Elizabeth Taylor’s Bel Air Estate to be Preserved in $47 Million Makeover By Architectural Digest

Contrary to earlier reports, it appears that Elizabeth Taylor’s famed two-story ranch-style home at 700 Nimes Road in Bel Air will not be demolished. The 7,000-square-foot residence, where the star lived from 1981 until her death in 2011, will remain intact—though it’s getting a facelift. Per the New York Post, the estate’s 1.3 acres will undergo a $47 million makeover. Current owner and mega-mansion developer Ardie Tavangarian’s plans for the property include a massive 12,000-square-foot subterranean and above-ground buildout.

Tavangarian—whose contemporary, amenity-rich spec homes often fetch upward of $100 million—told the outlet that the original home will essentially serve as the “Elizabeth Taylor wing” of the revamped pad. Rooms dear to the Cleopatra actor, like her primary suite, her beauty center—which included a shampoo station—and the room that held her storied precious gems will receive a makeover, while the rest of the house will be refashioned to transition into a new build.

“We’re just modernizing it from a point of view of functionality,” Tavangarian told the Post. The designer also plans to install a gallery in the original home, outfitted with Taylor-related art. The icon’s sapphire-colored swimming pool, koi pond, and rose garden will also remain much as she left it upon her death in 2011.

The above-ground addition will bump the ranch up to two stories and in some places, three. Tavangarian tells the Post that he is “approaching this as though she is my client,” building out the interiors of the three-bedroom addition with amenities he believes the late Taylor, known for her glamor, would have loved. Highlights of the plans include a state-of-the-art screening room, a “pajama room” for lounging, a 4,500-square-foot retractable roof for stargazing, and a spa. Not all of the additions will strive for modernity; Tavangarian plans to carry over the original home’s exterior exposed brick facade to the new structure in order to maintain visual cohesion.

Taylor moved into 700 Nimes Road right after Nancy Sinatra’s residency. Sinatra, the first wife of Frank Sinatra, sold what was originally a one-story bungalow to a developer, from whom Taylor purchased the home.

The Cat on a Hot Tin Roof star was known for making her space cozy and homey—a far cry from the blinged out persona she portrayed for the cameras. Taylor invited AD into her sanctuary a few weeks before she passed away 15 years ago, and photos from that feature reveal warm and inviting spaces with lots of color, portraits, and flowers. At the time, a personal assistant to Taylor told AD that “she lived with paintings by Pissarro, Degas, and Renoir, but wanted people to feel comfortable enough to spill a drink and not freak out.”