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The Western White House, a White House replica in Hillsborough, California, has sold for $23 million ahead of the presidential election, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. However, the next president will presumably not be moving in.
This $23 million sale ranks among Hillsborough’s highest home sales, following the record $30 million sale in 2022, according to The Journal. Alex Buljan of Compass and his father and colleague, Pierre Buljan, shared the listing.
The identity of the buyer has not been publicly released.
Located at 401 El Cerrito Avenue, the home was initially listed in June 2023 for $38.9 million. Owners Mehrdad Elie, a real estate investor, and his wife, Neda Elie, considered selling at auction earlier this year but opted to keep it on the market instead. The property went under contract earlier this month.
The Elies purchased the home in 2022 for $15 million and invested around $6 million in renovations while preserving its White House-inspired features. Initially built in the 1870s as a four-story Swiss chalet, the home was transformed into a White House replica in the 1930s by George R. Hearst, the son of media mogul William Randolph Hearst.
George commissioned the late architect Julia Morgan to redesign the home with Neoclassical Georgian elements, including columns, Palladian windows and a replica of the White House Rose Garden, along with interior replicas of the Oval Office and East Room. The 24,000-square-foot mansion exudes luxury, blending intricate crown molding, polished wood floors and elegant chandeliers with modern finishes, according to the listing.
Situated on nearly three acres, the property features 11 bedrooms, 14 bathrooms, a wine cellar, staff rooms — both added during the Elies’ renovation — and a swimming pool. Despite these extensive upgrades, the Elies ultimately found the home too large and chose not to move in.
