Based in Los Angeles, Vicki Arkoff is Editor at Large…
For a record $150 million, Rupert Murdoch’s son, Lachlan Murdock, purchased the most expensive home in Los Angeles. At the time of sale it was the second steepest private property ever sold in the US. Price was no option for Lachlan, the co-chairman of his father’s company, News Corp, which owns Fox News, Fox Sports, The New York Post, The Wall Street Journal and more.
Known as The Chartwell Estate, the enormous East Gate Bel Air property covers 11 acres, including the vacant lot next door, the site of the former Ronald Reagan home. The estate has nearly 25,000 square feet of living space with 26 rooms and a 5,700 square-foot guesthouse designed by Wallace Neff. An underground tunnel and elevator lead from the main house to a 75-foot swimming pool. It also has meticulous gardens, a lighted tennis court, and an enormous underground garage built to house dozens of luxury cars.
In 2017 the property was listed for a sky-high $350 million, then dropped to a still-hopeful price of $195 million in June of 2019. Even then, it was the most expensive home for sale in Los Angeles. The record for the most expensive home in the US is held by hedge-fund manager Ken Griffin who bought a $238 million New York City condo in January 2019.
Based in Los Angeles, Vicki Arkoff is Editor at Large for Pursuitist and a founding editor for Holiday Goddess, the online destination for chic women travelers from the editors of Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Grazia, Conde Nast Traveler, and BBC. Her travel and lifestyle reports can also be been seen in Atlas Obscura, The Awesomer, DaySpa, The Chicago Tribune, CNN Travel, JustLuxe, Lonely Planet, Los Angeles Times, New York Daily News, Toronto Star, WellSpa 360, WestJet Magazine, Where Traveler, Where Guestbook, Yahoo News, and dozens more. She's co-author of the bestselling Holiday Goddess books (HarperCollins and iTunes) including 'The Holiday Goddess Guide to Paris, London, New York, Rome,' a travel Top 10 staple. As editor, Vicki's other books include 'Sinatra' (DK), 'Inside Mad' (Time-Life) and 'Virgin Los Angeles' (Virgin Books). She is one of the Usual Gang of Idiots for MAD Magazine, an entertainment reporter (Daily Variety, Entertainment Weekly, Los Angeles Magazine, CREEM), and authorized biographer for pop culture icons from the Beach Boys to Beastie Boys, Paul McCartney to MC Hammer.