One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Playboy Mansion Finally Sold for $100 Million
Sweet pad. (Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images)
The saga of the Playboy Mansion's pending sale has come to a close. Earlier this month we reported that J. Daren Metropoulos—"heir to a fortune built on Chef Boyardee meatballs, Pabst Blue Ribbon beer and Bumble Bee tuna"—had dropped his bid to secure Hugh Hefner's iconic pad in Holmby Hills. But then we heard that this was just a rumor, and that Metropoulos was still in the running for the home.
Now, Metropoulos says in a release that he's scooped up the mansion for $100 million. As noted by Curbed LA, the sale price is just half of what was listed in January, but it still makes the mansion the second-most expensive property sold in the L.A. County (the gaudy Fleur de Lys, also in Holmby Hills, tops the list).
One funny thing: while some ultra-rich homeowners may flout the historical relevance of their properties, Metropoulos says he's going to honor the vision of the mansion's architects.
You see, Metropoulos actually lives on the property right next to the Playboy Mansion—in a sort of "sister mansion." The two properties were originally built in 1920 as one estate, reports Fox News. According to the Wall Street Journal, the smaller mansion was "used by Mr. Hefner’s former wife to raise their two children." Metropoulos bought this property in 2009 for a cool $18 million. Now that Metropoulos is the owner of both mansions, he plans on connecting them to form a 7.3-acre compound. The Playboy Mansion will then be a part of a mega, Playboy fortress.
"The property's heritage is not only that of a famous address; it is a true masterpiece in design, constructed by a noted architect for a family who played an important role in the development of Los Angeles in the early 20th Century," Metropoulos said in the release.
As noted at ABC News, the Playboy Mansion has 29 rooms, a wine cellar, a home theater and a catering kitchen. It even has its own zoo license, because of course it would.
And what about Hef? Where's he gonna totter around in a bathrobe now? He's actually going to stay in the Playboy Mansion; one of the stipulations of the sale was that ol' Hef would get to live on the property as long as he's alive.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
