Q&A: $150m, 23 bathrooms
Last Updated: June 24, 2011
Is the Spelling house the biggest in the US? No, not even close. It's easily surpassed by a mansion in Windermere, Florida, known as Versailles, in honour of the palace in France. The Florida mansion is often called the largest single family home in the country. The Louis XIV-style mansion is 6,200-sq metres, including 23 bathrooms, three pools and a 12-foot aquarium.
Do you really think somebody paid US$150 million (Dh550.9m)? Doubtful. It's been on the market for a long time. One report put the price closer to $85m, but nobody really knows for sure.
Is the house worth it? In this case, the price might actually be fair. Holmby Hills is one of the most exclusive neighbourhoods in the world, right in the centre of Los Angeles. There are not that many 2-hectare properties available in the centre of the city.
Spelling Manor is the perfect home for people who might feel cramped and claustrophobic in anything smaller than Versailles.
The mansion in Holmby Hills, California, which was reportedly sold last week to Petra Eccelstone, the daughter of Formula One leader Bernie Ecclestone, covers 5,250 square metres and includes 123 rooms, with everything from a bowling alley to a professional refrigeration unit for flowers.
No sale price was listed, but the French chateau-style estate has been on the market for years at US$150 million (Dh550.9m). If it received anything close to the listing price, it would be the most expensive single family residence in the US.
Earlier this year Yuri Milner, the Russian tech investor, set the new standard when he reportedly paid $100m for a cosy 2,360-sq-metre home in Los Altos, California.
Spelling Manor was created by the late TV producer Aaron Spelling - the creator of Beverly Hills 90210,Charlie's Angels,Starksky and Hutch and Dynasty - and his wife, Candy. The Spellings bought the 2-hectare estate, which is a stone's throw from Beverly Hills, Bel Air and all of Los Angeles' most treasured neighbourhoods, in 1991 and then promptly demolished the former home of crooner Bing Crosby to build their own dream home.
They spared no expense in adding their personal touches to the three-storey mansion, including a dog-grooming room, five bars, a barber shop and salon and a "gift-wrapping room". The entrance features two sweeping staircases, inspired by Gone With the Wind,The Wall Street Journal has reported.
The manor was also the family home for the Spellings' daughter, Tori, one of the stars of Beverly Hills 90210 and later her own reality television show. But the estate has also played host to the rich and famous from around the world, including Prince Charles, who has a room named after him.
Top 5: Celebrity homes for sale
1 Penelope Cruz-Javier Bardem, Hollywood Hills, $3.1m
2 Sheryl Crow, Nashville, $4.5m
3 Mel Gibson, Malibu,, $11.7m
4 Dennis Quaid, Pacific Palisades, $13.9m
5 Billy Joel, Sagaponack, $16.7m
Source: Zillow
Ms Spelling, who is famously estranged from her daughter, reportedly moved to downsize last year, buying a two-storey condominium in Beverly Hills for $47m.
The Quote: My dog can beat up Paris Hilton's dog. actress Tori Spelling
