Investor lists longtime Holmby Hills compound with funicular for $79M

The estate at 300 Delfern Drive (Credit:300delferndr.com)
The estate at 300 Delfern Drive (Credit:300delferndr.com)

For well-heeled buyers who want the sprawling estate without the walking that comes with it, this $79 million Holmby Hills estate comes with its own funicular.

Investor Gary Wilson, the former Northwest Airlines chairman, is selling the four-acre estate, which comprises four residences, two swimming pools and two greenhouses. The funicular, or inclining railway, allows residents to traverse a hill on the property without breaking a sweat.

Wilson started assembling the compound in the early 1990s when he purchased the 11-bedroom main house from socialite Edith Mayer Goetz. Goetz was the daughter of Hollywood heavyweights Louis Mayer and William Goetz, and often screened movies in the home. He later nabbed three additional guesthouses from a neighboring property when it came on the market.

Sign Up for the undefined Newsletter

Jeff Hyland and Drew Fenton of Hilton & Hyland share the exclusive listing with Aaron Kirman of John Aaroe Group.

The main abode spans 20,000 square feet and features a well-preserved art deco den with oak paneling and herringbone floors.

In Holmby Hills — an area known for sprawling compounds such as the Playboy Mansion and the Owlwood estate, both of which exchanged hands this year — the median sales price of a single-family residence is $2.2 million, according to Redfin. [WSJ]Cathaleen Chen