Brad Pitt's $39 Million Former L.A. Home Had a Gigantic, Heart-Shaped Swimming Pool

Brad Pitt sold his longtime Hollywood Hills compound for an estimated $39 million just before Measure ULA went into effect. By reaching a final deal in March, Pitt avoided the new "mansion tax," which took effect on April 1, charging a 5.5% transfer tax to all L.A. property sales over $10 million. At $39 million, the Bullet Train star avoided an estimated $2.145-million tax bill. 

However, the 6,700-square-foot home at 5769 Briarcliff Road was missing one of its original features while it was enlisted on the market. According to People, Cassandra Peterson (a.k.a. Elvira, Mistress of the Dark), the previous owner of the exotic estate mentioned that the Academy Award winner had inherited a "gigantic heart-shaped pool" when he moved into the property in 1994. Pitt had purchased the luxurious mansion from Elvira for an estimated $1.7 million. 

Peterson, 71, notes it was "One of the first pools ever built in Hollywood." Sadly, the extravagant pool structure didn't seem to suit Pitt's personal tastes as "he had it replaced during his time as owner," she says.

According to Los Angeles Times, Pitt expanded the property during his two-decade residence, buying four surrounding properties from 1998 to 2009. In total, the compound now spans roughly an additional two acres. Perched on a secluded knoll near the border of Hollywood Hills and Los Feliz, the lavish estate centers on a Craftsman-style house built in 1915. The vast landscape feature outdoor amenities such as a skate park, a koi pond, and multiple pools. The six-bedroom, seven-bathroom house is also known as Briarcliff Manor. It was built for oil baron Louis McCray in 1911. Six years later, “Borax King” Thomas Thorkildsen added an infamous heart-shaped pool to the property, reports The Real Deal. 

Previous owner Cassandra Peterson recalls that the feature of the pool was "Olympic size" and required a huge pump to run it. "It was always leaking. The pump was always breaking down. It was kind of a nightmare." she revealed. 

Pitt lived in this sprawling secluded estate with his ex-wife Angelina Jolie and their six children until the couple divorced in 2016. After putting the estate on the market in January for around $40 million, Pitt sold the decades-old home last month, along with the compound of adjacent properties he acquired over the years.

Peterson continued on the house: "As far as rooms and bedrooms and all that goes, I think he would've stuck with the architectural integrity of the house and not done too many changes," she says. "I mean, just knowing how he talked about that type of thing." Pitt has since moved north to Carmel Highlands, where he purchased a $40-million clifftop castle known as the D.L. James House last summer.