After five long years and a whopping $10million spent, the Playboy Mansion’s enormous renovation appears close to completion just in time for the New Year.
Hugh Hefner’s infamous party house, which served as the backdrop to his Playboy Magazine – adorned with curvaceous models with the assets to fill out their bunny costumes – was sold in January 2016 to business mogul Daren Metropoulos for $100million.
Daren, 46, is the son of Dean Metropoulos, 78, who’s worth around $3.4 billion. Daren himself can boast a packed business portfolio, as he headed companies such as Hostess Brand, which produces snacks like Twinkies and HoHos, and Pabst Brewing Company – both at some point owned by his father.
Dean is a fan of Hefner’s fantasy home, as he was photographed partying it up at the 29-room Holmby Hills property in 2012 alongside rapper Snoop Dogg and an entourage of bunnies.
He entrusted the makeover to architect Richard Landry, who has renovated multiple star’s houses such as Tom Brady, Kylie Jenner, Rod Stewart, Mark Wahlberg and Sylvester Stallone.
Now, exclusive photos obtained by DailyMail.com confirm that after a grueling five years the mansion is finally taking shape.
Hefner’s grotto, an artificial cave where many couples reportedly hooked up, has been filled with water. In 2011, that same grotto gave more than 100 party-goers Legionnaires’ disease from swimming in its waters.
Nestled in the backyard, the horseshoe-like pool is surrounded by perfectly manicured hedges and plants. The stonework in and around the water feature has been revitalized.
The late Hugh Hefner’s iconic Playboy Mansion in California has been in the works of being renovated for five years by entrepreneur Daren Metropoulos who poured $10million into the project – many of the buildings and amenities have been completed
As it was. The Playboy Mansion in 2015, a year before Metropoulos bought it
Playboy bunnies Sheila Levell and Holy Madison flank Hugh Hefner in front of the Mansion. When Metropoulos bought the property, he allowed Hefner to spend his last days there until he passed away from sepsis in 2017
Full lawns have been laid out behind the main house on the five-acre gardens and flowerbeds have been shaped and adorned with colorful carnations that surround the perimeter of the house – both front and back.
On the left side of the backyard, where the pool is, long streams that funnel into tiny ponds have been built with stones and fountains to act as both decoration and filtration – these tiny ponds lead to the infamous grotto.
The front side of the house still has a ways to go in terms of landscaping. Aside from the flowerbeds, the front lawn is barren. But workers are finishing stone walkways and filling out the dirt patches.
Then there’s the mansion itself. The main house is a staggering 18,000 square feet – eight times the size of the average American home. When the renovations began in 2019, plans included partially demolishing a 650-square-foot staff house and expanding it to 4,400 square feet to include a gym and garage.
A separate 1,200-square-foot guest house was also in the plans.
Building permits filed with the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety at the start of renovations five years ago, showed their intentions of remodeling the kitchen, family room bathrooms and powder room in the main house – along with the the other buildings.
Now, new skylights have been installed, new roofing appears to have been laid down, the scaffolding that once surrounded the mansion has been removed and only the first-floor windows of the main house are covered with window shields.
Workers were photographed working underneath the arched entryway that leads to the front door.
Daren Metropoulos is said to be worth around $3.4 billion. He headed companies such as Hostess Brand, which produces snacks like Twinkies and HoHos, and Pabst Breweries
The before and after pictures of the pool. As of December 10, the pool which was empty last year has been filled with water. The plants surround the barrier have also been trimmed
Workers were photographed working underneath the arched entryway that leads to the front door. Colorful flowers have been planted in beds that hug the building
The new tennis court was installed on the front, left side of the property, hidden by tall bushes that block it from the main road
Tiny ponds and streams lead to the infamous grotto where couples would reportedly hook up at Hefner’s extravagant parties. In 2011, that same grotto gave more than 100 party-goers Legionnaires’ disease from swimming in its waters. It’s been re-plastered and filled with water
What’s finished in the front of the property is a new tennis court that sits to the left and the large drop-off area for cars at the main entrance, accompanied by a new large white fountain.
The finished house to the left of the property is where Daren, who sold Hostess to the jam company Smuckers for $5.6 billion in September 2023, lives. He’s stated his intentions to combine the two estates.
When he originally bought the house in 2016, he allowed Hefner to live out his last days at his beloved estate. He died the following year at age 91 from sepsis he had developed after he contracted E. coli.
The Playboy Mansion is emblematic of celebrity culture with some of the biggest stars scrambling to enjoy Hefner’s lingerie-only dress code for the female guests who cavorted in the caved grotto.
Elvis Presley reportedly slept with eight Playmates at once at the home, while John Lennon burned a Matisse original with a cigarette.
Donald Trump even filmed an episode of The Apprentice at the mansion where contestants got to meet Hefner and his girlfriends.
It also has a dark side, with allegations against disgraced actor Bill Cosby purported to take place during these debauched parties.
Judy Huth claimed Cosby assaulted her when she was 15 at Hugh Hefner’s home. Chloe Goins claimed she was assaulted by Crosby at the mansion, but criminal charges in the case were ruled out.
Daren Metropoulos with Snoop Dogg and three bunnies at the Colt 45 Works Every Time party in 2012
Hefner poses with some of the 100 girls who were vying to be the 50th Anniversary Playmate on April 8, 2003 in front of the Playboy Mansion
The renovations were still underway on November 3, 2023. Scaffolding wrapped around the house. The backyard, which is now covered with grass, was barren. The estate, aside from the front lawn and the downstairs of the main residence, are close to completion
When the renovations started in 2019, plans included partially demolishing this former 650-square-foot staff house and expanding it to 4,400 square-feet to include a gym and garage
It was also dirty. Multiple former Playboy bunnies spoke out about the dilapidated building and floors being strewn with dog feces and urine. 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 fell ill.
The Los Angeles County Health Department presented its findings at an annual conference at the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta. The legionella bacteria also cause a milder illness called Pontiac fever.
Symptoms, which include fever and headache, are the same as those suffered by the Playboy Mansion partygoers.
Instead of selling the property to his 37-year-old widow Crystal – a former Playboy bunny 60 years his junior – he sold it to Metropoulos.
His plans for interior renovation included a new dumbwaiter installed in the main building to deliver food and drinks to residents on different floors conveniently, a modified modern elevator cab, an expanded movie theater and a new ‘golf simulator area’.
The ‘pond’ swimming pool – better known as the grotto – was re-plastered and a new pool cabana was present on the property.
The rear terrace deck was extended to allow more space for outdoor entertaining. And to help Daren and his guests unwind, the project included building a new 42 by 23-foot solarium.
Underneath the solarium, a new luxury state-of-the-art spa-jacuzzi is believed to be finished. The spa also includes a ‘cold plunge,’ favored by celebrities such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Lady Gaga and Madonna.
Donald Trump and then girlfriend Melania Knauss with Playboy Playmates at a 2001 party to celebrate Hugo Boss opening a store on New York’s Fifth Avenue
Hefner with his three Girls Next Door models Kendra Wilkinson, Holly Madison and Bridget Marquardt, react to the “Morgue Room” at the mansion’s Haunted House in 2006
The Playboy Mansion was purchased by Hefner in 1971 for $1million. It was sold to Metropoulos for $100million. The California location wasn’t the first Playboy house, the original was in Chicago’s Gold Coast district
Building permits, accessed by DailyMail.com in 2023, revealed workmen repaired ‘termite and dry-rot damage’ from the original wooden framing.
The Playboy mansion sits on five acres adjacent to the Los Angeles Country Club – on Charing Cross Road in the exclusive Holmby Hills neighborhood just off the famous Sunset Boulevard.
The house was designed by Arthur Kelly for Arthur Letts Jr – the son of Arthur Letts who founded The Broadway, a now-defunct department store – and was completed in 1927.
It was purchased by Hefner in 1971 for $1million, becoming the second Playboy Mansion house. The first was a 54-room classical brick and limestone mansion in Chicago’s Gold Coast district.
