The web portal MSN, featuring a news clip from the French video-sharing platform, Daily Motion, has made the public aware that an extravagant and much-publicized estate in Beverly Hills has finally been sold for a hefty $33 million. Its new owners are music industry icon Elton John and husband David Furnish.
Mark David adds, through his column in Variety, that the property has been on and off the market for four years with a chain of declining asking prices. The gated estate, which measures close to 20 acres, was custom built in 2001 and was sold by Armand Marciano, co-founder of the clothing giant, Guess. It first appeared on the market in the spring of 2011 for $63 million and was last listed with the price of $37.9 million. Fashion model and designer Kimora Lee Simmons and business magnate Steve Wynn both showed interest in acquiring the property but backed out later on.
The main house of the Benedict estate, found on top of a hill, measures 25,000 square feet and was designed for massive entertainment. It is a three-storey Mediterranean villa with a double-height foyer, seven principal bedrooms, three staff bedrooms, 100 full and 12 half bathrooms. It also has formal living and dining rooms, a commercial-grade kitchen, a library/office, screening room, family room, wine cellar and a gym.
The luxurious-looking grounds boast lawns that are bordered by flowering gardens adorned with winding pathways, a swimming pool with mosaic tiles, a nearby poolhouse with an indoor/outdoor kitchen and pizza oven, and a lighted tennis court with viewing pavilion.
David further describes that the couple has a rock-style portfolio composed of international properties. In 2012 they acquired a 1960s contemporary in the Trousdale Estates area of Beverly Hills for $7.2 million. They also have a 12,000-plus square-foot duplex penthouse in Atlanta, a lavish villa on top of Mont Boron in Nice, France, an estate in Old Windsor in London, and a humble townhouse in London's Holland Park.
