Real Estate newsletter: Bel-Air mansion is the year’s biggest sale

Real Estate newsletter: Bel-Air mansion is the year’s biggest sale

Spanning 2.5 acres, the Barron Hilton property includes a sunken tennis court, a famous zodiac pool and a Georgian-style mansion. Welcome back to the Real Estate newsletter, where mammoth sales and one-of-a-kind listings make the biggest splashes as we head into a summer market that’s sure to stay hot.

The week’s two most interesting real estate stories share something in common — homes that are famous because of their late former owners — but the houses themselves couldn’t be more different.

The larger of the pair is hotel magnate Barron Hilton’s longtime home, a 15,000-square-foot Bel-Air trophy estate that sold for $61.5 million — which is Southern California’s priciest home sale this year. Over in the Hollywood Hills, a 100-year-old abandoned Craftsman once rented by rock icon Kurt Cobain surfaced for sale at $998,000. Based on the photos, it might need a little work.

Across the country in Tampa, Fla., Tom Brady found out that even he isn’t immune to landlord trouble. His landlord just happened to be Yankees legend Derek Jeter, who sold the 22,000-square-foot mansion that Brady was renting for a cool $22.5 million. Let’s hope the movers are careful with the star quarterback’s seven Super Bowl rings.

Another week, another potential project for downtown L.A. The owners of the plant where this very newspaper is printed are hoping to redevelop the site into a Hollywood-style lot with 17 soundstages. The budget: $650 million.

Speaking of aspiring projects, the winners are in for the “Low Rise: Housing Ideas for Los Angeles” competition, which challenged architects to imagine new, higher-density options rooted in the architectural traditions of Southern California.

While catching up on the latest, visit and like our Facebook page , where you can find real estate stories and updates throughout the week. Big house, big sale

Barron Hilton’s home — a Bel-Air trophy estate where the business mogul lived from the 1960s until he died in 2019 — just sold for $61.5 million.

That ranks as the most expensive home sale in Southern California this year, records show, but it’s only May. The deal beats out a Beverly Park mansion that was auctioned off for $51 million and a Palisades estate that was sold by Vice Media co-founder Shane Smith for $48.67 million in April.

Set on 2.5 acres, the Georgian-style mansion hit the market with a $75-million price tag late last year. Paul R. Williams — a famed architect with a star-studded client list including Frank Sinatra, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz — built the 15,000-square-foot showplace in 1936. Considered one of Williams’ seminal works, the estate was designed for Jay Paley, a businessman and film producer from the famed Paley family, who founded CBS.

The property’s most emblematic feature is tucked away at the back — a custom Moderne-inspired pool with alluring blue, gold and yellow tiles that depict the 12 signs of the zodiac. Achieve Nirvana in Hollywood Hills

Built a century ago, the Craftsman comes with a key to the famed High Tower elevator. A famous fixer-upper just surfaced for […]

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