10. The Manor: 594 S. Mapleton Drive, Westwood
- When it comes to design, is less really more? It certainly wasn’t for Aaron Spelling. The television mogul commissioned this flashy, 56,000-square-foot mega mansion in 1988, and it quickly rose to fame as the largest residential home in Los Angeles County (a record it still holds today). Few escape the spotlight unscathed, however, and the Manor is no exception. From the beginning, it’s been the target of ridicule from socially aware critics who deride its shameless display of consumerism; as well as from aesthetes, who find its gaudiness more than enough cause for concern. The gargantuan, 123-room chateau boasts a bowling alley, an ice skating rink, three designated gift-wrapping rooms and parking space for 100 vehicles (or what we assume was an average Sunday dinner at the Spellings'). Aaron died in 2006, and in 2009, his widow, Candy, put the home on the market at an astronomical $150 million. The listing didn’t budge for two years, until it sold in 2011 at far under asking (practically a steal at $85 million!) to then–23-year-old trust-fund baby Petra Ecclestone Stunt. Candy gave up the Manor — along with her personal hair and beauty salon, and the entire wing of the house dedicated to her clothes — and “downsized” to a two-story, 18,000-square-foot penthouse in Century City. If that’s considered roughing it, sign us up.
No comments:
Post a Comment