Bel-Air founder's $5.5M mansion is now asking $32.5M

Times of India · collected 2026-09-15 · by TOI Real Estate Desk
Read the original at Times of India ↗

Summary

Michael Wexler, CEO of Maple Leaf Capital, has put up for sale the 1928 Spanish-style mansion built by Bel-Air founder Alphonzo Bell in 2010 for $5.5 million. After a five-year restoration project that preserved and restored original features while adding modern touches like custom Gucci wallpaper and a new wine cellar, the mansion is now listed at $32.5 million. The estate spans 10,600 square feet and has historically housed notable figures such as Queen Noor of Jordan and film producer Steven Reuther.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-15, using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the same event.

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Claims extracted
31
claim-shaped sentences
Uncertain
6%
2 of 31 hedged
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Correction & hedging signals
93.9
corrections and hedging in what we collected; not a measure of accuracy
Outlets on this story
unclustered
not grouped into a story yet
Narrative spread
1
articles carrying this framing
Analyzed 2026-09-15 · how these are computed

AI analysis (generated at analysis time, not now)

Why this leaning score
This article does not take a side on a contested political question, so it has no leaning score. That is an answer rather than a gap: a match report or a rescue can be warmly or critically written without being left or right, and scoring it anyway is how approval of a subject gets recorded as a political position.
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Times of India · 370 article(s) · 0 correction(s) detected
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Who wrote this

TOI Real Estate Desk
14 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 He'd engineered underground equestrian tunnels so riders could navigate the hills without mixing with automobile traffic.
2026-09-15 · assertive framing · Bel-Air founder's $5.5M mansion is now asking $32.5M
🔮 Digging a well became a priority once he could afford it.
🔮 The interiors feature exposed wooden beams, handcrafted furnishings, artisan tile and a Caribbean-inspired colour palette Designed to change for different shoots The owners also made sure the interiors could be changed depending on what a production required.
🔮 Village Preservation, then known as the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, had been pushing for the 84 West 3rd Street building to receive landmark protection, concerned that a private buyer could eventually alter or demolish it.
🔮 The original layout still provided some separation between the spaces, but interior doors could be opened to connect the rooms.
🔮 For more than a year, Renamor sat on the market waiting for someone willing to pay nearly $30 million for a piece of old New York grandeur.
🔮 Krall reportedly wanted to turn the town into a health spa, but later realised he could not afford the restoration work and put it back on eBay in 2006.
🔮 Even at the reduced price, the house would be far above the existing sales record in Cherry Grove if it sells close to its current asking price.
🔮 For owners whose lives revolve around boats, the property's three-bay boathouse could be its biggest attraction.
Wire or desk byline, not an individual reporter.
More on this subject from TOI Real Estate Desk
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Topics

Bel-Air Bel-Air's Maison de La Reine Platinum Tribune Spanish

Subjects

Alphonzo Bell PERSON · 2× Bel-Air's ORG · 2× Chris Soffer PERSON · 2× Daniels PERSON · 2× Michael Wexler PERSON · 2× Spanish NORP · 2× Bel-Air ORG · 1× Maison de La Reine ORG · 1× Platinum Tribune ORG · 1× Wexler PERSON · 1×

Narrative

In 2010, an investor bought Bel-Air founder Alphonzo Bell's 1928 estate for $5.5 million; after a five-year restoration, the 10,600-sq-ft mansion is asking $32.5 million A 1928 mansion that Bel-Air's founder built for himself has hit the market, with an asking price of $32.5 million.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-15
🔮 He'd engineered underground equestrian tunnels so riders could navigate the hills without mixing with automobile traffic.
2026-09-15 · Times of India
Bel-Air founder's $5.5M mansion is now asking $32.5M · assertive framing

Claims (31 extracted, 2 hedged)

In 2010, an investor bought Bel-Air founder Alphonzo Bell's 1928 estate for $5.5 million; after a five-year restoration, the 10,600-sq-ft mansion is asking $32.5 million A 1928 mansion that Bel-Air's founder built for himself has hit the market, with an asking price of $32.5 million. asserted
founder → buy → million
The sale comes after a comprehensive five-year restoration, according to a report by Platinum Tribune. uncertain
sale → come → Tribune
The current owner, Michael Wexler, bought the estate for $5.5 million eleven years ago. asserted
owner → buy → million
The 10,600-sq-ft Spanish-style estate is on one of Bel-Air's most coveted perches, with a lineage tracing back to the neighbourhood's founder himself. asserted
estate → trace → founder
Wexler had no plans to flip the property when he bought it. asserted
he → have → it
He bought it to live in, and he did, for roughly a decade before deciding the house deserved something more ambitious: a complete resurrection. asserted
house → buy → something
After that, the estate at 10772 Chalon Road was rebranded as Maison de La Reine, and this month it hit the market, asking $32.5 million. asserted
it → rebrande → million
Real estate developer and oilman Alphonzo Bell, who established the surrounding neighbourhood and the Bel-Air Country Club, built this mansion in 1928 for himself. asserted
who → establish → himself
Bell went to architect Mark Daniels, the same man who helped him create Bel-Air itself. asserted
who → go → Air
By then, Daniels had laid out the neighbourhood's streets and planted thousands of trees to frame them. asserted
Daniels → lay → them
He'd engineered underground equestrian tunnels so riders could navigate the hills without mixing with automobile traffic. uncertain
riders → engineer → traffic
This house was Daniels applying that same precision and vision to a single residence. asserted
Daniels → apply → residence
The Spanish-style design reflected 1920s LA, when Mediterranean-inspired homes were a symbol of luxury and fashion. asserted
homes → reflect → luxury
The craftsmanship of the mansion spoke for itself. asserted
craftsmanship → speak → itself
The house features built-in millwork, hand-carved stone fireplaces, and terrazzo floors laid by hand. asserted
house → feature → hand
Over the years, the 1928 mansion has had many famous owners, including Queen Noor of Jordan and the late film producer Steven Reuther, who built a private cinema and editing suite on site. asserted
who → have → site
In 2010, Maple Leaf Capital CEO Michael Wexler purchased the property for $5.5 million. asserted
Wexler → purchase → million
He lived there for a decade before renovating it in 2021. asserted
He → live → 2021
Rather than gut-renovate, he asked designers Kendra Sosothikul and Paula Press of Studio Berosso to approach the project with a scholar's attention to detail. asserted
he → renovate → detail
The original 1928 checkerboard terrazzo foyer was preserved and restored in place. asserted
foyer → preserve → place
The hand-painted Gracie wallpaper adorning the breakfast room ceiling was either conserved or recreated to match period specifications. asserted
wallpaper → paint → specifications
He also added some modern flair: custom Gucci wallpaper now lines the private office and theatre powder room, while a Calacatta Viola marble fireplace anchors the formal living room. asserted
fireplace → add → room
A new wine cellar was built with hand-laid mosaic flooring. asserted
cellar → build → flooring
The original indoor pool was reimagined as a climate-controlled fitness space. asserted
pool → reimagine → space
The outdoor terraces were expanded to frame views towards Century City and Downtown Los Angeles. asserted
terraces → expand → City
These upgrades only added a contemporary flair to the historic estate. asserted
upgrades → add → estate
Listing agent Chris Soffer of The Beverly Hills Estates described the renovation as a continuation of the home's historic character. asserted
Soffer → describe → character
They managed to find a balance between comfort and history. asserted
They → manage → comfort
Chris Soffer holds the listing alongside Trenton Armitage, Rayni Williams, and Branden Williams. asserted
Soffer → hold → Armitage
The buyer will also have to pay a special 5.5% transfer tax under Los Angeles' Measure ULA. asserted
buyer → have → ULA
This tax applies to property sales above $10.9 million. asserted
tax → apply → million
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