The Manor in Holmby Hills returned to the listing services this week, looking $25 million slimmer. Petra Ecclestone, the British heiress and socialite, sliced the price of the 123-room estate to $175 million, nearly two years after it first hit the market at $200 million. Built by the late Aaron Spelling, the TV producer, the 56,000-square-foot French chateau-style compound has seven bedrooms, a two-lane bowling alley, tanning rooms, two-level closet and 100-car parking lot. Ecclestone purchased it in 2011 for $85 million. She then deployed a small army of 500 workers to extensively renovate the estate to her liking. A deep-pocketed buyer can turn to David Kramer and Rick Hilton of Hilton & Hyland to make an offer.
On a smaller scale, Ron Burkle, co-founder of investment firm Yucaipa, purchased the home of the late Bob Hope for $15 million. Spanning about 15,000 square feet, the historic home in Toluca Lake has six bedrooms, a two-bedroom guest house, an office, indoor swimming pool and golf hole, the Wall Street Journal reported. It was built in 1939 by the late comedian, and most recently listed for $22 million. Burkle plans on restoring the residence, and building up to six homes around it on the 5.5-acre lot. It was the second property Burkle has bought from the Hope family. Craig Strong of Pacific Union International brokered the deal.
Over in Malibu, a home built by the late “Singin’ in the Rain” star Debbie Reynolds came on the market for $18 million. Barbara Marshall, widow of the late producer-director Garry Marshall, is selling the 3,200-square-foot beach pad, which is located in glitzy Carbon Beach. It has five bedrooms and four bathrooms, along with a swimming pool that faces the Pacific Ocean. Tony Mark and Russell Grether of Compass are representing Marshall.
Nearly a month after selling his Maui home for $4.8 million, Mike Kroeger, Nickelback’s bassist, dropped almost $4 million for a four-bedroom pad in the Hollywood Hills. The two-story residence has a studio-style guesthouse, swimming pool, outdoor dining deck and spa. The home dates to the mid-1930s, when silent screen star Bela Lugosi reportedly allowed a pet panther to roam the halls. Since then the roster of residents has included Diana Ross, Richard Gere, Nicolas Cage, Michelle Pfeiffer and Mel Gibson. It’s latest owner, Douglas Merrill, a tech entrepreneur and former Google exec, sold the home to Kroeger.