Bel Air · Provenance Record
Chartwell, 875 Nimes Road
$150,000,000 · recorded 2019
Bel Air, Los Angeles, CA
Chartwell, the French Neoclassical estate on Nimes Road in Bel Air whose exterior served as the opening-credits mansion of “The Beverly Hillbillies,” was assembled over more than three decades by the late Univision chairman A. Jerrold Perenchio, who bought the original house for $14 million in 1986 and progressively acquired the land around it, including the neighboring former Reagan estate. Following Perenchio's 2017 death, the roughly 10-acre property sold to News Corp. co-chairman Lachlan Murdoch for approximately $150 million in December 2019, then the highest price ever paid for a California residence.
Sale Price
$150,000,000
Record Date
December 2019
Status
Closed
Property Type
Single-Family Estate
Listing Agent(s)
Drew Fenton, Joyce Rey, Jade Mills & others
Listing Brokerage
Hilton & Hyland; Coldwell Banker Global Luxury; Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices
Buyer’s Agent(s)
Not disclosed
Buyer’s Brokerage
Not disclosed
Ownership Lineage
Every press-verified change of hands on record for this property, in order.
Built
Chicago hotelier Arnold Kirkeby commissions the estate
The 25,000-square-foot French Neoclassical main house, designed by architect Sumner Spaulding, is built for Chicago hotelier Arnold Kirkeby. Its exterior later becomes internationally recognizable as the opening-credits mansion of “The Beverly Hillbillies” (1962–1971).
Sources: CNBC, The Urban Developer
Sold · $14,000,000
A. Jerrold Perenchio buys and renames the estate “Chartwell”
Univision chairman A. Jerrold Perenchio purchases the property for $14 million and begins a five-year gut renovation. Over the following decades he acquires three adjacent parcels, expanding the estate to more than 10 acres.
Sources: CNBC, The Urban Developer
Sold · $15,000,000
Perenchio acquires the neighboring Reagan estate
Following Nancy Reagan’s death, Perenchio buys the adjacent former home of Ronald and Nancy Reagan for $15 million and razes the house, adding the land to Chartwell’s grounds.
Sources: Forbes
Sold · $150,000,000
Lachlan Murdoch buys Chartwell, a then-California record
News Corp. co-chairman Lachlan Murdoch and his wife Sarah buy the 10-acre estate for approximately $150 million, then the most expensive residential sale in California history. Eight listing agents represented the Perenchio estate, including Drew Fenton, Joyce Rey, and Jade Mills; the buyer’s representation is not disclosed in the sources reviewed.
Press Citations
Every fact on this page traces to one of these sources.
CNBC
Take a Look Inside of Lachlan Murdoch’s New $150 Million LA Mansion
CNBC detailed the sale and traced Chartwell's history from Arnold Kirkeby's original 1930s house through Perenchio's 1986 purchase and decades of expansion.
December 2019
The Wrap
Lachlan Murdoch Buys ‘Beverly Hillbillies’ Mansion in Bel-Air for Record $150 Million
The Wrap confirmed the WSJ-reported sale as the most expensive residential transaction in California history at the time.
December 2019
Forbes
Forbes detailed Perenchio's decades-long assembly of the estate, including his 2016 acquisition of the neighboring Reagan property.
December 2019
Forbes
Lachlan Murdoch Reportedly Buys $150 Million Bel Air Mansion
Forbes confirmed Perenchio's May 2017 death and the estate's original $350 million asking price before the sale.
December 2019
Archinect
Bel Air ‘Chartwell’ Mansion Sells for $150M, Now the Priciest Home in California
Archinect reported the sale price against the property's original $350 million ask, citing the Los Angeles Times.
December 2019
The Urban Developer
Lachlan Murdoch Buys Beverly Hillbillies Mansion
The Urban Developer confirmed Kirkeby's original ownership and Perenchio's 1986 purchase price of $14 million.
December 2019
How This Record Was Verified
- Method
- Compiled from public property records and their named press citations. This lineage reflects only transactions independently confirmed by the sources cited.
- Open entries
- Lachlan Murdoch's buy-side representation is not disclosed in the sources reviewed. The exact date of construction in the 1930s is reported only as a decade, not a specific year, across sources reviewed.
- Sources
- Every fact above carries its own citation, linked in the Press Citations section. Sourced from CNBC, Forbes, The Wrap, Archinect, and The Urban Developer.
- Corrections
- Unconditional and not contingent on any commercial relationship. See Corrections Policy.