Dirt: Alex Von Furstenberg Pays $23 Million for Second Beverly Park Mansion
Alex von Furstenberg has long lived in Beverly Park, arguably the most expensive, exclusive and excessive guard-gated community in Los Angeles. But the socialite and former playboy son of fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg is apparently not content with his current 2.2-acre spread, because records reveal he’s shoveled out big for another mansion within the very same enclave.
Back in 2011, von Furstenberg paid iconic Bond girl Luciana Paluzzi — the actress best known for playing the murderous and Mustang-driving Fiona Volpe in “Thunderball” — and her husband Michael Jay Solomon $13 million for their Spanish hacienda-style Beverly Park estate. Now he’s splurged again, this time on a place just two doors away from the former Paluzzi mansion. The more recently acquired — but similarly sized — house ran him a whopping $23 million, a testament to how real estate values have soared over the last decade.
Built in 1987 and styled in a neoclassical Georgian manner, the latest von Furstenberg project was built by original Beverly Park developer Brian Adler as his personal residence. It was one of the first homes ever completed within the hallowed gates of the community, which sits high in the rugged mountains above Beverly Hills and is now home to the likes of Denzel Washington, Mark Wahlberg, Sofia Vergara, Samuel L. Jackson, Eddie Murphy, Rod Stewart, Justin Bieber and Sylvester Stallone.
The property later came to be owned by historian Louise Taper, who sold the place in 2011 for $13.8 million to Russian media mogul Mikhail Lesin, a former senior advisor to Vladimir Putin. After Lesin died under mysterious circumstances in 2015, in a nondescript Washington, D.C. hotel room, the Beverly Park spread passed to his only son, Hollywood film producer Anton Lessine. It subsequently spent five years waffling on and off the open market, initially saddled with a distressingly high $29 million asking price. Multiple price chops and changes of realtors followed.
Nestled behind gates and massive pine and magnolia trees, the ochre-colored house spans 13,500 square feet of living space, large even by L.A. mansion standards. There are parquet hardwood floors and elaborate crown moldings throughout, along with enough French doors to fill half the Louvre. Luxe amenities include the typical gym, sauna and wood-paneled library, while more unusual designs include a kitchen with a curved island painted a vibrant orange, a movie theater done up in lavender, and a master bedroom encased in a frilly and flowery wallpaper. There are dual bathrooms and closets in that master, plus six additional bedroom suites scattered throughout the vast home. Out back, surrounded by a concrete terrace, there’s a jewel-like swimming pool that looks more like a formal reflecting pool.
Von Furstenberg, 52, is the eldest child and only son of his mother, who’s been a big deal in fashion since the 1970s and remains best known for her legendary wrap dress. His father, Egon von Furstenberg, was the scion of an aristocratic German family. But the bulk of the younger von Furstenberg’s wealth reportedly stems from his stepfather, septuagenarian American media/tech mogul Barry Diller, who has been married to Diane von Furstenberg since 2001 and has no biological children of his own. Diller, the former CEO of Paramount Pictures and current chairman of Expedia, boasts a healthy net worth of $4.9 billion.
After he bought the former Paluzzi estate in 2011, von Furstenberg gave the place a thorough renovation. While it’s not yet clear what he has planned for his latest acquisition, the property’s somewhat outdated interiors make it a likely candidate for a cosmetic refresh — at the very least. In addition to their two Beverly Park estates, von Furstenberg and wife Ali also maintain a $15 million vacation home on Malibu’s Point Dume.
The HOA may want to designate Beverly Park as a formal von Furstenberg gathering spot, because the family is slowly entrenching themselves ever deeper into the area. Astute real estate watchers may recall that back in 2019, Alexandra von Furstenberg — the ex-wife of Alex von Furstenberg and a daughter of Duty Free billionaire Robert Miller — also paid $28.5 million for an unfinished contemporary Beverly Park mansion.
Drew Meyers of Westside Estate Agency repped the buyer.
