House Tour: Aerospace engineer & businessman Howard Hughes' $23 million Hollywood mansion
Share this article
The Elon Musk of his time, Howard Hughes was a brilliant entrepreneur whose interests included aviation, film production, and real estate. A lifelong fan of airplanes, he took his first flying lesson at age 14 and would go on to set several world records and survive four airplane crashes.
Howard Hughes Childhood
Orphaned in his teens, he inherited a family fortune which he invested in Hollywood. He directed Jane Russel in The Outlaw (a movie famous for pushing the limits of the era’s morality codes) and produced several important films including Scarface and the Academy Award-winning Two Arabian Nights.
For seven years, he owned RKO Pictures, one of the “Big Five” studios of Hollywood’s Golden Age. His Hughes Aircraft Company, founded in 1932, produced both military and commercial airplanes, as well as propulsion systems for spacecraft, satellites, and the world’s first working laser.
In addition, Howard owned numerous hotels and casinos in Las Vegas and helped transform the city from its Wild West roots to a more cosmopolitan destination.
Howard Hughes Wife
One of the wealthiest men of his era, Hughes dated a long list of famous women, including Katharine Hepburn, Ava Gardner, Ginger Rogers and Joan Crawford. Always eccentric, worsening OCD and trauma from his several plane crashes sent him into seclusion in later life.
Howard Hughes' stunning kitchen features gilded backsplash.
The stunning kitchen features gilded splashbacks.
What was Howard Hughes' cause of death?
He died in 1976 on board an aircraft headed from his Alcapulco penthouse to a Houston hospital. He would later be portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio in the 2004 blockbuster The Aviator.
Nearly 100 years after his move to Hollywood in 1928, the house where Howard Hughes lived when he produced his biggest movies, which was also used as a film location in The Aviator, has hit the market for US$23 million.
Howard Hughes' voluminous family room sports floor-to-ceiling bookshelves.
The voluminous family room sports floor-to-ceiling bookshelves.
Spanish Revival Home
The majestic Spanish Revival estate, designed by famed architect Roland E. Coate, sits on the 8th green of the Wilshire Country Club, where Hughes loved to golf.
The 10,179 sq ft home has been thoughtfully updated but retains original details such as wood-beamed ceilings and red-clay floor tiles.
Original high-beam ceilings are complemented by thoughtful updates in Howard Hughes' Hollywood house.
Original high-beam ceilings are complemented by thoughtful updates.
Howard Hughes House
The half ellipse-shaped mansion is gated and surrounds a striking cobblestone central courtyard with a fireplace.
Big windows offer excellent golf course and city views.
Big windows offer excellent golfcourse and city views.
The gorgeous bathroom is fit for a mogul.
The gorgeous bathroom is fit for a mogul.
Kitchen
The chef's kitchen boasts polished brass countertops, gold-tiled splash backs, and a 24 ft kitchen peninsula island.
The mansion surrounds a central cobblestone courtyard.
The mansion surrounds a central cobblestone courtyard.
The voluminous family room sports floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. Big windows offer views of the golf course, the Hollywood Hills, and the iconic Hollywood Sign.
Eight bedrooms are joined by a screening room, a 2,500-bottle, temperature-controlled wine vault, and an attached guest residence with a full kitchen and bath.
Multiple lounging areas offer ample space for entertaining.
Multiple lounging areas offer ample space for entertaining.
The expansive backyard features lush greenery, many varieties of citrus trees, multiple lounge areas, a custom pizza oven, and a swimming pool. The home is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
A full-size pool anchors the landscaped grounds.
A full-size pool anchors the landscaped grounds.
Hancock Park, Los Angeles
Hancock Park is an upscale Los Angeles neighborhood known for its architecturally important homes. A haven for Golden Age celebrities, some of Hughes’ neighbors included Mae West, Clark Gable and Nat King Cole. Contemporary stars who call the region home include Margot Robbie and Fred Savage.
The listing is held by David Berg and F. Ron Smith of the Smith & Berg Partners team at Compass. Source: TopTenRealEstateDeals.com. Photos credit: Noel Kleinman