Bucolic, Remote Los Angeles Estate Sells to Florida’s Richest Family

He already owns a smattering of multimillion-dollar East Coast properties — including a ritzy Fifth Avenue apartment in New York City, plus a custom-built mansion in Palm Beach, Fla., that serves as his primary residence. But an entity linked to the family of Hungarian-born billionaire Thomas Peterffy has added to that real estate portfolio with the $5.6 million purchase of a West Coast outpost in Topanga Canyon, an unincorporated L.A. neighborhood tucked into the secluded hills between Malibu and the San Fernando Valley.

It’s not entirely clear which family member now owns the Topanga estate, but it’s very plausible the house was acquired by one of Peterffy’s adult children — either his only son Will Peterffy, a longtime environmental advocate who currently serves as Interactive Brokers’ ESG director, heading up the development of IMPACT, a mobile trading platform for socially conscious investors, or one of his two daughters, Alexandra and Catherine — all of whom are involved in running The Peterffy Foundation.

After all, Peterffy — the founder and chairman of Interactive Brokers and Florida’s richest man, with an estimated $23 billion net worth — noted in a 2021 Bloomberg article that his children have no interest in Florida or eventually occupying his mansion there. The younger Peterffys “think [Palm Beach] is a bubble and a completely unrealistic way of living,” the 78-year-old said.

Whatever the case, the family’s new Spanish-style estate was built over a century ago but has since been extensively restored and renovated. There’s a creamy stucco and terracotta-roof main house resting behind a lengthy gated driveway, on a woodsy lot spanning nearly 3 acres, that is spotlighted by rows of windows and doors lining both sides of the house.

Inside, three bedrooms and three baths are filtered across 4,000 square feet of single-level living space boasting a mix of polished concrete and white oak hardwood floors, exposed wood-beam ceilings and skylights. There’s also a charming stone-encased guesthouse that made an appearance on album covers for Linda Ronstadt and The Byrds back in the 1960s.

Especially standing out in the main home is a living room adorned with a wood-burning fireplace, and cozy dining area that connects to a galley-style kitchen outfitted with open cabinetry, and high-end Wolf and Sub-Zero appliances. Other highlights include a fireside master retreat, which is spotlighted by a separate sunroom-like lounge area, along with a spa-inspired bath equipped with a wet room featuring a shower and soaking tub that seamlessly mesh with the outdoor surroundings courtesy of a massive pivoting glass door.

Private and laced with mature trees, the sprawling grounds host a pool and spa surrounded by a brick-clad sundeck tucked off to one side of the home, as well as a wraparound wood deck that steps down to a gravel courtyard and two-car garage. Rounding it all out: a bridge and creek providing a scenic backdrop.