History

The Spellings purchased the former Bing Crosby Estate in 1983, razing the mansion that previously occupied the site, which was built in 1932 by Gordon Kaufmann and later owned by Bing Crosby. Construction began in 1986, with over 150 workers a day, using over 500 tons of steel, and was completed in 1991. The name was chosen by daughter Tori. Candy and interior designer Robert Dally spent eight years buying furnishings from England, Italy, and France, including all of the house's fireplaces, chandeliers, and sconces. The grand staircase in the entrance hall is a single piece of metal, made in Texas, and was inspired by Twelve Oaks in Gone with the Wind.

During planning stages, Aaron removed an entire planned additional wing as a cost-saving measure. Not understanding blueprints, Candy advised in 2011 she would not have built the house as big had she realised the scale in person. Originally there was a petting zoo planned for Tori. However, by the time the house neared completion, Tori was aged 17, negating the need for it. Spelling died in the mansion on June 23, 2006, from complications of a stroke, at age 83.

After finally making the decision to sell in 2009, in the summer of 2011, five years after her husband's death, Candy Spelling put the estate up for sale, calling it the "greatest entertainment house ever" with a "kitchen where you can cook for two or 800". In her eighteen 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." The house was sold for $85 million to Formula One heiress Petra Ecclestone.

Immediately after taking possession of it in June 2011, she overhauled the house's design, hiring designer Gavin Brodin to undertake the $20 million project, which included removing the chandeliers, wall lights and fireplace mantels. After a three-week design period, it took approximately 500 workers nine weeks to install the new furnishings Ecclestone had chosen. In 2016, she decided to sell the property, and it was on and off the market for three years.

In October 2016, The Manor was relisted with Rick Hilton and David Kramer of Hilton & Hyland with an asking price of $200 million. In February 2017, it was reported that singer Beyoncé and her husband Hip-hop mogul Jay Z had secretly visited it. In June 2019, it sold for $119.7 million, a new California record. Originally priced at $200 million, it was eventually dropped to $160 million, then sold in early July 2019 for a record $120 million to Canadian multi-billionaire Daryl Katz, owner of the Edmonton Oilers ice hockey team. The Manor is currently listed for sale at a price of $137.5 million.

Description

The Manor is a 56,500 square feet (5,250 m2) French chateau-style mansion with 123 rooms (27 bathrooms and 14 bedrooms) on 4.68 acres of land. When first built, it included a screening room, a room for Candy's antique doll collection, gift-wrapping and flower-cutting rooms, a barbershop, a humidity-controlled storage room, four two-car garages, a tennis court, and a pool. Other notable features include two walk-in closets, a gigantic kitchen, a driveway to a circular granite motor court, a solarium, a wine cellar, a basement bowling alley and game room, a gym and tanning rooms.

Features

• The grand foyer has a monochrome colour scheme with a sweeping double staircase, black and white marble flooring, a crystal floating castle chandelier and Renaissance-style paintings.

• The formal living room is a vast white-on-white space with three separate seating areas, an open marble fireplace and a grand piano.

• The second living room is less formal and is decorated in a cool grey palette. The original bookcases have been swapped for two aquariums and a bar. It has twin French doors.

• The formal dining room has a monochrome colour scheme. A 20-seater dining table sits below a low-hanging crystal chandelier crowned by a black ceiling rose. French doors lead to the expansive gardens.

• The master suite has 7,000 square feet (650 m2) of living space and includes a kitchen, a living room, his and hers closets and bathrooms and a bedroom decorated in black, white and grey.

• A massive bathroom with a soaking tub, cove ceiling and three wall-length vanity mirrors makes up just one of the home’s 27 bathrooms. The beauty salon, which once housed Candy Spelling's doll collection, has a monochromatic colour scheme.

• The cinema has 20 custom theatre seats spread over two tiers with carpeted flooring, a coffered ceiling and a movie screen that rises from the floor. The basement is designed to resemble a nightclub with a bar, a pool room and a two-lane bowling alley.