WSJ: One of America’s Biggest Homes Hits the Market for $195 Million
The roughly 50,000-square-foot mansion in Los Angeles comes up for sale following the divorce of billionaire Tony Pritzker and philanthropist Jeanne Pritzker
The Pritzker estate in Los Angeles, one of the largest homes in the country, is hitting the market for $195 million. If it sells for that price, it would set a record for the city, where the priciest home sale on record was Jeff Bezos’ $165 million purchase of the Warner Estate in 2020.
The Pritzker listing comes in the wake of a bitter divorce battle between billionaire Tony Pritzker and philanthropist Jeanne Pritzker. The former couple built the house, completing it in 2011.
The roughly 6-acre parcel is in the Beverly Hills Post Office area, just over a mile from Bezos’ home. Situated on a promontory overlooking the city, the home has 180-degree views of downtown L.A. and the ocean, according to Stephen Shapiro of Westside Estate Agency, who has the listing with colleague Kurt Rappaport.
Clad in imported white Italian limestone, the gated estate is about 50,000 square feet with 16 bedrooms, 27 bathrooms and 18 fireplaces. The primary suite has his and hers bathrooms and closets, as well as an indoor and outdoor fireplaces, a hairdressing area, a custom pop-up TV and a balcony.
The lower level of the house has a flower-prep room and a soundproofed bowling alley with custom cabinetry for the bowling balls and shoes. A large theater has velvet curtains, stage lighting, stadium seating and a projector room. The kitchen has three Gaggenau ovens, two stainless-steel sinks and a dumbwaiter.
On the grounds, a detached two-bedroom guesthouse has a balcony, elevator and its own patio. The estate also has a lighted tennis court with a viewing pavilion. The 75-foot green marble infinity pool overlooks the city, and there is a nearby outdoor kitchen with two barbecues, a large pizza oven, and a custom swimsuit spinner.
In Los Angeles, these types of features are unusual for properties in the hills, Rappaport said. “It’s very rare to have this type of acreage with a view,” he said.
The property also has a detached two-bedroom staff apartment, multiple staff lounges and a staff kitchen.
The Pritzkers are major philanthropists and the home was designed to host large fundraisers, with a large walk-in refrigerator and an extensive underground parking structure.
Because of new restrictions on building, the estate couldn’t be recreated, Shapiro said. “You couldn’t build it today,” he said, adding: “This is the finest house I’ve ever seen.”
Tony and Jeanne Pritzker, who were married for more than 30 years and have six children, declined to comment. The son of Hyatt hotel chain co-founder Donald Pritzker, Tony is a member of one of the country’s wealthiest and more powerful families. He and his brother, J.B. Pritzker, co-founded the investment firm the Pritzker Group, with J.B. ceasing his involvement around the time he became governor of Illinois in 2019.
In 2001, Tony and Jeanne paid $9.5 million for a circa-1938 house in the Beverly Hills Post Office area, according to property records. Then, through LLCs, they purchased several parcels on a ridge adjacent to their previous home. It is unclear how much they paid for the land, but one batch of parcels was purchased in 2005 for $14.7 million, records show.
Once the land was assembled, the Pritzkers started building a new home designed by the late Ed Tuttle of Paris-based architecture firm Designrealization. The Pritzkers moved into the estate in 2011, selling their previous home to celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck for $14 million, property records show.
Jeanne and Tony separated in 2022. The Pritzkers reached a preliminary settlement in April 2024, and Jeanne moved out of the estate that month. The divorce was finalized in May 2024, according to court records. Tony has since paid $19.5 million for a penthouse at Westwood’s Beverly West condominium.
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