Robert Taylor Ranch was listed for $45 million in 1990, seized after a $27.5 million debt in 2010, then the 112-acre Hollywood estate sold at auction for $12 million

The 112-acre Robert Taylor Ranch in Los Angeles' Mandeville Canyon went from a $45 million asking price in 1990 to a $12 million auction sale in 2012. The property was once owned by actor Robert Taylor, and included a 34-room, 11,700-square-foot estate and extensive lawns, wooded hillsides and former equestrian facilities. The Los Angeles Times reported that a Chicago buyer purchased the ranch at auction after 12 bidders competed for the property.Taylor was one of MGM's major stars and owned the ranch until his death in 1969. Ken Roberts, who later became known for his role in building Los Angeles radio station KROQ, acquired the property in the 1970s and extensively remodeled it. By 1990, Roberts was asking $45 million for the estate, which was later reduced to $35 million, but the property did not attract a serious buyer at those figures.From a $45 million listing to a financial disputeRoberts later took a short-term, high-interest loan from New Stream Capital, a Connecticut hedge fund. According to the Los Angeles Times, he was unable to repay a court-ordered $27.5 million obligation in 2010, after which the hedge fund seized the property.The ranch was subsequently held by a trust, which eventually decided to sell it to the highest bidder. The property had been listed for just under $19 million before being taken to auction by late 2012.The difference between the earlier asking prices and the eventual sale price was substantial, as Roberts had sought $45 million in 1990 and later reduced the asking price to $35 million. More than two decades later, the estate changed hands for $12 million.What was inside the 112-acre estateThe main house had 34 rooms and covered 11,700 square feet, according to the 2012 Los Angeles Times report. The property also included a pool, tennis court, guest accommodations and stables that had been converted into offices and apartments during Roberts' ownership. The ranch's developed portion occupied only a small part of the total land, and a 1990 Los Angeles Times profile described the 112-acre property as including a 12,000-square-foot main house, a 3,500-square-foot guest cottage and a 4,100-square-foot office complex. Most of the remaining acreage consisted of rugged hillsides and canyons.Roberts had spent years remodeling the property and adding features that were unusual even for a luxury Los Angeles estate. The 1990 account described multiple bars, a casino and game room, a lighted tennis court, extensive entertainment facilities and elaborate audio and communications systems.The 2012 auction12 bidders competed for the ranch when it finally went to auction in November 2012. The Los Angeles Times reported that the property had attracted interest from buyers around the world, with thousands of people viewing it online before the sale. The winning bidder was Chicago real estate developer Fred Latsko, who paid $12 million. The auction price was considerably below the property's earlier $45 million asking price, although the comparison involves different market conditions and two decades of ownership and property changes. The 2012 sale also followed a more recent listing of just under $19 million, which gave the final auction price another point of comparison.A later Los Angeles Times report that was published in 2025 noted that the property changed hands again in 2015 for $18.7 million and remained one of the larger intact estates in Los Angeles. That report also said the property had since undergone a major renovation and was again being marketed, this time with an asking price of $70 million.The property therefore moved through several very different valuations: $45 million when Roberts first listed it in 1990, a $27.5 million debt-related seizure in 2010, a $12 million auction sale in 2012 and a later $18.7 million transaction in 2015. Its financial history is tied as much to changing ownership and market conditions as to the Hollywood history attached to the Robert Taylor name.Catch the latest World News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.