Five years after his death, Hugh Hefner is still making headlines due to his "abusive" relationships with his former girlfriends. The recent A&E documentary Secrets of Playboy has certainly made living in the Playboy Mansion seem like a nightmare. Still, many of Hef's fans believe that the mansion will be restored to its glory, just as the brand takes a new direction with Cardi B as its first creative director in residence. A couple of years ago, the new owner of the Playboy Mansion has also started major renovations in the property. But did you know that Hef didn't actually own the place himself? Let's take a look at its history.
How Did Hugh Hefner Start The Playboy Mansion?
The Playboy Mansion that we now know, also known as the Playboy Mansion West, wasn't Hef's original "playpen." The first Playboy Mansion was established in Chicago's Gold Coast in 1959, six years after Playboy was founded in Chicago. It was a 70-room brick and limestone building with a theater, bowling alley, and a pool in the basement that you could access right from the living room. While living there, Hefner had a sign above the front door that said: "Si Non Oscillas, Noli Tintinnare," which means "If you don't swing, don't ring."
After moving to California full-time, Hef initially rented out the mansion to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago before donating it to them. Eventually, the school sold the mansion which was then redeveloped into luxury condominiums. The Playboy founder bought the L.A. mansion in 1971 after his then-girlfriend Barbi Benton convinced him to. He then bought the 5.7-acre estate for $1.1 million — the most expensive residential property in L.A. at that time.
By the time Hefner died, it was a 20,000-square-foot property with 12 bedrooms, 21 bathrooms, a home theater, a wine cellar, three zoo/aviary buildings, a pet cemetery, tennis and basketball courts, a swimming pool, a guest house with four rooms, and a separate game house.
Why Hugh Hefner Didn't Actually Own The Playboy Mansion
It's not that Hef couldn't afford it, but the Playboy Mansion was actually owned by Playboy Enterprises. It's all technicality, but Hef's name wasn't on the deed. As a result, he leased from the company and paid $100 a year. Now, that's a sweet founder discount. In 2016, before he died, he put up the property for sale. It had a price tag of $200 million. But there was a catch — the new owner would have to let him rent from them, for $1 million per month for the rest of his life.
When news of Hef's death broke out, the mansion was immediately looted. "The bedrooms - even Hef's - were stripped of things like intercourse toys, gold-plated statues, used sheets and lingerie," a source told US Magazine Globe. "Valuable art was snatched from the walls - with imprints of the frames still visible." They only spared the fixtures in the gaming room because they were too large to steal.
Before that, the mansion was already in bad condition. Apparently, Hefner refused to change anything in the place. "He almost never leaves home and refuses to change anything in the mansion, so the whole place feels like it's stuck in the 1980s," said former Playmate Carla Howe in 2015. "The only phones you see are old hang-on-the-walls and there's nothing hi-tech, even the gym equipment has been there for years. And because nothing has been changed in the rooms for so long, they tend to have a damp smell."
Who Owns The Playboy Mansion Now?
The Playboy Mansion is currently owned by Hostess Brands co-owner Daren Metropoulos. He initially purchased the smaller mansion in 2009 for $18 million. In 1996, Hef expanded the property by buying the mansion next door which was a smaller, mirror-image version of the main house. He bought it for his then-separated wife Kimberly Conrad and their kids. In 2016, Metropoulos bought the bigger mansion for $100 million. He let Hefner rent from him until his passing.
"I'm extremely passionate about its architecture and look forward to this momentous opportunity to transform one of the finest estates in the country," Metropoulos said after purchasing the property. "As Mr. Hefner was aware, I plan to meticulously refurbish the property with the highest quality and standards in mind." The mansion is currently undergoing major renovations. The City of Los Angeles also entered an agreement with Metropoulos which permanently protects the mansion from getting demolished.