Joe Jackson purchased the California estate when his soon-to-be-superstar son, Michael, was just 13
Credit: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty; OWN
NEED TO KNOW
- The Jackson family purchased the Hayvenhurst estate in Encino, Calif., in 1971 after the Jackson 5’s success
- Michael Jackson lived at Hayvenhurst for 17 years, working on his iconic albums like Off the Wall and Thriller
- The estate remains in the family and was used as a set for the 2026 biopic Michael, starring Jaafar Jackson
The home where Michael Jackson made some of his most famous music has been in his family for half a century.
Following the success of the Jackson 5 in the late 1960s, Joe and Katherine Jackson moved their nine children from the two-bedroom home in Gary, Ind., to Los Angeles.
They bought an estate in 1971 that would later become known as Hayvenhurst, according to The Daily Beast, and it's remained in the family ever since.
Though the home has been closed to the public, fans got to see a peek of it in the 2026 biopic Michael.
“Shooting at Hayvenhurst, there were so many things going on in my head while trying to be present,” Jaafar Jackson, Michael's nephew who played him in the movie, told his costar Miles Teller in Interview Magazine in February 2026.
Here's everything to know about Hayvenhurst and what happened to the Jackson family's Encino estate.
Where is Hayvenhurst?
Credit: Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty
The Hayvenhurst estate is located in Encino, Calif.
Joe purchased the compound in 1971, when Michael was only 13, and the family was photographed inside it for the cover of Life magazine later that year.
“It was very controlled,” photographer John Olson later recalled in Life. “As I remember, they followed my requests to a T, and were incredibly polite. The dad was pretty stern.”
Following his success, Michael bought the home from his dad in the early 1980s.
He spent two years making massive renovations to the estate, which included adding a Japanese koi pond, a movie theater, a faux candy store and a six-foot diorama of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, per The Daily Beast.
How long did Michael Jackson live in Hayvenhurst?
Credit: Chris Walter/WireImage
Michael lived at Hayvenhurst for 17 years.
During his time there, he hit major milestones in his career as a solo artist. He released his chart-topping albums Off the Wall and Thriller and shot his first cover for Rolling Stone, per The Daily Beast.
The compound was also home to the family's many exotic pets, including peacocks, tigers, lions, ostriches, dogs, a parrot and a chimpanzee named Bubbles, per The New York Times.
According to the Los Angeles Times, California game officials removed a 6-month-old giraffe from the Encino home in 1986.
Though the singer bought a three-bedroom condo in the early 1980s, he remained at the estate for years because he didn't want to leave his mother, according to The New York Times.
Jackson eventually moved out of Hayvenhurst and into Neverland Ranch in 1988.
What happened to Hayvenhurst?
Credit: OWN
After Michael moved out of the Encino home in 1988 into his famous ranch, members of the Jackson family continued to reside and gather there — including the King of Pop's own children.
Prince, Paris and Bigi Jackson lived at Hayvenhurst following the death of their father in 2009, and Prince recalled in an interview with ABC News "making home movies" there with his siblings and cousins, including Jaafar.
The Michael star lived at the estate with their grandmother, Katherine, after his parents, Jermaine Jackson and Alejandra Jackson, split up in 2004.
"It's like a hotel for kids," a family friend told PEOPLE of the family compound. "You'll see a group of them playing in the grass, another by the pool and another raiding the refrigerator."
The Jackson compound was also used as a set for Michael's 2026 biopic, and Jaafar practiced his dance moves and slept there to prepare for the role.
“Always on the floor because there's no furniture in the house at Hayvenhurst,” the actor said in Interview Magazine. "I slept in many different rooms in the house just to feel the energy."
He continued, "Staying there allowed that to happen without forcing it. I was so fortunate to have that as my playground. Without that, I don't think my performance would be what it is, honestly.”
Though the estate is still in the family's possession, it doesn't appear that any of the Jacksons use it as their primary residence today.
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