Approximately fourteen years ago, Moby paid slightly more than $3.9 million for a “replica of a Norman castle” that had supposedly previously been home to celebrities like Debbie Reynolds, Marlon Brando, and The Beatles. Unfortunately, the Los Angeles spread proved too “elaborate for one simple little guy,” and after four years and a thorough repair, the singer and architecture enthusiast sold the fairytale-esque residence for a tidy profit. Ten years later, the renowned building is once more up for sale in Hollywood Hills’ Beachwood Canyon area, with a $15 million asking price.
“I loved Wolf’s Lair,” Moby said of the place he called “the most interesting home in L.A.” at the time. “If I’d started a cult or a family (and trust me, I’ve tried to start both) it would have been the perfect home. Basically I wanted something simpler than a mountaintop castle.”
The home was originally constructed in the late 1920s for real estate entrepreneur and art director L. Milton Wolf, who included a turreted room for his exotic pet gibbon. Businessman Jay Faires and former TV anchor Debbie Matenopoulos sold the estate to Moby in 2010. After spending over $2 million on a thorough repair and remodeling, Moby transferred ownership of the property in 2014 as part of an off-market agreement to an LLC connected to billionaire Rotschild banking dynasty scion Nathaniel (Nat) Rotschild of Switzerland, who updated the space on his own.
Situated on a remote 3.4-acre bluff concealed behind walls and gates, the property consists of a main house and a guesthouse added in the 1960s by renowned modernist architect John Lautner, for a total of eight bedrooms and six bathrooms spread across nearly 5,000 square feet with carved wood details, arched doorways, coffered ceilings, and large windows offering views of Griffith Observatory, Lake Hollywood, and the famous Hollywood Sign.
Inside the primary residence, largely period interiors are highlighted by formal living and dining rooms, as well as a galley kitchen sporting high-end stainless appliances and a breakfast nook with built-in banquette seating. One of the bedrooms has been transformed into an office space, while the primary suite features a bath equipped with dual vanities, a soaking tub, and a separate shower.
A two-bedroom guesthouse that was used as a recording studio during Moby’s tenure has its own living area, kitchen, and roof deck, and rounding it all out are park-like grounds showcased by a kidney-shaped pool nestled alongside a pool house, a pergola-shaded dining area, and private hiking trails. There’s also said to be a “secret” subterranean room that once served as a prohibition-era bar, plus an attached two-car garage and a cobblestone motorcourt.