About as LA a story as you can write. I remember watching The Helicopter Channel at work the morning the land was sold; there were four news agencies with birds circling it because the rumor was someone was finally going to buy one of the last developable plots up in the Hills.
Money is not taste.
I have family in western NC right near the Biltmore Estate. As a kid touring it in the 80s, the lesson was supposed to be “people don’t live like this anymore because the robber Baron days are over, but at least we have this wonderful nature preserve to show for it.” All the bad and none of the good odds back.
...yeah that one didn't work out so great for the proletariat. I'll say this? The Getty Villa is a lovely piece of architecture for what it is. that being a pompous '50s interpretation of classicism. Hearst Castle is an abject piece of shit by any standard. It's an architectural muddle with no unifying theme other than "I have more money than you." I haven't toured the Biltmore Mansion but what I've seen of it indicates it was, at least, designed to look like something. All it takes is taxes. I can see this unwinding quickly, when it unwinds. But I don't see it unwinding yet.