# Castillo del Lago
**Castillo del Lago** is a historic Spanish Colonial Revival estate at 6342 [Mulholland Drive](https://www.edgepedia.org/mulholland-drive) in the [Hollywood Hills](https://www.edgepedia.org/hollywood-hills) section of Los Angeles, built in 1926 by architect John DeLario above Lake Hollywood and directly below the [Hollywoodland](https://www.edgepedia.org/hollywoodland) sign, now the Hollywood Sign[1](https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/madonnas-former-1920s-spanish-style-estate-listed) • [2](https://waterandpower.org/museum/Early_LA_Buildings%20%281900%20-%201925%29_6_of_6.html). It is known for its early Hollywoodland origins, its reported use as an illegal casino by the gangster Bugsy Siegel in the 1930s, and its ownership by Madonna in the 1990s[1](https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/madonnas-former-1920s-spanish-style-estate-listed). The name is shared by unrelated places, including the medieval Castel del Lago site in Lazio, Italy, a castle near Segovia, Spain, and a hot-springs hotel at El Peñol, Colombia[3](https://parcolucretili.it/castel-del-lago-lincastellamento-della-valle-del-licenza/) • [4](https://mapcarta.com/W1051486605) • [5](https://www.expedia.mx/El-Penol-Hoteles-Hotel-Y-Termales-Castillo-Del-Lago.h111494403.Informacion-Hotel?equalTargetTab=tab-0).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Location | 6342 Mulholland Drive, Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles, on a ridgeline above Lake Hollywood[2](https://waterandpower.org/museum/Early_LA_Buildings%20%281900%20-%201925%29_6_of_6.html) |
| Built | 1926, designed by John DeLario, lead architect of the original Hollywoodland tract[1](https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/madonnas-former-1920s-spanish-style-estate-listed) • [2](https://waterandpower.org/museum/Early_LA_Buildings%20%281900%20-%201925%29_6_of_6.html) |
| Size | 10,513 square feet with nine bedrooms and six bathrooms, on roughly three acres[1](https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/madonnas-former-1920s-spanish-style-estate-listed) • [6](https://www.latimes.com/archives/blogs/money-company/story/2009-05-20/hot-property-l-a-s-castillo-del-lago-listed-for-14-95-million) |
| Notable resident | Bugsy Siegel reportedly ran the house as an illegal gambling den in the 1930s[1](https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/madonnas-former-1920s-spanish-style-estate-listed) |
| Madonna ownership | Bought in 1993 for about $5 million, sold in 1996[1](https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/madonnas-former-1920s-spanish-style-estate-listed) |
| Recent sales | Sold to fashion designer Leon Max for $7 million in 2010; listed at $21 million in February 2023 and sold in February 2025 for $18 million[7](https://virtualglobetrotting.com/map/madonnas-house-former/view/google/) |
## Design and construction
The house was commissioned by Patrick Longan, a geologist made wealthy by Signal Hill oil drilling, and his wife Georgianna, who hired DeLario to design a home in Hollywoodland, a hillside subdivision launched in 1924 along the new Mulholland Highway[8](https://www.discoverhollywood.com/allpublications/castillo-del-lago/). The site offered views of Lake Hollywood, a mountain reservoir that was hard to reach, and of the new 50-foot-high sign on Mount Lee spelling out the subdivision's name[8](https://www.discoverhollywood.com/allpublications/castillo-del-lago/).
The steep site demanded engineering as much as architecture. According to [Bob Crane](https://www.edgepedia.org/bob-crane)'s book *Hollywood Land and Legend*, $100,000 was spent just to grade the site and erect a ramp to bring materials and workers to the crags and slopes[8](https://www.discoverhollywood.com/allpublications/castillo-del-lago/). The Longans' nine-level home cost $250,000, and its construction in ferrocement was intended to withstand the climate over time[8](https://www.discoverhollywood.com/allpublications/castillo-del-lago/). DeLario had earlier worked as a draftsman for the engineer-architect Albert C. Martin, and he also designed Beachwood Village at the development's entrance and an unbuilt seven-level estate for comedy producer [Mack Sennett](https://www.edgepedia.org/mack-sennett)[8](https://www.discoverhollywood.com/allpublications/castillo-del-lago/) • [9](https://www.discoverhollywood.com/allpublications/hollywoodland-tycoons-and-visionaries-created-an-iconic-america-neighborhood/).
## The Siegel years and decline
In the late 1930s the house was leased by Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel, the gangster later known for spearheading the postwar casino boom in Las Vegas[2](https://waterandpower.org/museum/Early_LA_Buildings%20%281900%20-%201925%29_6_of_6.html). Accounts describe gambling and nightlife at the house, with police staking it out from another house on the hill; bullet holes in the entry-hall woodwork are attributed to that period[8](https://www.discoverhollywood.com/allpublications/castillo-del-lago/). One account specifies that it was an illegal casino rather than a speakeasy, since [Prohibition](https://www.edgepedia.org/prohibition) had been repealed in 1933[2](https://waterandpower.org/museum/Early_LA_Buildings%20%281900%20-%201925%29_6_of_6.html).
The house then fell on hard times. The [Depression](https://www.edgepedia.org/depression) ruined DeLario's fortunes, and when he died in 1950 he was buried in an unmarked grave at Forest Lawn Glendale while his best-known design stood unoccupied[8](https://www.discoverhollywood.com/allpublications/castillo-del-lago/). Vandals set fire to the master suite, and fire crews could not locate the remote driveway[8](https://www.discoverhollywood.com/allpublications/castillo-del-lago/). The property was later owned by Baron Patrick de Selys-Longchamps, who lived there unrestored for a few years, and then by the Willfong couple, who restored it and had it published in *Architectural Digest*; records show the Willfongs sold to Richard Grossman and Lisa Lyons in 1990[2](https://waterandpower.org/museum/Early_LA_Buildings%20%281900%20-%201925%29_6_of_6.html). During the 1970s the Donald Willfongs had tracked down some of the original furnishings and fixtures and returned them, and a later owner, James Lefleur, added a prominent four-sided tower[8](https://www.discoverhollywood.com/allpublications/castillo-del-lago/).
## Madonna and the striped renovation
Madonna bought the house in 1993 for about $5 million and lived there while filming *Evita*[8](https://www.discoverhollywood.com/allpublications/castillo-del-lago/). Her brother, interior designer [Christopher Ciccone](https://www.edgepedia.org/christopher-ciccone), acted as contractor and had the house painted in stripes of oxblood red and mustard[8](https://www.discoverhollywood.com/allpublications/castillo-del-lago/). Ciccone said the stripes were inspired by a church in [Portofino](https://www.edgepedia.org/portofino), Italy[7](https://virtualglobetrotting.com/map/madonnas-house-former/view/google/). Neighbors objected; the architecture writer and next-door neighbor Crosby Doe was quoted in a 2004 Times Online article saying, "She wrecked it. According to Crosby Doe, the historic roof tiles were discarded in a dumpster and swapped for what he called [Taco Bell](https://www.edgepedia.org/taco-bell) tiles.[7](https://virtualglobetrotting.com/map/madonnas-house-former/view/google/) Reported renovation costs differ: one account puts Madonna's spending at around $500,000[7](https://virtualglobetrotting.com/map/madonnas-house-former/view/google/), while another describes a $3 million renovation that transformed the house from Spanish Colonial to Italianate[2](https://waterandpower.org/museum/Early_LA_Buildings%20%281900%20-%201925%29_6_of_6.html).
Madonna sold in 1996 after her security guards shot an intruder who tried to break in through a window[7](https://virtualglobetrotting.com/map/madonnas-house-former/view/google/).
## Later ownership and market history
The buyer was Joe Pytka, a commercial director and filmmaker, who spent about 15 years renovating the property[6](https://www.latimes.com/archives/blogs/money-company/story/2009-05-20/hot-property-l-a-s-castillo-del-lago-listed-for-14-95-million). His renovation brought eight air conditioning units to the mountainside by helicopter, Moroccan tile in the master bath, [Carrara marble](https://www.edgepedia.org/carrara-marble) kitchen counters, a $250,000 sound system, wine cellars, and a wood-paneled library[8](https://www.discoverhollywood.com/allpublications/castillo-del-lago/). In May 2009 Pytka listed the house at $14.95 million[6](https://www.latimes.com/archives/blogs/money-company/story/2009-05-20/hot-property-l-a-s-castillo-del-lago-listed-for-14-95-million).
Fashion designer Leon Max, founder of Max Studio, bought the estate for $7 million in 2010[7](https://virtualglobetrotting.com/map/madonnas-house-former/view/google/). He listed it in February 2023 at $21 million with nine bedrooms and six baths[1](https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/madonnas-former-1920s-spanish-style-estate-listed) • [10](https://caliber.az/en/post/madonna-s-former-hollywood-hills-home-lists-for-21-million), and sold it in February 2025 for $18 million[7](https://virtualglobetrotting.com/map/madonnas-house-former/view/google/). An earlier listing at $18,900,000 also appears in a 2023 Los Angeles Business Journal real-estate supplement[11](https://labusinessjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/2023-LOI-Real-Estate-Brokers_opt-1-1.pdf).
## The house today
The estate retains period tilework, hand-painted details, coffered and beamed ceilings, terracotta floors, Spanish archways, a vintage wood-paneled elevator, and two towers, one reached by a wooden [spiral staircase](https://www.edgepedia.org/spiral-staircase) with a wrought-iron railing[1](https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/madonnas-former-1920s-spanish-style-estate-listed). The grounds of roughly three acres above Lake Hollywood include a lap pool, fountains, and gardens with roses, sculpted hedges, and citrus trees[6](https://www.latimes.com/archives/blogs/money-company/story/2009-05-20/hot-property-l-a-s-castillo-del-lago-listed-for-14-95-million) • [12](https://www.francisyork.com/blog/castello-del-lago-1920s-spanish-style-estate-in-the-hollywood-hills). Views from the ridge take in the [Hollywood Sign](https://www.edgepedia.org/hollywood-sign) and, across the Los Angeles basin, downtown and the ocean[6](https://www.latimes.com/archives/blogs/money-company/story/2009-05-20/hot-property-l-a-s-castillo-del-lago-listed-for-14-95-million).
The house has also served as a model for other building. A 1994 Hollywood Hills house called Casa de Lila, built on a half-acre promontory nearby, was designed expressly with Madonna's Castillo del Lago as its inspiration[13](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-sep-09-re-43753-story.html), and the two properties appear side by side in photographs with the Hollywood Sign behind them[14](https://michaelearth.com/pdfs/Chapter%2037%20-%20King%20of%20the%20Castle.pdf). In 2025 the estate was used as a screening venue for the film *The Invite*, starring [Seth Rogen](https://www.edgepedia.org/seth-rogen), Olivia Wilde, Penélope Cruz, and [Edward Norton](https://www.edgepedia.org/edward-norton)[15](https://hollywoodtimes.net/inside-castillo-del-lago-the-invite-brings-seth-rogen-olivia-wilde-penelope-cruz-edward-norton-to-a-legendary-hollywood-estate/).
## References
1. [Madonna's Former 1920s Spanish-Style Estate Is Listed for $21 Million, Architectural Digest (February 17, 2023)](https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/madonnas-former-1920s-spanish-style-estate-listed)
2. [Castillo del Lago, Water and Power Associates, Early Los Angeles Buildings](https://waterandpower.org/museum/Early_LA_Buildings%20%281900%20-%201925%29_6_of_6.html)
3. [Castel del Lago. L'incastellamento della Valle del Licenza, Parco dei Monti Lucretili](https://parcolucretili.it/castel-del-lago-lincastellamento-della-valle-del-licenza/)
4. [Castillo del Lago Alonso Map, Segovia, Mapcarta](https://mapcarta.com/W1051486605)
5. [Hotel y Termales Castillo del Lago, Expedia](https://www.expedia.mx/El-Penol-Hoteles-Hotel-Y-Termales-Castillo-Del-Lago.h111494403.Informacion-Hotel?equalTargetTab=tab-0)
6. [Hot Property: L.A.'s Castillo del Lago listed for $14.95 million, Los Angeles Times (May 20, 2009)](https://www.latimes.com/archives/blogs/money-company/story/2009-05-20/hot-property-l-a-s-castillo-del-lago-listed-for-14-95-million)
7. [Castillo Del Lago – Leon Max's House (Formerly Madonna's and Bugsy Siegel's), Virtual Globetrotting](https://virtualglobetrotting.com/map/madonnas-house-former/view/google/)
8. [Castillo Del Lago, Discover Hollywood Magazine](https://www.discoverhollywood.com/allpublications/castillo-del-lago/)
9. [Hollywoodland – Tycoons and visionaries created an iconic America neighborhood, Discover Hollywood Magazine](https://www.discoverhollywood.com/allpublications/hollywoodland-tycoons-and-visionaries-created-an-iconic-america-neighborhood/)
10. [Madonna's former Hollywood Hills home lists for $21 million, Caliber.az (February 16, 2023)](https://caliber.az/en/post/madonna-s-former-hollywood-hills-home-lists-for-21-million)
11. [2023 LOI Real Estate Brokers supplement, Los Angeles Business Journal](https://labusinessjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/2023-LOI-Real-Estate-Brokers_opt-1-1.pdf)
12. [Castello del Lago: 1920s Spanish-Style Estate in the Hollywood Hills, Francis York](https://www.francisyork.com/blog/castello-del-lago-1920s-spanish-style-estate-in-the-hollywood-hills)
13. [A Hillside Home With a Starry Outlook, Los Angeles Times (September 9, 2001)](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-sep-09-re-43753-story.html)
14. [Chapter 37 – "King of the Castle", Michael Earth](https://michaelearth.com/pdfs/Chapter%2037%20-%20King%20of%20the%20Castle.pdf)
15. [Inside Castillo del Lago: The Invite Brings Seth Rogen, Olivia Wilde, Penélope Cruz and Edward Norton to a Legendary Hollywood Estate, The Hollywood Times](https://hollywoodtimes.net/inside-castillo-del-lago-the-invite-brings-seth-rogen-olivia-wilde-penelope-cruz-edward-norton-to-a-legendary-hollywood-estate/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Places and geography › Parks, protected areas, and geographic heritage sites › Geographic heritage districts and memorial sites › Heritage designation and preservation › National and regional heritage registers › Sub-national and municipal heritage registers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license