Sometimes the set of movies or music videos are the real star of the show. These luxury mansions helped bring famous stories such as “The Godfather” to life. Today, we at Supreme Auctions® take you inside three extraordinary properties so you can get to know their off-screen personalities.
Luxury Mansion Featured in ‘The Godfather’ (1972)
Formerly owned by actress Marion Davies and frequented as a honeymoon spot for President John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, this iconic property has seen its fair share of famous faces and is even a bit of a star itself after starring in 1972’s “The Godfather.”
Located on 3.5 acres, the 1927 estate — now known as the Beverly House — is one of the best known in Beverly Hills. Designed by the architect Gordon Kaufmann, the sprawling compound features the famous 29,000-square-foot main house, plus a guesthouse, and an additional security house.
The main residence is built in an H-shape and features elaborate balconies, archways, hand-carved wood panels in the 2-story library, a hand-carved stone fireplace in the billiards room, and colonnades.
In “The Godfather,” the luxury mansion belonged to character Jack Woltz. Many scenes were filmed within the property, however, the most well-known room of the house is one of the eight bedrooms where Woltz finds a severed head of a horse in his bed. And who can forget that scene?
In more recent years, the home starred in a visual album for none other than the Queen B herself: Beyoncé. In 2020, the Grammy Award winner used the luxury property as the main set piece for her visual album “Black is King.”
Filming took place throughout the interior and exterior of the luxury mansion. Although no room stands out, the house is featured in bulk throughout the visual album. A majority of the interior shots were filmed for the “Mood 4 Eva.” segment. In it, you will see Tina Knowles-Lawson’s art pieces, sculptures by Woodrow Nash and Ugo Rondinone, and a painting by Derrick Adams adorning the walls to represent rebirth and renewal.
According to director of photography Santiago Gonzalez, the set represented “a temple dedicated to the power of femininity, sisterhood and motherhood.” The same motifs are found in the various footage shot outside of the home, and the exterior’s pink hues and green foliage created the ideal backdrop.
For those of you who aspire to be this luxury mansion’s next owner, the Beverly House is currently on the market with Jade Mills of Coldwell Banker for a sizable $125 million.
Long Island Mansion Becomes Iconic Piece in Rap History
This luxury mansion became iconic after starring in Notorious B.I.G’s 1995 groundbreaking single “Big Poppa.”
This Long Island North Shore property sits on 16 acres in New York’s affluent Old Westbury suburb, an area which Bloomberg ranks as the 18th richest zip code in the United States. It is no surprise that this luxury mansion was chosen to be the co-star alongside the rap artist known as B.I.G.
Initially constructed as an Amish farm in 1868, the secluded property is one you must see to believe. Mediterranean in style, the handsome luxury mansion boasts a 9,415-square-foot main residence that stands on four gated acres, and houses seven bedrooms and nine bathrooms spread across its two floors.
The most famous of these rooms is the estate’s ornate main bathroom. The Notorious B.I.G. and Bad Boy Records exec Sean “Diddy ” Combs shot the iconic “How you living Biggie Smalls” scene while lounging in the massive tub with gilded swan-shaped faucets. To which B.I.G. responds with his signature rap flow, “In mansion and Benzes, giving ends to my friends and it feels stupendous.”
The home was frequented by B.I.G. on two other occasions as well. Biggie and Combs also shot “Warning” at the estate, with the foyer and the main bathroom appearing extensively in the video.
On his third visit, B.I.G., along with Lil’ Kim and Lil’ Cease, filmed the video for Junior M.A.F.I.A.’s “Player’s Anthem.”
B.I.G. wasn’t the only one to feature this luxury mansion in a music video. Kool G Rap also made use of the same bathtub in his “Fast Life” music video. Talk about one famous tub!
For those of you who aspire to be this luxury property’s next owner, it is currently being offered by Kristin Thomas of Compass for $13.9 million.
Self-Fulfilling Prophecy with ‘The Money Pit’ Mansion
The high-end home featured in “The Money Pit” (1986) is one of the biggest and most recent self-fulfilling prophecies and success stories in the luxury home industry.
The movie showcased the exterior of this eight-bedroom 1898 high-end home in Lattingtown, New York, and never once ventured inside. However, film fans will still be able to recognize the home’s white façade immediately.
In reality, the luxury home was owned by sailor and 1952 Summer Olympics gold-medal Eric Ridder. It was later purchased by Rich and Christina Makowsky, who bought the 5.4-acre estate in 2002. However, when purchased by them, the Makowsky’s admitted that the home imitated art. Similar to the plot of ‘The Money Pit,’ the interior was in need of renovations and extensive repair to bring it back to its former glory.
The owners worked tirelessly over the course of four years to restore the home to the highest quality. To give you a taste of the renovated interior, three of the property’s eight fireplaces are visible the moment you walk through the front door. The most stunning of the three is an imported 500-year-old French fireplace surrounded by black suede tufted fabric on the walls.
Beyond the kitchen lies a nine-foot-long, four-foot-high oval window in the breakfast area overlooking an elegant English rose garden. The master suite wing includes a sitting room with a fireplace and lavish master bath with a free-standing oval tub, twin vanities, a shower room and a separate water closet.
We commend the Maroskys’ effort to bring a formerly dilapidated home back to its former glory. As proprietors of the luxury home auction industry, we at Supreme Auctions are passionate about giving homes and their owners the respect and quality they deserve.
When affluent homeowners look for a firm that they can successfully build a trusting relationship with, they turn to us, the Architects of the Industry™. We can market your unique property and sell your home in 45 days at the best market price and do so time-and-time again. If you would like to explore our luxury mansion auction marketing process to sell your home, call us at 888-660-6450 or connect with us online. We will be happy to assist you.
