EXCL: Billionaire who bought Hugh Hefner’s infamous Playboy Mansion has spent three years on a refit

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Is this the most expensive facelift yet?

The iconic Playboy Mansion has nearly finished its renovations after three years of work, with a new roof added and the sex grotto that appears to have been excavated to soon create a spa area.

Renovations surpassed the $1.6 million mark in July, as reported TMZit has also added detached living quarters and an underground generator, as well as interior work, including an upgraded elevator, new lighting, and basement foundation repair.

Billionaire Daren Metropoulos, co-owner of Hostess Brands, bought the mansion for a whopping $100 million in 2016, but Playboy founder Hugh Heffner was allowed to stay in the house until his death in 2017. Important work began at the property in 2020 and since then, he has nearly finished renovations, planning to merge a neighboring property he owns with the mansion.

When the Playboy Mansion was sold, it was also agreed that the main structure of the residence would remain and not be torn down.

The Playboy Mansion was built in 1927 and purchased by Playboy Enterprises for $1 million in 1971.

EXCL Billionaire who bought Hugh Hefners infamous Playboy Mansion has
1670028354 466 EXCL Billionaire who bought Hugh Hefners infamous Playboy Mansion has

Hugh Heffner (pictured in 2014) lived in the home until his death in 2017. However, he sold the property in 2016 to Hostess Brands co-owner Daren Metropoulos, but it was agreed that Heffner would live there until his passing.

Hugh Heffner (pictured in 2014) lived in the home until his death in 2017. However, he sold the property in 2016 to Hostess Brands co-owner Daren Metropoulos, but it was agreed that Heffner would live there until his passing.

Metropoulos began work on the roof in 2020, with old photos showing it stripped to its bones before slowly turning to a shingled gray.

Hefner’s famous sex grotto, which sits at the rear of the large property, has since been excavated to create a spa area, but it looks like it still needs some work before it can be filled with water for a refreshing and beautiful scenery. area.

In 2021, aerial images taken at the rear of the property showed that a new foundation was being excavated behind the mansion.

The grotto is surrounded by lush vegetation and has a circular rock formation in the center that houses a small indoor pool.

In addition, a separate living area or garage area has been built on the side of the property. It is the biggest addition to the property.

Much exterior work began on the exterior of the mansion in 2020 (pictured)

Much exterior work began on the exterior of the mansion in 2020 (pictured)

The front lawn had parking spaces spray painted on the ground while the exterior was repaired in 2021 (pictured)

The front lawn had parking spaces spray painted on the ground while the exterior was repaired in 2021 (pictured)

One of the biggest undertakings on the ground was to replace the roof.  Renovations started in 2020 (top), no work was done during 2021 (middle), and completed in 2022 (bottom)

One of the biggest undertakings on the ground was to replace the roof. Renovations started in 2020 (top), no work was done in 2021 (middle), and completed in 2022 (bottom)

The famed residence was emblematic of Hollywood excess, throwing parties with a lingerie-only dress code for female guests who cavorted in the cavernous grotto.

Elvis reportedly slept with eight Playmates at once in the house, while John Lennon burned a Matisse original with a cigarette.

Donald Trump even filmed an episode of The Apprentice at the mansion where the contestants met Hefner and their girlfriends.

The mansion also has a sinister past after being embroiled in Bill Cosby’s sexual abuse allegations.

Judy Huth claimed Cosby assaulted her when she was 15 at Hugh Hefner’s home. Chloe Goins claimed Crosby assaulted her at the mansion, but criminal charges in the case were dropped.

It also had a reputation for being dirty after several former Playboy Playmates spoke out about the dilapidated building and the floors covered in dog feces and urine.

The grotto was more level in 2020 (pictured) before heavy construction began

The grotto was more level in 2020 (pictured) before heavy construction began

The refurbishment grotto began to take shape in 2021 (pictured) when workers began excavating the pool

The refurbishment grotto began to take shape in 2021 (pictured) when workers began excavating the pool

The sex grotto was also excavated to soon create a luxurious spa area.  It is surrounded by lush greenery and has a secluded pool in the middle.

The sex grotto was also excavated to soon create a luxurious spa area. It is surrounded by lush greenery and has a secluded pool in the middle.

The pool inside the grotto (pictured in 2007) is covered and features stone steps and pathways.

The pool inside the grotto (pictured in 2007) is covered and features stone steps and pathways.

In 2011, health officials confirmed that the bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ disease was found in a whirlpool spa at the Playboy Mansion, where more than 100 people became ill.

The Los Angeles County Department of Health presented its findings at an annual conference at the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta. Legionella bacteria also cause a milder illness called Pontiac fever.

The symptoms, which include fever and headache, are the same as those experienced by partygoers at the Playboy Mansion.

Hefner decided not to leave the mansion to his widow Crystal after his death, but decided to sell it while he was still alive, on the condition that he be allowed to stay there until his death.

However, he left her $5 million and a 5,900-square-foot home in Beverly Hills. Most of his fortune was divided between his four children and various charities.

Crystal, 31, was the third of his wives, after marrying him in 2012.

In addition to the roof and grotto, a separate dwelling or garage area was built on the side of the property (pictured)

In addition to the roof and grotto, a separate dwelling or garage area was built on the side of the property (pictured)

The property has undergone many renovations since 2020 (pictured), with the renovation surpassing the $1.6 million mark in July

The property has undergone many renovations since 2020 (pictured), with the renovation surpassing the $1.6 million mark in July

Daren Metropoulos bought the iconic property (pictured in July) for $100 million in 2016

Daren Metropoulos bought the iconic property (pictured in July) for $100 million in 2016

The property (pictured in 2020) features a tennis court, front law, pool, grotto, plus mansion

The property (pictured in 2020) features a tennis court, front law, pool, grotto, plus mansion

He had previously been married to Mildred Williams from 1949 to 1959, with whom he had two children, and Kimberley Conrad, the 27-year-old 1989 Playmate of the Year, from 1989 to 2010.

Cooper, the eldest son of Hefner and Conrad, said he and his brother Marston grew up with a framed nude centerfold photo of their mother in the house.

“Yeah, that was weird,” he admitted. “He was like the elephant in the room.”

Hefner also had a group of ‘girlfriends’ who lived with him, usually several at a time, in his famous Playboy mansion in Los Angeles.

Despite declaring that he had slept with more than a thousand women, Hefner spent much of his life “looking for love in all the wrong places,” as he tearfully told The New York Times in 1992.

Hefner married Crystal, and took up a life of monogamy, in 2012 after briefly calling off the engagement. “Maybe I should be single,” he said a few months later.

But I know that I need an ongoing romantic relationship. In other words, I’m essentially a very romantic person, and all I was really looking for, frankly, with the notion of marriage was continuity and something to let the girl know that I really cared.’

The year before their marriage, she had reflected, ‘I never really found my soul mate.’

Who is the billionaire Daren Metropoulos, owner of the Playboy mansion?

Billionaire Daren Metropoulos He is a director of the private equity firm Metropoulos and Co.

The company is part owner of Hostess Brands, the maker of Twinkies, an iconic American snack.

Metropoulos bought the Playboy Mansion from Playboy Enterprises in 2016 for $100 million.

Hefner was able to live in the house until he died.

After Hefner’s death, Daren said: ‘Hugh Hefner was a business visionary, media giant and iconic pop culture figure whose legacy will leave a lasting impact.

Billionaire Daren Metropoulos is a director of the private equity firm Metropoulos and Co.

Billionaire Daren Metropoulos is a director of the private equity firm Metropoulos and Co.

“I was lucky to know him as a neighbor and friend and I extend my deepest condolences to his family.”

He previously said he intended to connect the two properties into a combined 7.3-acre complex after Hefner’s death, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Metropoulos said the mansion’s estate “transcends its celebrity” and that “having the opportunity to serve as a trustee would be a real privilege.”