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America's Most Expensive Home Is The 'Beverly Hillbillies' Mansion, Which Seems About Right
(Photo via Wikimedia Commons)
Back in the 1960s, a lovable gang of misfits named the Clampetts moved from the Ozarks to become the "Beverly Hillbillies." Now it's half a century later in Los Angeles, where you can Postmates a plain white T-shirtfrom Justin Bieber and tattoo the Erwin Hotel logo on your body for a free night's stay; in this era of great-stage capitalism, it seems only too right that the most expensive house in the nation is the Clampett mansion, also known as the Chartwell estate, right here in L.A.'s opulent Bel Air neighborhood.
Built in 1933 by architect Sumner Spaulding, the Chartwell estate is going for a whopping $350 million asking price, Curbed reports; in addition to serving as the location for exterior shots of the Clampett mansion, the Chartwell estate was famously owned by late Univision head Jerry Perenchio.
In addition to the 25,000-square-foot mansion, the Chartwell property includes a ballroom, wine cellar, 40-car garage, 75-foot pool and a "formal salon", NBC Los Angeles reports, all the better for receiving guests in style while Rome burns. Sure, the increasing cost of rent in downtown L.A. is making Bel Air seem affordable by comparison, but if you just have to have that French neoclassical mega-mansion with the limestone facade and period-paneled dining room, you'll have to pony up the full $350 million. Hey, it's the cost of doing business, right?
The Chartwell estate listing is being held by Coldwell Banker Global Luxury, Hilton & Hyland and Berkshire Hathaway Home Services; LAist reached out for comment as to what kind of nefarious plutocrat is interested in purchasing the single most expensive home on the U.S. market, but did not immediately hear back.
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