the most expensive house for sale in the US: 'Casa Encantada,' a legendary Bel-Air mansion asking $225 million

If bought for its asking price, the home would become the most expensive home ever sold in California. 

Courtesy of Hilton Hyland

• A 40,000-square-foot Bel-Air estate, known as Casa Encantada, has hit the market with an asking price of $225 million, making it the most expensive property currently listed for sale in America, according to The Los Angeles Times.
• The estate traces its roots back to the 1930s and was once owned by hotel magnate Conrad Hilton.
• The property was later sold to Dole Food CEO and Chairman David Murdock for $12.5 million; Murdock then sold the home to financier David Winnick in 2000 for $94 million. 
• At each of the last two times it was on the market, Casa Encantada was the highest-priced residential property in the US, reports the Times — and if bought for its current asking price, the home will bypass the Spelling Manor to become the most expensive home ever sold in California. 
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Bel-Air estate Casa Encantada might soon become the most expensive home ever sold in California, reports the Los Angeles Times. 

The 40,000-square-foot property has hit the market with an asking price of $225 million – making it the highest-priced home currently on the market anywhere in the country, per the Times.

Currently owned by financier Gary Winnick, the estate traces its roots back to the 1930s, when it was built for the widow of a glass bottle manufacturer. Since then, it has had many owners. In 1950, it was purchased by hotel magnate Conrad Hilton for $250,000 (or about $2.4 million today), then sold in 1979 to billionaire David Murdock, the chairman and CEO of Dole Foods, for $12.4 million, the Times reports. 

In 2000, Winnick bought the home from Murdock for a reported $94 million and soon led a project to restore the property to its former glory. 

While a PR representative for the estate told Business Insider that interior photos of the property in its current state aren't being released, you can keep reading for a look back at the home's original 1930s glory and to learn more about its history.

Located in Bel-Air, the estate (called Casa Encantada or "House of Enchantment") is nearly 40,000 square feet. According to Los Angeles Magazine, the land was initially bought in 1934 for $100,000 by Hilda Boldt Weber, the widow of a glass manufacturer. Weber then commissioned architect James Dolena to build her the massive estate.

Exterior of the home. 

Courtesy of Hilton Hyland

Dolena was considered a "master" of Georgian architecture, taking influence and inspiration from the Art Deco movement as well as Moderne styles, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Source: Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Magazine

The interior was designed by Peterson Studios and TH Robsjon-Gibbions, who created custom furniture and fabrics for the home, the Los Angeles Times reports. It was finished in 1937, costing over $2 million – or about $35 million today.

Exterior of the home circa 1939. 

The Huntington Library

Source: Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Magazine

Weber was a nurse who married a Midwestern glass bottle manufacturer after nursing him back to health. The death of her husband left her very wealthy, and she spared no expense in building this massive estate.

Exterior of the home circa 1939. 

The Huntington Library

Source: Washington Post, Curbed LA

Though she always aspired to join high society, historians say she was never truly accepted by her Bel-Air peers and instead spent much of her time gambling away her fortune.

Interior of the home circa 1939. 

The Huntington Library

Source: Curbed LA, Los Angeles Times

As time went on, the lavish property she had built became too much for her to handle. Weber eventually died by suicide after offloading the home, according to "Unreal Estate" by Michael Gross, a book about the histories behind the biggest mansions in Los Angeles.

Exterior of the home circa 1939. 

The Huntington Library

Source: Curbed LA, Los Angeles Times

The Washington Post reports that Weber sold the property in 1949 for $225,000 (or about $2.4 million today) to Conrad Hilton, who, at the time, was still building his now-ubiquitous hotel empire. He owned the home for 30 years, until his 1979 death.

Hilton made few changes to the property, keeping, for the most part, everything intact, the Los Angeles Times reports. 

The Huntington Library

Source: Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Magazine

The Hilton family then sold the property to billionaire Dole Foods CEO and Chairman, David Murdock, for $12.4 million. At the time, the deal was a record for the US market.

Interior of the home circa 1939. 

The Huntington Library

Source: Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Magazine

In 2000, Murdock sold the home to financier Gary Winnick for a reported $94 million — another record-breaker. Winnick then commissioned architect Peter Marino to help restore the property. The project took nearly two years (and millions of dollars) to complete.

Interior of the home circa 1939. 

The Huntington Library

Winnick is best known as the founder and chairman of Global Crossing, the company which installed fiber-optic highways across the ocean floor, thereby connecting four continents and 27 countries, according to the Times.

Source: Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Magazine, The Real Deal

Though the listing agents will not be publicly releasing interior shots of the home in its current condition, the Los Angeles Times reports that Winnick has restored the estate's classic detailing.

Interior of the home circa 1939. 

The Huntington Library

According to the Times, the house has wood-paneled walls in addition to moldings embellished with geometric patterns. The property also features wrought ironwork and terrace balconies.

Source: Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Magazine

The property has a guest house, a pool house, and a managers quarters. There is also a basketball court, a tennis court, greenhouses, a rose garden, and koi ponds.

Exterior of the home circa 1939. 

The Huntington Library

In addition, the entrance has 18-foot ceilings and a bar made of sterling silver. 

Source: Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Magazine

Per the Los Angeles Times, mountain and ocean views can be seen from nearly all of the the mansion's 60-rooms, some of which include a professional screening room, a reception hall, and grand formal rooms.

Interior of the home circa 1939. 

The Huntington Library

Source: Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Magazine

If sold for the current asking price, Casa Encantada will bypass the Spelling manor in Holmby Hills— which recently sold for $119.75 million — to become the highest priced home ever sold in California, according to Fortune Magazine.

Exterior of the home today. 

Courtesy of Hilton Hyland