Before the Playboy Mansion was in a location beneath palm trees and the Hollywood sunshine, it was on the Gold Coast in Chicago. Today, the original mansion holds condos, and one of the connected properties is currently on the market for $7.85 million, according to the Huffington Post.
Hugh Hefner bought the limestone-and-brick building at 1340 N State Parkway in 1959, shortly after his divorce. Newly single and pouring money into his new Playboy Magazine, Hefner wanted to create a space for people to live out the lifestyle showcased in the publication. The historic mansion was just the place.
Built in 1899 for a prominent Chicago doctor, the mansion had previously entertained prestigious guests, including Theodore Roosevelt. The kind of guests Hefner envisioned for the home were slightly different. He created an enormous ballroom, measuring 60 feet by 30 feet, added an indoor pool, underwater bar accessed by a fireman’s pole and furnished suites for live-in guests. The house also included a game room, movie theater, steam room and tanning beds.
For several years the home and the nearby Playboy Club were at the height of popularity, with well-known celebrities, writers and artists continually dropping in to party. However, by the 1970s, the death of a friend and following drug investigation led Hefner to spend more and more time in Hollywood, where he had purchased another mansion. In 1984, Playboy lent the Chicago mansion to the School of the Art Institute, and in 1993 the house was finally sold to developers, who turned the residence into condos.
No evidence of the pool, underwater bar or any of the other Playboy amenities remain. The particular property for sale today — located at 1336 N State Parkway, Chicago, IL 60610 — was once connected to the Playboy Mansion; the original owner built the home for his daughter.
Measuring 9,000 square feet, the home has 5 bedrooms, 7 baths and according to the listing, was updated with “no expense spared.”
Chicago Property Once Part of Original Playboy Mansion for Sale | Zillow Blog.