{"id":24722,"date":"2026-09-15T19:40:25","date_gmt":"2026-09-15T19:40:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=24722"},"modified":"2026-09-15T19:40:25","modified_gmt":"2026-09-15T19:40:25","slug":"in-2010-an-investor-bought-bel-air-founder-alphonzo-bells-1928-estate-for-5-5-million-after-a-five-year-restoration-the-10600-sq-ft-mansion-is-asking-32-5-million","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=24722","title":{"rendered":"In 2010, an investor bought Bel-Air founder Alphonzo Bell&#8217;s 1928 estate for $5.5 million; after a five-year restoration, the 10,600-sq-ft mansion is asking $32.5 million"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"e9jwa\">\n<div class=\"vdo_embedd\">\n<div class=\"GfdvZ\">\n<section class=\"_bIDB  clearfix id-r-component leadmedia undefined undefined  E9tg9 \" style=\"top:0px\">\n<div class=\"_bIDB\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">\n<div class=\"ypVvZ\">\n<div class=\"WGttI\"><img src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-134267564,imgsize-143388,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/bel-air-founders-1928-mansion-bought-for-55m-is-now-asking-325m-after-a-five-year-restoration.jpg\" alt=\"In 2010, an investor bought Bel-Air founder Alphonzo Bell's 1928 estate for $5.5 million; after a five-year restoration, the 10,600-sq-ft mansion is asking $32.5 million\" title=\"Pic credit: Beverly Hills estate\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Ta7d_ img_cptn\"><span title=\"Pic credit: Beverly Hills estate\">Pic credit: Beverly Hills estate<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>In 2010, an investor bought Bel-Air founder Alphonzo Bell&#8217;s 1928 estate for $5.5 million; after a five-year restoration, the 10,600-sq-ft mansion is asking $32.5 million<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"1\"\/>A 1928 mansion that Bel-Air&#8217;s founder built for himself has hit the market, with an asking price of $32.5 million. <!-- -->The sale comes after a comprehensive five-year restoration, according to a report by Platinum Tribune.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"5\"\/>The current owner, Michael Wexler, bought the estate for $5.5 million eleven years ago. The 10,600-sq-ft Spanish-style estate is on one of Bel-Air&#8217;s most coveted perches, with a lineage tracing back to the neighbourhood&#8217;s founder himself. Wexler had no plans to flip the property when he bought it. He bought it to live in, and he did, for roughly a decade before deciding the house deserved something more ambitious: a complete resurrection.<!-- --> After that, the estate at 10772 Chalon Road was rebranded as Maison de La Reine, and this month it hit the market, asking $32.5 million.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"10\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>Landmark estate<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<div data-pos=\"0\" class=\"id-r-component iIpbx undefined  &#10;        \">\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\u200b&lt;strong&gt;Bought for $5.5M in 2010, Bel-Air founder's historic mansion hits the market for $32.5M&lt;\/strong&gt;\u200b\" msid=\"134267574\" imgsize=\"135871\" resizemode=\"4\" width=\"\" title=\"\" placeholdersrc=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/83033472.cms\" offsetvertical=\"0\" placeholdermsid=\"47529300\" type=\"thumb\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/imgsize-135871,msid-134267574\/strongbought-for-5-5m-in-2010-bel-air-founders-historic-mansion-hits-the-market-for-32-5mstrong.jpg\" data-api-prerender=\"true\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Real estate developer and oilman Alphonzo Bell, who established the surrounding neighbourhood and the Bel-Air Country Club, built this mansion in 1928 for himself. Bell went to architect Mark Daniels, the same man who helped him create Bel-Air itself. By then, Daniels had laid out the neighbourhood&#8217;s streets and planted thousands of trees to frame them. He&#8217;d engineered underground equestrian tunnels so riders could navigate the hills without mixing with automobile traffic.<!-- --> This house was Daniels applying that same precision and vision to a single residence.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"17\"\/>The Spanish-style design reflected 1920s LA, when Mediterranean-inspired homes were a symbol of luxury and fashion. The craftsmanship of the mansion spoke for itself. The house features built-in millwork, hand-carved stone fireplaces, and terrazzo floors laid by hand.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"20\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>The renovation<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<div data-pos=\"0\" class=\"id-r-component iIpbx undefined  &#10;        \">\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Bel-Air founder's 1928 mansion bought for $5.5M is now asking $32.5M after a five-year restoration\" msid=\"134267564\" imgsize=\"143388\" resizemode=\"4\" width=\"\" title=\"Pic credit: Beverly Hills estate\" placeholdersrc=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/83033472.cms\" offsetvertical=\"0\" placeholdermsid=\"47529300\" type=\"thumb\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/imgsize-143388,msid-134267564\/bel-air-founders-1928-mansion-bought-for-5-5m-is-now-asking-32-5m-after-a-five-year-restoration.jpg\" data-api-prerender=\"true\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Pic credit: Beverly Hills estate<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Over the years, the 1928 mansion has had many famous owners, including Queen Noor of Jordan and the late film producer Steven Reuther, who built a private cinema and editing suite on site.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"24\"\/>In 2010, Maple Leaf Capital CEO Michael Wexler purchased the property for $5.5 million. He lived there for a decade before renovating it in 2021. Rather than gut-renovate, he asked designers Kendra Sosothikul and Paula Press of Studio Berosso to approach the project with a scholar&#8217;s attention to detail. <!-- -->The original 1928 checkerboard terrazzo foyer was preserved and restored in place. The hand-painted Gracie wallpaper adorning the breakfast room ceiling was either conserved or recreated to match period specifications.<!-- --> He also added some modern flair: custom Gucci wallpaper now lines the private office and theatre powder room, while a Calacatta Viola marble fireplace anchors the formal living room. A new wine cellar was built with hand-laid mosaic flooring. <!-- -->The original indoor pool was reimagined as a climate-controlled fitness space. The outdoor terraces were expanded to frame views towards Century City and Downtown Los Angeles. These upgrades only added a contemporary flair to the historic estate. Listing agent Chris Soffer of The Beverly Hills Estates described the renovation as a continuation of the home&#8217;s historic character. They managed to find a balance between comfort and history.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"33\"\/>Chris Soffer holds the listing alongside Trenton Armitage, Rayni Williams, and Branden Williams. The asking price is $32.5 million. The buyer will also have to pay a special 5.5% transfer tax under Los Angeles&#8217; Measure ULA. This tax applies to property sales above $10.9 million. For a $32.5 million sale, that would be about $1.78 million in additional tax at the time of the sale.<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/real-estate\/news\/in-2010-an-investor-bought-bel-air-founder-alphonzo-bells-1928-estate-for-5-5-million-after-a-five-year-restoration-the-10600-sq-ft-mansion-is-asking-32-5-million\/articleshow\/134267407.cms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pic credit: Beverly Hills estate In 2010, an investor bought Bel-Air founder Alphonzo Bell&#8217;s 1928 estate for $5.5 million; after a five-year restoration, the 10,600-sq-ft mansion is asking $32.5 millionA 1928 mansion that Bel-Air&#8217;s founder built for himself has hit the market, with an asking price of $32.5 million. The sale comes after a comprehensive [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":24723,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24722","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-31"],"magazineBlocksPostFeaturedMedia":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/bel-air-founders-1928-mansion-bought-for-55m-is-now-asking-325m-after-a-five-year-restoration.jpg","medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/bel-air-founders-1928-mansion-bought-for-55m-is-now-asking-325m-after-a-five-year-restoration.jpg","medium_large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/bel-air-founders-1928-mansion-bought-for-55m-is-now-asking-325m-after-a-five-year-restoration.jpg","large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/bel-air-founders-1928-mansion-bought-for-55m-is-now-asking-325m-after-a-five-year-restoration.jpg","1536x1536":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/bel-air-founders-1928-mansion-bought-for-55m-is-now-asking-325m-after-a-five-year-restoration.jpg","2048x2048":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/bel-air-founders-1928-mansion-bought-for-55m-is-now-asking-325m-after-a-five-year-restoration.jpg","blogsy-small":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/bel-air-founders-1928-mansion-bought-for-55m-is-now-asking-325m-after-a-five-year-restoration.jpg","blogsy-small-tall":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/bel-air-founders-1928-mansion-bought-for-55m-is-now-asking-325m-after-a-five-year-restoration.jpg","blogsy-small-square":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/bel-air-founders-1928-mansion-bought-for-55m-is-now-asking-325m-after-a-five-year-restoration.jpg","blogsy-small-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/bel-air-founders-1928-mansion-bought-for-55m-is-now-asking-325m-after-a-five-year-restoration.jpg","blogsy-medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/bel-air-founders-1928-mansion-bought-for-55m-is-now-asking-325m-after-a-five-year-restoration.jpg","blogsy-medium-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/bel-air-founders-1928-mansion-bought-for-55m-is-now-asking-325m-after-a-five-year-restoration.jpg","blogsy-large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/bel-air-founders-1928-mansion-bought-for-55m-is-now-asking-325m-after-a-five-year-restoration.jpg","blogsy-wide":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/bel-air-founders-1928-mansion-bought-for-55m-is-now-asking-325m-after-a-five-year-restoration.jpg"},"magazineBlocksPostAuthor":{"name":"admin","avatar":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g"},"magazineBlocksPostCommentsNumber":"0","magazineBlocksPostExcerpt":"Pic credit: Beverly Hills estate In 2010, an investor bought Bel-Air founder Alphonzo Bell&#8217;s 1928 estate for $5.5 million; after a five-year restoration, the 10,600-sq-ft mansion is asking $32.5 millionA 1928 mansion that Bel-Air&#8217;s founder built for himself has hit the market, with an asking price of $32.5 million. 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