Few homes recently on sale in LA have the star-studded history of The Beverly, also known as 'The Godfather mansion'. Yes, this is that house used for that scene in The Godfather (if you are from another planet and haven't seen it, we'll just say it involves a horse's head).
And there's more: this opulent home was also used as a set for The Bodyguard, and it was JFK's honeymoon home. Even by Beverly Hills standards, these are some serious celebrity credentials.
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This house is so expensive, though, that it hasn't always been easy to sell it. It went on sale in 2016 for $195 million, but failed to find a buyer. Last we heard, it was on sale again in April 2020 for $125 million, after being owned by financier Leonard Ross for 35 years.
So, what's all the fuss about? Well, there are 18 bedrooms and 25 baths; there are six different buildings spread over 50,000 square feet, with the oldest building dating back to 1927 and designed by the architect of the Hoover Dam, no less.
The swimming pool is Olympic-sized, there are two cinema rooms (as befits a home that is itself a piece of movie history), and – there is an Art Deco-style nightclub that can accommodate more than 400 people. We can only imagine the epic parties that have gone on on there over the years.
The interior style is part Art Deco mansion, part Gothic haunted house – pure Hollywood fantasy, and actually rather cozy, if we may say so. The galleried library is easily our favorite. We do wonder who the lucky new owner is.
