Mariska Hargitay has lived in some remarkable homes throughout her life, from a legendary Hollywood mansion famous for its pink walls and extravagant heart-shaped swimming pool to a luxurious Manhattan townhouse spread across six floors.
But behind the glamorous architecture, multimillion-dollar properties, sweeping city views, and celebrity history, each home carries a much more personal story.
One of those homes was so closely tied to her childhood that its destruction decades later did not completely erase it from her life. Pieces of the property eventually found their way back to Hargitay, allowing her to preserve physical reminders of the mother she lost as a young child.
Another house was built by the man Hargitay had always known as her father. Years later, that same property became connected to one of the most emotional revelations of her life when she discovered that Mickey Hargitay was not her biological father.
And then there was the family’s Manhattan townhouse, an enormous six-floor residence filled with luxury features, elegant interiors, terraces, a garden, and even an elevator — a detail that some viewers apparently missed when they watched a video tour of the property.
Long before Hargitay became internationally recognized for her decades-long role as Olivia Benson on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” however, her life began inside one of Hollywood’s most unforgettable homes.
Her Childhood Began at the Pink Palace
The first of the three homes belonged to Hargitay’s parents, actress Jayne Mansfield and actor Mickey Hargitay.
The couple purchased the Mediterranean-style Los Angeles mansion in 1958 for $76,000, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Located on Sunset Boulevard in Holmby Hills, the seven-bedroom property would eventually become known as the Pink Palace after Mansfield transformed the residence around her unmistakable love of the color pink.
The house had originally been white. Architectural Digest reported that its exterior was repainted pink with quartz grains mixed into the paint, causing the walls to sparkle in the Southern California sunlight.
A towering pink stone wall surrounded the estate, which stretched across approximately three and a half acres.
Mansfield and Hargitay described the property as having 25 rooms, including 11 bathrooms, although city records listed a different configuration of 15 rooms and seven bathrooms.
Nothing about the mansion was ordinary.
Hearts and cupids appeared throughout the property, reflecting Mansfield’s glamorous and highly theatrical personality. Mickey even built a heart-shaped swimming pool specifically for his wife.
At the bottom of the pool, gold-leafed mosaic spelled out the words, “I love you Jaynie.”
The bathroom carried the same romantic theme even further.
Pink shag carpeting covered the floor, walls, and ceiling, while a heart-shaped bathtub was surrounded by gold-leafed tiles. Gold-plated swan-shaped fixtures completed the extravagant design.
Mansfield’s love of pink had started during her childhood in Dallas, and the color eventually became inseparable from her public image.
