$88M LA mansion, even JLo eyed, sells for half its price

The $88 million mansion Jennifer Lopez once circled ‘with admiration and intent’ is finally headed to a new owner. The upscale Holmby Hills estate at 10250 W. Sunset Blvd. , which was formerly home to the late fashion designer Max Azria, has gone into contract after more than a decade of on-again, off-again listings, Gimme Shelter has learned, according to the New York Post. The deal has not yet closed, and the final price is being kept under wraps, but brokers say prospective buyers can no longer tour the property, a sign the sale is moving forward. The estate’s last asking price was $43.5 million, a steep drop from its original $88 million value in 2016.

The lavish estate Jennifer Lopez showed interest in twice

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Hollywood royalty Jennifer Lopez considered buying the estate not once but twice. She enquired about it first while she was still with Ben Affleck, then again after their split. She viewed the property both times ‘with admiration and intent’, a source told Gimme Shelter. But the compound has quietly slipped through so many other hands over the years, finally being sold for less than its original price.

The exquisite Estate Azria that everyone wanted

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Estate Azria, formerly known as Maison du Soleil, is known for its privacy. Despite its reputation for privacy, the 2.8-acre compound was built for hosting, not hiding. The property has a Georgian Colonial main house built by architect-to-the-stars Paul Williams in 1939. The grand foyer opens onto rooms lined with parquet floors, white panelling, columns and mouldings, with French doors leading out to terraces and gardens.

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Outside, the grounds feature an infinity pool, a glass-enclosed tennis court with stadium seating, a Japanese garden and teahouse, Mediterranean gardens, a working greenhouse and a Moroccan-inspired bathhouse built around an authentic hammam. A formal French courtyard rounds out the grounds.

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A separate 6,000-square-foot structure houses a home theatre, a lounge, and an office finished with a gold-leaf ceiling. Upstairs in the main house, the primary suite comes with a marble fireplace, a sitting area, and multiple walk-in closets.

The former residents

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Architect Paul Williams, the first Black member of the American Institute of Architects, built the main house in 1939 for Charles Correll, star of ‘Amos ’n’ Andy’, for $70,000. At 12,000 square feet, this colonial home was his most famous work. His affluent clientele included Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, Frank Sinatra, Tyrone Power, and Barbara Stanwyck, along with his celebrated revamp of the Beverly Hills Hotel.In 1978, novelist and screenwriter Sidney Sheldon, creator of ‘I Dream of Jeannie’, ‘Hart to Hart’ and ‘The Patty Duke Show’, bought the estate and reportedly doubled its size before selling it to Max and Lubov Azria in 2005 for $14.4 million. Later, in 2015, he and Lubov listed the Sunset property for $85 million. A year later, the price went up to $88 million. Azria died in 2019. The price kept sliding after that, down to $55 million by 2023 and $39 million last year, before landing at its final $43.5 million asking price.Billionaire Ron Burkle placed a winning $30 million bid at a Concierge Auctions sale for the property two years ago. But the terms ended up being disputed in court, and the deal collapsed before it ever closed.The listing brokers are Mauricio Umansky and Farah Levi of The Agency.