Sold! Playboy Mansion Gets New Landlord

LOS ANGELES, CA -- Hugh Hefner and his band of Playboy Playmates have a new landlord.

Billionaire businessman Daren Metropoulos announced today that escrow has closed on his $100 million purchase of the Playboy Mansion in Holmby Hills. The deal allows Hefner, 90, to continue living at the mansion for the rest of his life. It comes just weeks after Metropoulos pulled out of a $110 million deal to buy the property.

"The Playboy Mansion is one of the most iconic properties in the world and the crown jewel of Holmby Hills and the platinum triangle," Metropoulos said. "For the last 45 years, Mr. Hefner has imbued the estate with a rich and storied legacy. The property's heritage is not only that of a famous address. It is a true masterpiece in design, constructed by a noted architect for a family who played an important role in the development of Los Angeles in the early 20th Century."

Metropoulos -- whose family's company owns Hostess Brand foods and previously owned firms such as Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer, Ghirardelli Chocolates, Chef Boyardee and Duncan Hines -- has lived next door to the Playboy Mansion since 2009.

Playboy Enterprises acquired the 20,000-square-foot mansion, which was built in 1927, in 1971.

After Hefner's death, Metropoulos, 33, plans to connect his estate and the Playboy Mansion, "ultimately returning the combined 7.3-acre compound to the original vision executed by architect Arthur R. Kelly and its first owner, Arthur Letts Jr., the department store heir whose father conceived and developed Holmby Hills when it was the Wolfskill Ranch."

City News Service; Photo: Wikimedia Commons