That’s right, the Playboy Mansion was for sale. It could be haunted by the ghosts of fashion and cover models, celebrity whispers and Hollywood gossip. Some lucky guy will now get to spend the rest of his life wondering about the debauchery that took place within the walls.
However, he’ll have to wait until the current resident, Hugh Hefner, moves on to another life. Part of the closing deal is the buyer can’t move on the property until Hefner passes.
The house was listed by Gary Gold and Drew Fenton at Hilton & Hyland and broker Mauricio Umansky of The Agency. Despite predictions and square footage value, the home was listed for $200 million.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the home was purchased at an undisclosed price by Daren Metropoulos, Hefner’s neighbor.
Metropoulos is a principle at the private-equity firm Metropoulos & Co. Although he did pay what Hilton & Hyland president Jeff Hyland said was the highest figure anyone has ever paid for a residential property in Los Angeles, the figure was not shared.
What did you miss for $200 million?
For starters, you could’ve gotten one of the only private zoo licenses in Los Angeles. Hefner, who was known to have herds of Bunnies running around from time to time, also housed peacocks, macaws, and something like 100 monkeys in a caged area.
A world-famous grotto and heated swimming pool were added during the disco era.
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The 5.3 acre plot of land is home to the 21,000 square foot mansion. Inside the place is 29 rooms (12 of which are bedrooms) and a wine cellar. There is also basketball and tennis courts on the premises. If Metropoulos fancies holding onto the zoo license, there are aviary and zoo buildings on-site. There is also a pet cemetery.
Hefner reportedly maintained a year-long fireworks license just in case he ever wants to blast off a few mortars.
Some history of the Playboy Mansion
Constructed in 1927 by Arthur Roland Kelly, the Gothic-Tudor style was first home to Arthur Letts Jr. Playboy purchased the home from Louis D. Statham in 1971 for a reported $1.1 million. Even 45 years ago, the Playboy Mansion held the title of the most expensive residential sale in Los Angeles history at the time.
Since then, the mansion has seen several renovations and upgrades. As mentioned, Hefner had the heated swimming pool installed, as well as the infamous grotto — and what happens in the grotto, stays in the grotto. Except in the case of a 2011 Legionnaires Disease outbreak that was the result of contaminated pool water at the Mansion. That broke out.
