Malibu’s landmark castle goes on the market.
By Kim Devore / Staff Writer
If Larry Ellison is looking for another trophy to add to his ever-expanding Malibu domain, the software king might want to consider having his very own castle. Malibu’s famed Castle Kashan, complete with elaborate iron gates, fairy tale turrets and fortified barbicans, is on the market with an asking price of $17 million.
Philanthropist Lilly Lawrence purchased the whimsical estate in 1998.
Over the years, it has been the site of numerous local events and fundraisers from the Dolphin Ball to the Malibu Celebration of Film and the upcoming Dolphin Awards. Sitting on 2.5 acres with sweeping ocean views, the one-of-a-kind castle has been used as a backdrop for film and television projects including “Fantasy Island” and “The Rockford Files.”
The 10,500 square foot home has six bedrooms, eight bathrooms, five fireplaces, a glass enclosed sunroom, two guesthouses, a motor court and plenty of room for a helicopter pad.
Dr. Tom Hodges built the stone fortress in 1978 in the style of a 13th century Scottish castle. It was known as Hodges’ castle until Lawrence purchased the property 10 years later. She said she admired the place for many years and “loved the romance of it.”
“There is something magical about it,” she said. “You have the Pacific laid out before you like a tapestry and the mountains embracing you on the other side.”
Lawrence is the daughter of a former Iranian oil minister and the goddaughter of Aristotle Onassis. She made extensive renovations after acquiring the property and filled it up with extravagant family treasures from her family’s Fallah Palace in Tehran.
After nine years, she’s making way for a changing of the guard and has asked local Realtor Scotty Brown to find a hilltop lot upon which to build her next regal residence.