Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s former New Orleans mansion heads to auction

Last asking $5.35 million, it will have a $1 million minimum bid at auction on Dec. 11, said Scott Kirk, president and CEO of Interluxe Auctions, who is partnering with broker Brigitte Fredy of Latter & Blum. Previews begin in New Orleans on Dec. 8.

Pitt and Jolie bought the home in 2007 for $3.5 million, cash, via the Mondo Bongo Trust, named after a song by Clash singer Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros that was used in one of the couple’s “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” scenes, according to reports.

Pitt was involved — as a producer and star — of films shot on location in Louisiana, including “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” and “12 Years A Slave.”

The home sale was shortly after Hurricane Katrina, when Pitt had launched the Make It Right Foundation to help build new homes for people who lost their homes in the flood.

Unfortunately, the homes were allegedly built with shoddy construction and materials. Last year, residents won a $20.5 million lawsuit against the foundation after they alleged the homes were unsafe. The residents still haven’t been paid the damages they are owed, according to reports.

The couple — who divorced in 2019 — sold the home for $4.9 million in 2016 and renovated in 2017. Two years later, in 2019, it listed for $6.5 million before selling for $3 million in 2020. Past owners also included late Microsoft billionaire Paul Allen. Sound engineer and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Cosimo Matassa, known for his pioneering work with Fats Domino, Ike and Tina Turner and Little Richard, to name a few, had a recording studio here, Interluxe said.

This year, the home also won HGTV’s ultimate house hunt in the category, “Downtown Dwellings.” The 1830s Parisian-style home, which includes a three-story guest house, features seven bedrooms, five baths and two powder rooms. Located at 521 Governor Nicholls St., the mansion is a short walk to Cafe du Monde. The home features a balcony overlooking the street and other balconies peeping upon a courtyard with a pool.

Inside the home, original details include wood floors, Venetian plaster walls, fireplaces with marble mantles, crown moldings, high ceilings and a staircase. There’s also a chef’s kitchen along with a gym and an elevator.