Listing a home in Beverly Hills for almost $17 million is not an abnormal thing. In fact, in the local real estate world, that would be just another day in the life of high-end real estate. However, the particular home that is for sale, a mansion located on North Linden Drive and a prime example of colonial-style architecture, was also where Bugsy Siegel was murdered almost three-quarters of a century earlier.
Bugsy Siegel was no angel. His death was the culmination of a long career as a gangster well-known for his lack of empathy and for many crimes and murders left behind in his path. Siegel, however, was also extremely fond of the Hollywood set, and spent a lot of time socializing with them as well as being instrumental in the early build of modern Las Vegas as a casino empire in the West.
Ironically, the address for sale now wasn’t actually owned by Siegel either. He never had title to the property; instead leasing it for a romantic interest. That said, the home ended up being Bugsy Siegel’s last stop in life as he was gunned down through the main front window, shot in the head twice by the assassin. Police never identified who the killer actually was or solved the case. More than likely, there wasn’t much interest in the gangster’s death, probably happier that he was eliminated and gone altogether.
The latest owners, a Dr. Joel Aronowitz MD, and Fiona Chalom, top the list of residents who have put the address’ history behind them and made an immense residence of the location. They have owned the property since 2003 and are just now liquidating it on the market given the current real estate market potential.
The property is built in a Spanish style, with a unique flavor that is not common in the immediate neighborhood area. In fact, most real estate experts would have expected to see the same kind of architecture in Palm Beach instead. The actual designers that get credit for the home building were Joseph Fox and Sons.
Ironically, the home that Dr. Joel Aronowitz MD and Fiona Schalom have for sale now remains a bit of a mystery to the movie-going public. While the box-office release of Bugsy, was a big hit starring Annette Bening and Warren Beatty, the actual home used for the murder event in the storyline was a different set location. Instead, Hollywood opted for a different mansion over on South Plymouth Boulevard.
Everything has generally been kept original on the property. In a bid to keep the home as genuine as possible to how it was built and used in 1928, all of the hardware, amenities, and interior design still reflect much of the deco style that was widely available at the time. While many other functional aspects of the home have been modernized, the visual appearances inside are still true to the early choices made for the original home.