawing and opted to take home a pre-tax lump sum of $997.6 million last month, was born and raised in the Altadena area, graduating from Crescenta Valley High School in the neighboring community of La Crescenta. He later attended Woodbury University in Burbank, graduating with a degree in architecture.

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