A Beverly Hills property where actress Sharon Tate and four others were murdered by followers of Charles Manson in August 1969 is now on the market for $45 million. The Mediterranean-style mansion, built on the site of the original home that was torn down, has struggled to find a buyer for producer Jeff Franklin, who purchased the estate in 2000.
The property, most recently listed for $50 million, carries the heavy legacy of the 1969 murders. Tate, who was eight months pregnant, and her friend Jay Sebring were killed in the home's living room. Her guests, Abigale Folger and Wojciech Frykowski, were murdered near where the current property's pool now stands. Steven Parent was killed in a guardhouse on the grounds.
Franklin, who now resides in Miami, acquired the property for $6.4 million. The home where the killings took place was owned by Hollywood talent manager Rudolph Altobelli, who was renting it to Tate and her husband, director Roman Polanski, at the time. Altobelli famously sued Polanski for breaking the lease and for cleanup costs after the murders.
Before the murders, the property, originally built in 1941, had a history as a notable Hollywood residence. Film pioneer Lillian Gish rented there, and Baron Philippe de Rothschild leased it when in town. Henry Fonda reportedly hid out at the property from fans, and Cary Grant used it as a honeymoon home with actress Diane Cannon.
In more recent history, Trent Reznor, frontman of Nine Inch Nails, rented the original home and established a recording studio there. He named the studio "Le Pig," referencing a word scrawled on the front door in Tate's blood by Manson's followers. Reznor took the door with him when he departed. Goth rocker Marilyn Manson, who took his stage name from Marilyn Monroe and Charles Manson, later recorded at the site and appeared in Nine Inch Nails' "Gave Up" video, which was filmed there.
The current 21,000-square-foot mansion features nine bedrooms and 12.5 bathrooms. Amenities include a grand foyer with 40-foot ceilings, a swimming pool, a saltwater aquarium with sharks, a projection room, an infrared sauna, and an arcade room. The outdoor area boasts a lagoon-style infinity pool with waterfalls, a river with a current, and a water slide leading to an underwater viewing area for koi fish.
Franklin had previously attempted to rent the estate for $247,500 per month. The listing agents for the property are Bennett Bidwell and Adam Rosenfeld of the Resident Group.
Efforts have been made over the years to deter true-crime tourists, including petitions to change the site's address. Despite the attempts to move past the property's dark history, the Cielo Drive address continues to attract visitors.