A nearly 100-year-old mansion built for the man who founded Bel-Air itself has just come on the market for $32.5 million. The 10,600-square-foot Spanish-style estate at 10772 Chalon Road, now marketed as Maison de La Reine, was commissioned in 1928 by oil-money real estate developer Alphonzo Bell and has since housed a Hollywood producer and Queen Noor of Jordan.
Bel-Air's founder acquired more than 1,700 acres and established the exclusive hillside enclave the following year, according to Jade Mills Estates. Oil was discovered on one of Bell's Santa Fe Springs properties in 1922, per Olympedia. Bell also created the Bel-Air Country Club, and before his fortune turned to real estate, he was a nationally ranked tennis player who won a silver medal in men's doubles and a bronze medal in men's singles at the 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis. He had graduated from Occidental College in 1895 before competing internationally.
The home's original designer carried his own pedigree. Landscape architect and civil engineer Mark Daniels drew Bel-Air's streets and gave the neighborhood its form.
A Producer's Theater and a Queen's Residence
The estate's list of former residents reads like a mash-up of Hollywood and international royalty. As Mansion Global reports, Queen Noor of Jordan once resided in the mansion, as did film producer Steven Reuther, who added a theater and editing suite during his tenure.
Michael Wexler is the founder and CEO of Maple Leaf Capital. The home also has a sales history.
Five Years to Modernize a 1928 Foyer
Five-year restoration work aimed to update the property while respecting its 1928 origins, the outlet's report notes.
Designers Kendra Sosothikul and Paula Press of Studio Berosso led the five-year restoration, updating the estate in a Hollywood Regency style that preserved a restored 1928 checkerboard terrazzo foyer while introducing hand-painted Gracie wallpaper on the breakfast room ceiling and custom Gucci wallpaper in the private office and theater powder room, according to The Beverly Hills Estates. The theater also features Missoni material, and the formal living room fireplace is a monumental Calacatta Viola fireplace.
The property includes mature redwood and cypress trees. The home's history remains evident throughout, while its original quality and detailing remain central to the restoration.
Wine Cellars, Boutique Closets and a Pool-Turned-Gym
Beyond the original foyer, which remains intact, the home now includes a wine cellar with hand-laid mosaic flooring, designer boutique-like dressing quarters in the primary suite, and a gym occupying what was once the indoor pool. The property also includes terraces and patios, the outlet's report indicates.
Listing agent Chris Soffer, who shares the listing with Trenton Armitage, Rayni Williams and Branden Williams, said the renovation feels like a continuation of the home's historic feeling and style. The Beverly Hills Estates is marketing the property.
A Nearly $1.8 Million Tax Bill Awaits a Buyer
Any eventual sale will collide with one of Los Angeles's newer financial realities. Under the city's Measure ULA regulations, effective July 1, 2026, a sale of the $32.5 million estate would trigger a 5.5% transfer tax surcharge on transactions of $10.9 million or more, adding roughly $1.78 million in taxes at closing, according to the Los Angeles Office of Finance. The measure funds homelessness prevention and affordable housing.
The tax underscores just how much the Westside luxury market has grown since Bell first carved his oil fortune into hillside lots. His wife, Minnewa Shoemaker Bell, chose Italian street names for the subdivision — including Bellagio Road and Stradella Road — and Bell built underground equestrian tunnels so riders could avoid automobile traffic, according to the Bel-Air Association. Bel-Air has more than 2,000 properties across roughly 1,700 acres.
