Last week we were invited to attend the Inman Luxury Connect Welcome Party in Beverly Hills - essentially a huge mixer for luxury real estate agents from around the country. One of the best parts was that the event was held in the stunning Owlwood Estate, also known as the "Crown Jewel of Holmby Hills." This massive estate is currently represented by Douglas Elliman Real Estate and was last listed in 2012 by The Agency for a whopping $150 million!
Designed in 1936 by acclaimed Los Angeles architect Robert Farquhar, Owlwood Estate first opened in 1937, and has been home to big names ever since, including Joseph Schenck, the founder of the studio that would become 20th Century Fox, and Sonny and Cher Bono. Built in the Italian Renaissance style, the mansion boasts a total of 9 bedrooms and 12 bathrooms and is over 12,000 square feet. Originally one single residence, the estate now encompasses what were once three separate properties: the main house, porn producer Bill Osco's neighboring estate, and actress Jayne Mansfield's notorious "Pink Palace." Today, the estate consists of close to 10 acres of land in the beautiful Holmby Hills neighborhood, which is home to esteemed names and some of the most expensive homes in the world.
Private and luxurious, Owlwood Estate has had its share of prominent inhabitants from well-known celebrities to powerful magnates. Initially built for Florence Quinn, the ex-wife of real estate mogul Arthur Letts Jr., the mansion has since been home to Joseph Drown, the entrepreneur who converted Hotel Bel-Air into a hotel in the 1940s, Superior Oil founder William Keck, actor Tony Curtis, and even a possible arms dealer! The home is currently owned by Dawn Arnall, widow of subprime mortgage profiteer Roland Arnall.
Exploring the grounds of the Crown Jewel of Holmby Hills was definitely one of the highlights of the event - check out some of the images below of this Los Angeles treasure!
