The mystery buyer of a $42.9-million mansion in Holmby Hills last year has been identified as entertainment agency mogul Patrick Whitesell.
Whitesell, a former talent agent and the executive chairman of Endeavor, bought the 19,300-square-foot estate at 545 S. Mapleton Dr. last April, Dirt.com reported.
The seller, businessman Jack Rimokh, first listed the 1.3-acre compound for $59 million before the final ask fell to $51.5 million.
545 South Mapleton Drive in Holby Hills (Hilton & Hyland)
The eight-bedroom, 13-bath Italian-style Palazzo was built in 2001 by the late W. Howard Lester, former chairman and chief executive of gourmet cookware retailer Williams-Sonoma.
A long driveway flanked by olive trees leads up to the Mediterranean-style house, designed by architect Robert Sinclair and interior specialist Mark Boone.
545 South Mapleton Drive in Holby Hills (Hilton & Hyland)
The main house comes with seven bedrooms, including two staff rooms, eight bathrooms and four powder rooms, and a six-car attached garage.
A bridge from the main house leads to a two-story guesthouse, which holds a gym and sauna, one bedroom and two bathrooms.
The gated residence is surrounded by mature trees, koi ponds and gardens. Beyond the arched front entry are limestone floors, Venetian plaster walls, groin vault ceilings and colonnades inspired by 14th century Italian gothic architecture.
A brick barrel ceiling hovers over a chef’s kitchen and its marble island. A massive library is topped by a coffered ceiling. A staircase leads down to a wine cellar, a screening room, a billiards room and a lounge trimmed in gold leaf accents.
Its lush grounds feature a motor court out front and an elegant swimming pool, spa, pavilion and a dining patio out back.
Linda May of Hilton & Hyland held the listing. Whitesell was represented by Kurt Rappaport of Westside Estate Agency.
A one-time agent for Creative Artists Agency, Whitesell joined Endeavor Talent Agency and helped Ari Emanuel orchestrate the 2009 merger between Endeavor and the William Morris Agency. The resulting William Morris Endeavor was renamed Endeavor in 2017.
545 South Mapleton Drive in Holby Hills (Hilton & Hyland)
When Endeavor went public a year ago, Emanuel and Whitesell together controlled shares worth $845 million, according to Forbes. Whitesell is known for his very public split from first wife Lauren Sanchez, a Los Angeles entertainment reporter and journalist now partnered with Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, and his subsequent marriage to Chilean-born Australian model/actress Pia Miller.
The Beverly Hills Post Office estate that Whitesell shared with Sanchez was listed in November for $22 million and remains unsold.
[Dirt] – Dana Bartholomew
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