Elizabeth Taylor’s former Bel Air estate gets $47m makeover - What is the plan

Published 13 August 2026 · entertainment

Image credit: IANS Taylor’s Hollywood touch stays Home to Hollywood hideaway Sapphire pool, roses and Koi pond What’s next for Taylor’s former avenue Elizabeth Taylor’s

Image credit: IANS Taylor’s Hollywood touch stays Home to Hollywood hideaway Sapphire pool, roses and Koi pond What’s next for Taylor’s former avenue Elizabeth Taylor’s Bel Air home is getting a Hollywood glam makeover, but the star’s touch is staying intact.The actress’s former estate is entering a new chapter under developer Ardie Tavangarian, who plans to retain the character and memories associated with Taylor while giving the property a fresh look.Taylor lived at the 1.3-acre Bel Air estate for 30 years, and Tavangarian says much of what made the home special to her will remain. The project also clarifies reports that the famous property had been demolished or was facing demolition.Instead, the estate is being transformed into what Tavangarian calls a Taylor/Tavangarian manor, with the original home being combined with a major new addition.“We’re trying to create something that is a continuation of Elizabeth Taylor and her legacy while creating a phase 2 to enhance the beauty that is already here.”He believes the property’s unique character can be preserved while making it a place where Taylor “would be comfortable living in.”“I’m approaching this as though she is my client,” he told New York Post.Taylor bought the estate for $2 million back in 1981 from Nancy, Frank Sinatra’s first wife, and lived there until her death in 2011 at the age of 79.

Parts of the original 7,000-square-foot home will become an Elizabeth Taylor wing.Her master bedroom and bathroom, beauty centre and other spaces she treasured are being restored.The home will also retain much of the room where Taylor kept her famous jewellery in velvet-lined cases. “We’re just modernizing it from a point of view of functionality,” Tavangarian told The Post.A gallery filled with Elizabeth Taylor-related artwork is also planned. Taylor was an iconic actress and humanitarian activist who gave audiences decades of exceptional performances and much-needed pathos.The original home is being restored to strengthen its 60-year-old structure, while the rest will connect to a new 12,000-square-foot addition.A large hill next to the house has already been levelled to create space for the new section. The addition will use Tavangarian’s signature construction methods, including underground framing and deep foundation footings.These will allow walls, floors and ceilings to be built underground and strengthened like a heavy-duty bunker to hold back thousands of tons of shifting earth.New York Post reported that the new section will include a 4,500-square-foot retractable roof for stargazing and an expansive grass overlay.Taylor’s ranch-style home has two levels and five bedrooms.