Despite rumors that the deal had fallen apart in the negotiations over the logistics of renovations with Hef remaining in residence until his dying day, the sale of the Playboy Mansion has apparently gone through.
That’s according to the L.A. Times, which puts the price tag at $100 million, which would make it “the biggest home sale ever recorded in Los Angeles County” (though still $100 million less than it was listed at). The property now belongs to neighbor Daren Metropoulos, who in his work with family investment firm Metropoulos & Co. has been involved with the purchase and revamp of brands such as Twinkies and PBR. Via the announcement:
“The Playboy Mansion is one of the most iconic properties in the world and the crown jewel of Holmby Hills and the platinum triangle,” Metropoulos said in the release.
“For the last 45 years, Mr. Hefner has imbued the estate with a rich and storied legacy,” he said. “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.”
A New York Times profile noted that this isn’t the first interest the Metropouloses have taken in a historic property:
In 2003, [father] Dean Metropoulos spent $10.9 million for the tattered Castle at Tarrytown in New York. Daren took a particular interest in the refurbishment, pouring himself into plans for a spa, the overhaul of a restaurant and minutiae like drapery selection, according to Gilbert Baeriswil, the hotel’s former general manager. “I remember him saying over and over, ‘I want to see more carpet samples,’” said Mr. Baeriswil, who now runs the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, Vt.
Pour one out for the presumably revolting carpets sure to meet their demise at Mr. Metropoulos’s hands in the near future.