GUBER SELLS TARA PLANTATION IN HAWAII

Tara Plantation is about 174 acres and features a 13,154 sq ft plantation-style main house with six bedrooms and eight-and-a-half bathrooms.  Included on the property are two 4,000 sq ft guesthouses, his-and-hers living rooms, horse stables, a pool, a beach cabana, caretaker’s house and yoga studio.  A spring-fed pool and sand beach are on the property that is situated on a bay where the sandy beach is both safe from large swells and affords privacy.  Guber built the residences in 1999 and 2000.

In 1998 Guber’s Mandalay Properties Hawaii bought the oceanfront property for $7.3MM, listed it more than four years ago for $46.5MM and last December cut the price to $39.5MM.  The house was sold for $28MM in Hawaii’s biggest property transaction for 2009. 

19 C. MANSION, KORNER’S FOLLY IN NORTH CAROLINA, IS A BUSY PLACE

A well-restored 19 C. mansion, this unusual and unique home was built in the 1870s by a dapper young gentleman named Jule Korne.  He was an artist, designer and architect known for his Bull Durham cigarette ads painted on buildings throughout the south. The house was meant to be a home, and included an artist’s studio, office, recreational hall and ballroom, carriage house and stables.  The stables later became a library and sewing room.

Every square inch of the entry foyer including the ceiling has ornamentation.  There are 22 rooms on 3 floors with seven levels, many with hidden nooks and crannies.  Ceiling heights range from 5’ in the children’s rooms to 25’ in the attic, where there is a theatre.  The house contains 15 differently styled fireplaces, many peculiar cubbyholes and trap doors.  All doorways vary. Windows pivot and other openings create a clever air ventilation system, done many years before the advent of modern air-conditioning.  Beautilful tile and woodworking abound along with decorative murals by German master Caesar Milch.  Korners Folly was a name given to the mansion by Korner when his cousin called it by that name.

Korner’s wife loved the performing arts. She kept the Mansion open  to children for games and activities, hired a music teacher and bought instruments for the children to use.  Plays were given in the attic to which the entire community was invited. The Theatre is now considered the first private little theatre in the country.   The property is owned by a non-profit foundation and open to the public for walk-in tours year round.   There is a gift shop on the premises. Call (336)-996-7922 for additional information.

MOST EXPENSIVE HOME IN THE UNITED STATES: $150mm PRICE TAG

A 56,500 sq ft French Chateau with 123 rooms sounds more like a hotel than a home, but there is a buyer out there somewher every property. While this buyer won’t be easy to find, chances are they will appear.  Located in Holmby Hills, California, the owner is Candy Spelling, widow of Aaron Spelling.   Candy’s bestseller, “Stories from Candyland,” have given the property the nickname, “Candyland.”  The estate was completed in 1991 for about $47MM, including $10MM for the land.  The property contains a bowling alley, wine cellar, beauty salon, humidity-controlled silver storage room, rooftop rose garden, library, gym, tennis courts, pool, 16 car ports and state-of-the-art home theatre.  In her 60’s, Candy was quoted as saying she plans to trade her mansion lifestyle for a luxurious two-story condo atop a residential tower in Los Angeles that she purchased for $47MM.

1320 NORTH LAKE WAY PALM BEACH MANSION FOR SALE BY ROYALTY

The half-sister to King Abdullah II, ruler of Jordan, has put one of her posh Tuscan Palm Beach mansions in Eden Villa up for sale for $17.5MM. The Palm Beach County Property Appraisers Office has the market value in 2008 at $10.6MM; Zillow values it between $7.4MM and $11.35MM. In August 2008, the Princess paid $11MM for it.

Seldomly used by the Jordanian royal couple, the classic Mediterranean villa has 7 bedrooms, 8 full and 2 half baths, 10,320 sq ft, floors are Ceramic Italian tile and limestone floors and ceilings are 10’ high. Included are imported mahogany windows with storm glass, gourmet kitchen with top-of-the-line appliances, spectacular courtyard, pretty loggias, and tropical fruit trees. Property is lakefront with a 60’ lap pool and 1-bedroom cabana with full kitchen and built-in grille, plush tropical garden and a 150’ deep dock which is said to be capable of accommodating almost any sea-going vessel even over 100’ long.

They also own the larger house next door, valued at $11.8MM last year by the county and by Zillow between $9MM and 4MM. The princess is the eldest daughter of the late King Hussein who died in 1999 and his first wife, who he divorced in 1957.

RENOVATED 18TH C, UK CHURCH FOR SALE

St. Nicholas’ Church House in Kyloe, Northumberland, built in 1972, was totally renovated by a couple who purchased it nine years ago. Kyloe is a quiet hamlet 6 miles from the coast, 10 miles from Berwick and a few minutes from Belford. They loved the view from this Gothic building, and decided to renovate it. There are beautiful stained glass windows. They restored original features such as stone pillars and timber ceiling trusses. The full-height open-plan living room incorporates the chancel, nave and vestry and has stone mullioned windows all around, radiators and cast iron with under-floor heating. The Great Room serves as a living, dining and kitchen space.

Two staircases lead to the floor above that has a galleried balcony library, two bedrooms with timber roof trusses and a tower bedroom suite within the former bell tower. The property covers 1.4 acres and has a graveyard in front. New owners can convert a detached 781 sq ft stone outbuilding into a 2-bedroom cottage. There are 4/5 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2 kitchens. One kitchen has views to the sea and to the north and has limestone floors. Cabinets are pitch-pine reclaimed from old church pews and roof timbers. List price is approximately $1.3mm.

PRICE FOR TURN OF THE CENTURY HOUSE REDUCED

Among today’s buys is a lovely shingle-style mansion built at the turn of the century. The property was originally listed for $4,310,000 and is now listed for $2,300,000, reduced 25%.

The estate faces the ocean, has 5 bedrooms, a master suite, a gourmet eat-in-kitchen and a 3-car garage.

TIME FOR A RETURN TO THE VICTORIAN ERA?

Are you interested in Victorian homes in Palm Beach or Broward County? Call Marilyn for more information.

Meanwhile, mark your calendar now for a very interesting afternoon. Enjoy a “Harvest Tea” and treats with Victorian hostesses in costume and your personal butler, most elegantly done by The Mad Platter Catering and Befitting Just Your Style at Robb & Stucky at 200 Plaza Real in Mizner Park on Wednesday, November 23 at 2 pm. See a traditional Victorian Thanksgiving… and get new ideas for your own holiday. Tips will be offered on blending older furnishings with today’s lifestyle with your own distinctive touch. Reserve by calling 800-838-5931 for pricing and reservations. Design Professionals: Did you know that Robb & Stucky offers CEU Classes for you? See http://www.robbstucky.com/CEU-Classes-for-Design-Professionals.aspx?Id=10 for list of classes.