Question: Ever wondered what lies behind those iron gates? It is the Playboy Mansion. This legendary estate has been the backdrop for decades of lavish parties. It was a symbol of a hedonistic lifestyle.
The Playboy Mansion, also known as Playboy Mansion West, was Hugh Hefner’s home from 1971 until his death in 2017. Barbi Benton convinced Hefner to buy the Holmby Hills home. It is near Beverly Hills in Los Angeles, California.
From the 1970s onward, the mansion became famous. Hefner held lavish parties often attended by celebrities and socialites. Today, Daren Metropoulos owns the Playboy Mansion. He uses it for corporate activities. It is also a location for television production and magazine photography. The mansion hosts charitable events and civic functions too.
The 21987-square-foot house is Gothic-Tudor in style. It sits on 5.3 acres. Arthur R. Kelly designed it in 1927. It was originally Holmby House for Arthur Letts Jr. He was the son of The Broadway department store founder.
Playboy Enterprises acquired the Playboy Mansion in 1971 for $1.05 million. Its previous owner was Louis D. Statham. He was an engineer, inventor, and chess aficionado. The Playboy Mansion sits near the Los Angeles Country Club. It is close to the University of California, Los Angeles and the Bel-Air Country Club. After Playboy bought it, $15 million went into renovation and expansion.
The Playboy Mansion has 29 rooms. There is a wine cellar with a Prohibition-era secret door. A screening room features a built-in pipe organ. You will find a game room, three zoo or aviary buildings and a tennis or basketball court. A waterfall flows into a swimming pool area. This area includes a patio, barbecue, grotto, and basement gym with sauna.
The landscaping includes a large koi pond with an artificial stream. A small citrus orchard grows here. Two well-established forests of tree ferns and redwoods thrive. The west wing housed the editorial offices of Playboy. Hefner’s personal suite was on the second and third floors. It was heavily renovated in the 1970s. The mansion maintained its original Gothic-revival furnishings.
In 2006, Izabella St. James wrote about the mansion’s need for renovation. She described old furniture and stained mattresses. During Hefner’s marriage to Kimberly Conrad, the Mansion became more conservative.
The mansion next door mirrors the Playboy Mansion layout. Hefner bought it in 1996. It became the home for Conrad and their children after their separation. In 2016, the Playboy Mansion was listed for sale. The asking price was $200 million. Hefner could rent the mansion for life. Daren Metropoulos bought it for $100 million. He plans to restore the mansion.
In 2018, Metropoulos agreed with the City of Los Angeles. This agreement protects the Playboy Mansion from demolition. He can make modernizations and renovations. He agreed to restore the house to its original grandeur.
The Playboy Mansion has appeared in films like Beverly Hills Cop II. It hosted The Amazing Race. It also featured in Entourage and Curb Your Enthusiasm. The mansion was a setting in The House Bunny.
In 2011, a bacterial outbreak occurred. 123 people complained of illness after an event at the Playboy Mansion. The outbreak traced to a hot tub in the grotto. It contained Legionella pneumophila.
Today’s Playboy is not Hugh Hefner’s Playboy. The Playboy Mansion’s legacy is complex. It is a place of lavish parties and controversial history. Its future is one of preservation and renovation. The Playboy Mansion stands as a symbol of an era. It embodies both glamour and controversy.