The Playboy Mansion was once the ultimate in comfort and luxury. The mansion was closed in 2016. Since then, controversies and mysterious stories have been circulating about it. The revelations about the mansion of Hugh Hefner, the owner of the world-famous adult magazine ‘Playboy’, have ignited discussions about the future of the Playboy Mansion.
Some paranormal investigators visited the mansion to prove it. Screengrab: Youtube/Crystal Hefner
∙ The past of luxury
Built in 1927, the Playboy Mansion is still known today as a Georgian Revival-style mansion owned by Hefner. Hugh Hefner bought the mansion in 1959 for $1.05 million. Hugh Hefner turned it into a hub for the rich and famous to celebrate. Controversy has put the Playboy Mansion in the news. The Playboy Mansion became synonymous with luxury lifestyle in the sixties.
The Playboy Mansion wasn’t just a place for parties. Screengrab: Youtube/Crystal Hefner
Countless celebrities and playmates like John Lennon, Yoko Ono, and Marilyn Monroe have visited the Playboy Mansion for parties and more. As a meeting place for the famous, the mansion has placed itself on the cultural map of America. The bell tower has become a star in movies, television shows and reality TV series.
Designed by Arthur R. Kelly in 1927 in the Gothic Tudor style, the mansion is a beautiful complex of buildings. The 5.3-acre estate has gardens, a tennis court, a basketball court and a large swimming pool. The place where guests are welcomed into the mansion is known as the Grand Entry Hall. The charm of the design is evident in the large oak paneled entrance hall.
Playboy magazine publisher Hugh Hefner and Playmates Image Credit: Featureflash Photo Agency/shutterstock.com
The game room has been in the news many times, with pool tables, arcade games, and pinball machines. Another highlight of the building is the ‘Hefner’s Master Suite’, a luxurious retreat with a signature round bed, a gym and a walk-in closet larger than most apartments. The luxurious building also had hidden passageways, secret doors, a temperature-controlled wine cellar, a screening room for movie screenings and entertainment, a petting zoo, and a playmate dormitory.
Hugh Hefner with Holly Madison and Kendra Wilkinson. (Image Credit: s_bukley /shutterstock.com)
∙ The veil of glamor comes loose
As allegations of sexual abuse, drug use, and exploitation of women were raised in the Playboy Mansion, the veil of glamor slowly began to peel away. Hefner’s controlling lifestyle and the pressure his playmates faced cast a shadow over the mansion’s opulent image.
Playboy magazine publisher Hugh Hefner, 49, at a 1975 celebration at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles. (Image Credit: Helene Gaillet /shutterstock.com)
Several women, including former playmates and guests, have come forward with allegations of sexual assault, harassment, and coercion at the Playboy Mansion. Hefner was accused of drugging model Susie Krabacher in 1983. But he denied the charge. The Playboy Mansion wasn’t just a place for parties. It was also a place to fulfill Hefner’s personal desires. Allegations are that it was full of drunkenness and sex. Such conditions have left many women here mentally and emotionally exhausted.
The Playboy Mansion was notorious for rampant drug use, with cocaine, marijuana, and other substances readily available. A network of ‘clean-up crews’ is said to have operated here to cover up evidence of drug overdoses and deaths in the bell tower.
After Hefner’s death in 2016, Darren Metropoulos, co-founder of private equity firm Metropoulos & Company, acquired the Playboy Mansion. Darren Manimalika was bought for 100 million dollars. Later, no one knows what the future of the mansion is. Reports say that Darren has no clear plans for the development of the mansion.
∙ In fear of being haunted
The most prominent of the stories circulating around the mansion today is that it is haunted. Former employees and some guests say the mansion is haunted by lights that flicker on their own, ghosts, and Hefner’s ghost. Some paranormal investigators visited the mansion to prove it. Although the truth of these allegations has not been proven, the stories cast a shadow of terror on the already mysterious Playboy Mansion.
∙ The future is uncertain
Playboy Mansion stands as a reminder of an era with a rich past, troubled present, and scary stories. But the future of this bell tower is uncertain. But maybe a luxury hotel or a museum. Currently only a few events are organized at the Playboy Mansion.