The jury is out whether this SoCal estate in Bel-Air is "actually more restrained and tasteful than I was expecting" or, rather, "reeks of hotel design" to the point that it "seems perfect for a rehab center"—both opinions so eloquently stated by Curbed LA commenters—so, at risk of disrupting the debate, let's just stick to the facts. Though this original property was designed and built in the late '30s by Paul Revere Williams, an esteemed L.A. architect and the first black man to be be admitted into the American Institute of Architects, the house, now listed for $65M, is nigh-unrecognizable thanks to decades of wealthy folk buying up and customizing it—adding a glass elevator here, a 12-seat home theater there. Once upon a time (the 1970s, to be exact) it was owned by country star Kenny Rogers, who, as a Leo and apparent astrology fanboy, flanked the entrance gates with lions and dubbed his home—trumpet fanfare—Liongate. He also dug out a tennis court from the hillside and, according to the Wall Street Journal, "changed or removed many of the original features." Still, the most major of major renovations did not come until about 2010.
Originally, this house was lavish at 9,359 square feet, though under the thumb of its current owners, mystery Europeans who bought the place in 2010 from a daughter of the late billionaire Marvin Davis, renovations have pumped the house up to 24,000 square feet, complete with a guest wing still under construction. Now the place, so large it almost seems cramped on the property's two acres, boasts nine bedrooms and 14 bathrooms, plus a gym, sauna, and refrigerated wine room. The ballroom (with a separate entrance) remains, though now there's a saltwater swimming pool, fleet of custom water fountains, and glass elevator to up its mansion cred. Asking $65M, it all comes fully furnished. Whether that's much of a positive is, well, up to you:
· Bel Air Megamansion Liongate Hitting the Market for $65 Million
· Large Bel Air Estate Lists for $65M [Wall Street Journal]
· Liongate Estate [official site]
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