Playboy Mansion For Sale; End of an Era

Photo courtesy of Glenn Francis via Wikipedia

Playboy Enterprises announced over the weekend that one of the most famous residences in the world, the Playboy Mansion, home to founder Hugh Hefner, is up for sale for $200 million. The only caveat is that 90-year old High Hefner gets to stay there until he passes way. It's believed that the home will in reality sell anywhere between $60 to $90 million. The reality of the matter is that with the sale, it will be the end of an era.

With free porn on the internet, sales of print media dropping, and Playboy deciding to no longer feature nude pics of women in their magazines, the Playboy empire is most likely on its decline. The mansion was a key to what became the sexual revolution, along with the magazine of course.

While some may view the mansion as the home of sexual deviation, in many ways it inspired people to look at sex differently. Hefner wanted people to be okay with the fact that they are sexual beings and that the act of sex itself can be a beautiful thing. Hosting parties for various artists brought an expansion of these ideas to mainstream and changed how sex was perceived by the American public.

With the sale of the house, it feels that the empire itself will eventually fall into obscurity. Kids will wear t-shirts with the famous bunny logo, but not really understand what it stands for. People who claimed they were "only reading the magazine for the articles" will be saddened when one less source for articles/interviews from political, religious, and other notable public figures, and a source for short stories written by Arthur C. Clarke, Ian Fleming, Ray Bradbury, and various other important writers of our generation fades out.

The magazine made famous for premiering with Marilyn Monroe on its cover, helped find famous pinup queen Bettie Page financial backing when Hefner found out that she had no money, yet her image was being used for profit with kicking her back some royalties. When Page passed away, she was worth $20 million thanks to the legal team that Hefner help put together for her. Her estate is now worth even more.

To teenagers, it was almost a right of passage when they would come across old copies of the magazine that their brothers, fathers, grandfathers, or other relatives would be hiding in their homes. Another piece of the American life that died off since it is easier for someone to find naked pictures online than in person anymore.

Hefner and his empire had an expansive reach. Cooper Hefner, son of Hugh, had remarked before about being astounded by the correspondence alone that were sent to his father by figures such as Martin Luther King Jr., President Ronald Reagan, and other historical figures of the last sixty years. Hefner's influence touched millions in America alone, let alone around the world.

Now that the mansion is for sale, it feels like the end of an era is near. Most likely the famous Midsummer Night's Dream Party will end. Most likely the animals that live at the onsite zoo will have to find a new home. Most likely the charity events for autism and community healthcare will have to find a new place to be held at. With the mansion for sale and after Hefner's death, America will be forever changed.