Priciest Home Ever Sold in California Goes To Media Mogul Murdoch

LOS ANGELES, CA — Lachlan Murdoch, the son of Rupert Murdoch and co-chairman of publishing company News Corp., set a record for buying the most expensive home ever sold in California for a whopping $150 million, according to multiple reports.

The Los Angeles Times confirmed Thursday that Murdoch is the deep-pocketed buyer who purchased the 25,000-square-foot neoclassical mansion known as Chartwell, the mansion famously used as the home of the Clampett family for the TV show “The Beverly Hillbillies.” Murdoch purchased the home from the late media mogul A. Jerrold Perenchio. Murdoch, California’s new king of the hill, may have shelled out more than anyone has ever paid for a home in the Golden State, but he may have still gotten a bargain. The purported $150 million purchase prize is less than half the original asking price of $350 million as a pocket listing.

The exact sale price isn’t clear. People familiar with the deal, who asked for anonymity because they were not authorized to comment, told the Los Angeles Times the closing price was well above the $119.75 million sale price of the Manor in Holmby Hills earlier this year.

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The estate centers on a 1930s French château of that sits on 10 acres. The property includes the former home of President Reagan and his wife, Nancy, which sits behind the main estate. The Murdoch sale is just the latest in a string of record-setting deals, making parts of Los Angeles a high-end market sought out by moguls, billionaires and foreign princes.

Since 2016, Los Angeles has had six sales of at least $100 million or more. Of California’s seven sales of $100 million or more, only one sits outside of Los Angeles County: the $117.5 million deal for a massive compound in northern California’s Woodside community in 2013.

In real estate circles, Chartwell has long been considered among L.A.’s great estates, according to The Times.

Designed by architect Sumner Spaulding, the limestone-clad estate includes such Gatsby-esque features as a ballroom, scaled formal rooms and a vaulted foyer. The custom wine vault can hold 12,000 bottles. There’s also a paneled dining room.

The 26-room mansion was commissioned by contractor and civil engineer Lynn Atkinson. In the 1940s, it was acquired by Chicago and Los Angeles hotelier Arnold Kirkeby at a cost of $200,000. Atkinson had the home built as a surprise for his wife, a prominent socialite. However, the Atkinsons reportedly never lived in the house.

Often referred to as the “house with the golden door knobs,” the estate became something of a white elephant during Atkinson’s ownership because of its gargantuan tax bill.

Atkinson for years battled with the county Board of Equalization over the assessed value of the house before successfully having its value reduced in 1943 from $165,000 to $70,000.

The new owners face a more modern total. The estate carries one of the highest annual tax bills in the Los Angeles area at $1.3 million. In all, the estate contains 18 bedrooms and 24 bathrooms.

Address: 875 Nimes Road, Los Angeles, California Listing Price: $195,000,000 Bedrooms: 11 Bathrooms: 18 Baths Built: 1935

This listing originally appeared on realtor.com. For more information and photos, click here.