By DPA
Los Angeles : The most expensive mansion in the US in Beverly Hills has gone on sale for the bargain price of $165 million, the Los Angeles Times said Tuesday.
The 1920s-era mansion formerly belonged to legendary media magnate William Randolph Hearst. The pink stucco, H-shaped estate, dubbed Beverly House by the late newspaper magnate, is spread across 2.5 hectares north of Sunset Boulevard in an area known as The Platinum Triangle where neighbours include Tom Cruise and his actress wife, Katie Holmes, Amazon.com Chief Executive Jeff Bezos and football royalty David and Victoria Beckham.
The compound has six separate residences and boasts just about every amenity for the billionaire lifestyle – including three swimming pools, 29 bedrooms, a state-of-the-art movie theatre and even a disco.
The asking price surpasses the $155 million being sought by developers of an estate in Montana's Big Sky country, and the $135 million price tag on an Aspen, Colorado compound being sold by Prince Bandar bin Sultan of Saudi Arabia.
Currently the record price for a US home is the $94 million paid by former telecom mogul Gary Winnick for a Bel-Air estate in 2001.
Hearst bought the property in 1947, paying about $120,000, and died there in 1951 at the age of 88. The estate was used in the film "The Godfather", including for a scene in which a movie producer awakens to find a severed horse's head in his bed.