The Playboy mansion in Los Angeles is about to be sold to a neighbor, an adjacent property owner who also co-owns Hostess Brands, maker of Twinkies, Ho Hos and Ding Dongs.
Granted, there have been lots of stories about Hugh Heffner's bunny playhouse being sold, but this one comes from
The Wall Street Journal.
Daren Metropoulos, a principal at private-equity firm Metropoulos & Co. owned by his father, is in contract to buy the 1927 mansion designed by Arthur Rolland Kelly, reported the Journal.
“The heritage of this property transcends its celebrity, and to have the opportunity to serve as its steward would be a true privilege,” Metropoulos said.
The purchase price wasn't disclosed, but the mansion was listed at $200 million. Playboy Enterprises bought it for $1.05 million in 1971, and its sale is contingent on allowing 90-year-old Playboy Founder Hugh Hefner to live out his remaining days there.
Metropoulos, 32, bought the adjacent house from Hefner in 2009 for $18 million and intends to join the two properties after Hefner dies, according to the Journal.
The 20,000-square-foot mansion features 12 bedrooms, a catering kitchen, wine cellar, home theater, tennis court, swimming pool and a large grotto, according to the
property listing. The property also includes a four-bedroom guest house.
Metropoulos is the son of Greek American billionaire C Dean Metropoulos,
The Guardian reported. His private equity firm, which once owned Pabst Blue Ribbon beer, bought Hostess Brands out of bankruptcy in 2013.
Playboy had considered selling the company as well as the mansion, but more recently began to consider selling a minority stake or its licensing business, said the Journal.
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