Beverly House ups ante with $135-million asking price
No sooner did the mountain move -- the $125-million Fleur de Lys chateau listing that held the price peak in the Southern California market sold this week for a record-breaking $102 million -- than another pinnacle popped up to take its place at the summit of the price spectrum.
Reentering the fray at $135 million is what’s known as the Beverly House, built by local banker Milton Getz in the 1920s and known as the onetime residence of publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst and actress Marion Davies. Adding more glitter to the pedigree, the six-acre estate in Beverly Hills served as a honeymoon spot for Jacqueline and John F. Kennedy.
Unlike socialite Suzanne Saperstein’s Fleur de Lys listing, which had held steady at its asking price since 2007, the 50,000-square-foot Beverly House has been marketed at different prices during the same time frame. Listed at one point for $165 million, the estate was priced most recently at $115 million.
Architect Gordon Kaufmann designed the terra-cotta-hue stucco, H-shaped mansion drawing from Spanish and Italian styles.
Gates near the two-story gate house swing open to the invited, and a long private driveway winds upward, ending at a motorcourt and fountain.
Moorish Revival style in the Hollywood Hills
Inside, intricately carved ceilings and paneled walls, French doors, balconies and arched ceilings create the ambience of a fine-art museum.
The main level includes a 50-foot entry hall with loggia, a living room with 22-foot-high arched and detailed ceilings that has seen its share of entertaining, a welcoming garden-view bar and a hushed library with hand-carved woodwork. A staircase leads to a second story wrap-around balcony and bookshelves.
The billiard room retains its original herringbone parquet floors and a massive carved stone fireplace mantle from San Simeon.
Floor-to-ceiling windows overlook cascading waterfalls that lead to the pool and the Venetian column-flanked pool house. An outdoor terrace can seat up to 400 for dinner. There are 30 bedrooms and 40 bathrooms.
Filmgoers have had glimpses of the storied mansion in the movies “The Godfather” and “The Bodyguard.”
Jeffrey Hyland of Hilton & Hyland, an affiliate of Christie’s International Real Estate, is the listing agent.
[For the Record, 3:27 p.m. PST April 4: An earlier version of this post did not include all three parcels included in the asking price. This version updates the acreage, most recent asking price and the number of bedrooms and bathrooms.]
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