The Manor (Los Angeles, California)
Encyclopedia
The Manor, also known as Spelling Manor is a mansion located in the Holmby Hills
neighborhood of Los Angeles, California
. It was the home of television producer Aaron Spelling
. Built in 1988, it is the largest home in Los Angeles County. It is currently owned by heiress Petra Ecclestone
, daughter of Formula One
racing magnate Bernie Ecclestone
. She bought it for $85 million. It had been on the market for two years with an asking price of $150 million, making it the most expensive residential real estate listing in the US.
, Charlie's Angels
, The Love Boat
, Beverly Hills, 90210
, and Charmed
– built The Manor as his private residence.
Designed by architects James Langenheim & Associates and built in 1988 at a cost of $12 million, the two-story house is 51.5 feet (15.7 m) high with a basement and an intermediate level for closets between the second story and attic. The house includes a screening room, gym, bowling alley, three rooms for wrapping presents, four two-car garages, tennis court, and pool. The parking lot accommodates 100 vehicles, and there are also 16 carports. Spelling razed the mansion which previously occupied the site and had been built in 1932 by Gordon Kaufmann and later owned by Bing Crosby
.
asked:
After its completion, Los Angeles Times architecture critic Sam Hall Kaplan panned the structure as one of the region's worst projects built in the 1980s: "Aaron Spelling residence, which at 56500 square feet (5,249 m²), should be considered a congregate living facility and not a single-family home, and therefore in violation of Holmby Hills zoning. What Spelling's folly is, of course, a sad commentary on the distorted values that have taken the architectural form of monster mansions at a time when tens of thousands of persons are homeless."
magazine ran a feature on the massive home, and performer John Perry composed a calypso/rap novelty song
about the house called "The Ballad of Aaron and Candy (An Ode to Spelling's Dwelling)". Some of the lyrics were:
In the movie Legally Blonde
, Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon
) described her social standing to Warner Huntington III (Matthew Davis
) this way: "I grew up in Bel Air, Warner. Across the street from Aaron Spelling."
The Manor was listed for sale in 2009 at an asking price of $150 million—making it the most expensive home in America. When the house was listed, Candy Spelling
called it the "greatest entertainment house ever" with a "kitchen where you can cook for two or 800." In her 18 years living at The Manor, Spelling recalled, "All the stars came through, Prince Rainier, Prince Charles, Jackie Kennedy—every star from every one of Aaron's shows."
In June 2011 the house was sold to 22-year-old fashion designer Petra Ecclestone
, daughter of Formula One
racing magnate Bernie Ecclestone
for $85 million.
Holmby Hills, Los Angeles, California
Holmby Hills is an affluent neighborhood in the district of Westwood in western Los Angeles. It is bordered by the city of Beverly Hills on the east, Wilshire Boulevard on the south, Westwood on the west, and Bel Air on the north. Sunset Boulevard is the area's principal thoroughfare which divides...
neighborhood of Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. It was the home of television producer Aaron Spelling
Aaron Spelling
Aaron Spelling was an American film and television producer. As of 2009, Spelling's eponymous production company Spelling Television holds the record as the most prolific television writer, with 218 producer and executive producer credits...
. Built in 1988, it is the largest home in Los Angeles County. It is currently owned by heiress Petra Ecclestone
Petra Ecclestone
Petra Ecclestone is a British-Croatian heiress, model, fashion designer and socialite, the younger daughter of Croatian former Armani model Slavica and Formula One billionaire Bernie Ecclestone. She has an older sister, Tamara and an older paternal half-sister, Deborah...
, daughter of Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
racing magnate Bernie Ecclestone
Bernie Ecclestone
Bernard Charles "Bernie" Ecclestone is an English business magnate, as president and CEO of Formula One Management and Formula One Administration and through his part-ownership of Alpha Prema, the parent company of the Formula One Group of companies. As such, he is generally considered the primary...
. She bought it for $85 million. It had been on the market for two years with an asking price of $150 million, making it the most expensive residential real estate listing in the US.
Description
The Manor is a French chateau-style mansion with 123 rooms and 56500 square feet (5,249 m²) of space on more than 4.6 acres (18,615.6 m²). It is the largest home in Los Angeles County. Aaron Spelling – widely known as the television producer series including DynastyDynasty (TV series)
Dynasty is an American prime time television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 12, 1981 to May 11, 1989. It was created by Richard & Esther Shapiro and produced by Aaron Spelling, and revolved around the Carringtons, a wealthy oil family living in Denver, Colorado...
, Charlie's Angels
Charlie's Angels
Charlie's Angels is a television series about three women who work for a private investigation agency, and is one of the first shows to showcase women in roles traditionally reserved for men...
, The Love Boat
The Love Boat
The Love Boat is an American television series set on a cruise ship, which aired on the ABC Television Network from September 24,1977, until May 24,1986.The show starred Gavin MacLeod as the ship's captain...
, Beverly Hills, 90210
Beverly Hills, 90210
Beverly Hills, 90210 is an American drama series that originally aired from October 4, 1990 to May 17, 2000 on Fox and was produced by Spelling Television in the United States, and subsequently on various networks around the world. It is the first series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise...
, and Charmed
Charmed
Charmed is an American television series that originally aired from October 7, 1998, until May 21, 2006, on the now defunct The WB Television Network. The series was created in 1998 by writer Constance M...
– built The Manor as his private residence.
Designed by architects James Langenheim & Associates and built in 1988 at a cost of $12 million, the two-story house is 51.5 feet (15.7 m) high with a basement and an intermediate level for closets between the second story and attic. The house includes a screening room, gym, bowling alley, three rooms for wrapping presents, four two-car garages, tennis court, and pool. The parking lot accommodates 100 vehicles, and there are also 16 carports. Spelling razed the mansion which previously occupied the site and had been built in 1932 by Gordon Kaufmann and later owned by Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
.
Controversy and critical reception
At the time of its construction, the project spawned a controversy over its massive size and "Look-at-me-I'm-rich architecture". The Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
asked:
"What's bigger than a football field, smaller than Hearst CastleHearst CastleHearst Castle is a National Historic Landmark mansion located on the Central Coast of California, United States. It was designed by architect Julia Morgan between 1919 and 1947 for newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst, who died in 1951. In 1957, the Hearst Corporation donated the property to...
, has a bowling alley and an entire floor of closets, and is making some people very annoyed? Aaron and Candy Spelling's 56500 square feet (5,249 m²) mansion in Holmby Hills. The French chateau, under construction now for two years, has turned the corner of Mapleton and Club View drives into a gawker's paradise. Sprawled across 6 acres (24,281.2 m²) on what once was the Bing Crosby estate, the house dwarfs the sizable mansions on the block and looms large over tranquil Holmby Park near Wilshire Boulevard."
After its completion, Los Angeles Times architecture critic Sam Hall Kaplan panned the structure as one of the region's worst projects built in the 1980s: "Aaron Spelling residence, which at 56500 square feet (5,249 m²), should be considered a congregate living facility and not a single-family home, and therefore in violation of Holmby Hills zoning. What Spelling's folly is, of course, a sad commentary on the distorted values that have taken the architectural form of monster mansions at a time when tens of thousands of persons are homeless."
The Manor in pop culture
The Spelling mansion has also been referenced in pop culture. PeoplePeople (magazine)
In 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...
magazine ran a feature on the massive home, and performer John Perry composed a calypso/rap novelty song
Novelty song
A novelty song is a comical or nonsensical song, performed principally for its comical effect. Humorous songs, or those containing humorous elements, are not necessarily novelty songs. The term arose in Tin Pan Alley to describe one of the major divisions of popular music. The other two divisions...
about the house called "The Ballad of Aaron and Candy (An Ode to Spelling's Dwelling)". Some of the lyrics were:
"See Candy's jewels, see Aaron's money,
Aaron doesn't think being picked on is funny.
See Candy's clothes, see Aaron's pad
See Aaron and Candy's castle make the neighbors mad.
But they're livin' in splendor high above the crowds
60,000 square feet of heaven.
That's Spelling's dwelling, I said
Spelling's Dwelling. . . ."
In the movie Legally Blonde
Legally Blonde
Legally Blonde is a 2001 American comedy film directed by Robert Luketic, written by Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith, and produced by Marc E. Platt...
, Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon
Reese Witherspoon
Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon , better known as Reese Witherspoon, is an American actress and film producer. Witherspoon landed her first feature role as the female lead in the film The Man in the Moon in 1991; later that year she made her television acting debut, in the cable movie Wildflower...
) described her social standing to Warner Huntington III (Matthew Davis
Matthew Davis
Matthew W. Davis is an American actor.-Life and career:Davis was born in Salt Lake City. He attended Woods Cross High School, and the University of Utah....
) this way: "I grew up in Bel Air, Warner. Across the street from Aaron Spelling."
Spelling's death and listing of the property
Spelling died in the mansion on June 23, 2006, from complications of a stroke, at the age of 83. The house was discussed in his obituary:
"Mr. Spelling himself, though a self-effacing and extremely shy man in private, put his own vast wealth on display in the late 1980s when he and his wife, Candy, supervised the construction of their home in the Holmby Hills section of Los Angeles. The structure, which like his shows drew mostly scathing reviews, eventually contained 123 rooms over about 56000 square feet (5,202.6 m²). It was said to include a bowling alley, an ice rink and an entire wing devoted to his wife's wardrobe."
The Manor was listed for sale in 2009 at an asking price of $150 million—making it the most expensive home in America. When the house was listed, Candy Spelling
Candy Spelling
Carole Gene "Candy" Spelling is an American author and socialite. She is the widow of Aaron Spelling.-Life and career:...
called it the "greatest entertainment house ever" with a "kitchen where you can cook for two or 800." In her 18 years living at The Manor, Spelling recalled, "All the stars came through, Prince Rainier, Prince Charles, Jackie Kennedy—every star from every one of Aaron's shows."
In June 2011 the house was sold to 22-year-old fashion designer Petra Ecclestone
Petra Ecclestone
Petra Ecclestone is a British-Croatian heiress, model, fashion designer and socialite, the younger daughter of Croatian former Armani model Slavica and Formula One billionaire Bernie Ecclestone. She has an older sister, Tamara and an older paternal half-sister, Deborah...
, daughter of Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
racing magnate Bernie Ecclestone
Bernie Ecclestone
Bernard Charles "Bernie" Ecclestone is an English business magnate, as president and CEO of Formula One Management and Formula One Administration and through his part-ownership of Alpha Prema, the parent company of the Formula One Group of companies. As such, he is generally considered the primary...
for $85 million.