Elon Musk’s former Bel-Air house was originally owned by the late Gene Wilder. The initially priced $12.95m estate will hit the auction block next month.
Elon Musk’s former abode in Los Angeles is deemed a “piece of Hollywood history,” considering its glittery ownership history tied to the late legendary Willy Wonka actor Gene Wilder. Built in 1951 by LA architect Robert Byrd, the estate overlooking the Bel-Air Country Club has suffered a price chop. Although the white-shingle house first hit the market in August for $12.95 million, its price tag has dropped to $9.5 million.
According to Mansion Global, this major $3.5 million price cut comes a month before the estate enters its auction chapter. The drop has reportedly been attributed to the sellers, who relied on the billionaire Tesla CEO’s loan to buy the place from him and failed to complete their payments. The search for a potential buyer rages on. However, even if the ideal match isn’t found by next month, the estate is headed for the auction block anyway, per recently filed documents.
Elon Musk’s history with the LA house + his 1 condition to potential buyers
Musk snapped up the 2,756-square-foot house for $6.75 million in 2013. Years down the line, he publicly announced on social media that he would be “selling almost all physical possessions. Will own no house.” In a follow-up tweet, he declared his “one stipulation” on the house’s sale: Gene Wilder’s old house “cannot be torn down or lose any its soul.”
The exterior of Elon Musk’s Bel-Air property.(Westside Estate Agency via Drew Meyers)
Fortunately, he found the perfect buyers in the Willy Wonka icon’s own nephew, filmmaker Jordan Walker-Pearlman and his wife, Elizabeth Hunter. Records show that they were supposed to get the place in exchange for $7 million. Musk lent them the majority chunk of $6.7 million through an LLC. However, the situation developed against Walker-Pearlman’s case, as he fell behind on payments amid last year’s writers’ and actors’ strikes. Earlier this year, he and his wife confessed to The Wall Street Journal that they are “at peace” with Elon despite the tech giant’s decision to foreclose. Wilder’s nephew also admitted that he and his wife “owe him (Musk) such a spiritual debt.”
Another interior view of Elon Musk’s Bel-Air estate.(Westside Estate Agency via Drew Meyers)
More about the Bel-Air home
Before the tech titan assumed ownership of the place over a decade ago, the 1971 Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory star bought it for around $300,000 in 1976. Three decades later, he ultimately let go of the estate. PropertyShark records reveal that he sold it for a little over $2.7 million.
According to the Bel-Air house’s listing with Westside Estate Agency’s Drew Meyers, the “timeless” house at 10930 Chalon Rd “sits directly on the golf course, on almost an acre, which is pretty ridiculous.” The four-bedroom house’s heart is its circular bar area. Pictures also show cosy fireplaces, manicured gardens, and a kidney-shaped pool, which are some other highlights of the classic property.
The outside area of Elon Musk’s Bel-Air house. (Westside Estate Agency via Drew Meyers)
