$600,000 A Month Lease for Beverly Hills Mansion: Former Home of Marion Davies
A $600,000 a month lease went up for sale in the exclusive neighborhood of Beverly Hills, Calif., and now it may be recognized as the most expensive real estate lease ever. The 1920s mansion sits atop 3.7 acres of land and has played host to many celebrities and wealthy socialites.
The $600,000 a month lease is being offered currently by Jeffery Hyland of Hilton & Hyland real estate, and the listing agent told The Los Angeles Times it "may be the most expensive lease in the country." The 50,000-square foot space boasts 17 bedrooms, 29 bathrooms, and the city's longest private driveway.
Included in the expansive manor is a theater, a billiards room, a living room with 22-foot ceilings, a 50-foot entry hall, a 2-story library, a nightclub, two tennis courts, a 75-foot-long pool, and an outdoor terrace that seats 400. Two guesthouses and a 2-bedroom apartment also come with the property.
However, $600,000 buys more than space- it buys history. Many of the original furnishings from when the house was built in the 1920s are still intact. At the time, banker Milton Getz decided to build the mansion in the classic Mediterranean style. It's most recent owner, attorney and investor Leonard Ross, expanded the house significantly, adding over 20,000 square feet.
"It has been a labor of love," he told The Los Angeles Times previously. "This is not a spec house."
The mansion has been home to Marion Davies, publishing tycoon William Randolph Hearst, and was the honeymoon residence of John F. Kennedy and his wife Jacqueline. It has also had movies like "The Godfather" and "The Bodyguard" filmed inside its walls.
The house was formerly listed for $165 million, but after the property was reduced by three acres, it was devalued to $95 million. The home was also listed for $500,000 a month, but that price has been increased.
Ross is selling the home because of financial difficulties.
