Rock Hudson’s Hollywood Mega-Mansion Hits the Market for $55.5 Million

The 24,000-square-foot estate was also home to Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen

July 18, 2021

Rock Hudson. Photo: Ray Jones

Perched on a hilltop with sweeping views of downtown Los Angeles and the Pacific Ocean, this 1920s estate was the longtime home of Hollywood legend Rock Hudson, who lived there from ’62 until his death 23 years later. (The Pillow Talk star’s funeral was also held at the Spanish-style property, with A-list guests including Elizabeth Taylor, Susan St. James, and Carol Burnett, according to the Los Angeles Times.)

Following his passing, director John Landis acquired the stucco and terra-cotta hacienda, which measures 9,600 square feet and comes with five bedrooms, a cinema, massage room, and gym. In 1997 he sold it to Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen for a reported $10 million. It was Allen who customized the dwelling and enlarged the property to its current 3.2 acres—an impressive size in the exclusive Beverly Hills Post Office enclave.

The late tech titan, worth a reported $20 billion at the time of his death in 2018, added a nearly 10,000-square-foot recording studio called Neptune Valley to the estate, which also features a two-bedroom guest house, staff quarters, a detached office, and a security building. (The interior space totals 24,000 square feet.) Impressively, an all-glass funicular links the chic pool area with a tennis court below—a perk bound to impress even the most jaded party guest.