Filed under: Estates

Why this one? Because it’s a lighthouse, in Bigfork, Montana. Okay, it’s not so much a lighthouse as a house with a lighthouse-like structure appended to it. Still you’ve to admire the commitment to the nautical in this one. Most of the houses we see in Montana are full of antler chandeliers, roughhewn logs and western fabrics. Not so here. this one could easily be plunked down on an East Coast shoreline. Boat-shaped bookcases and nautical art add to the rather relentless theme decorating. The house is located south of Woods Bay and is perched above Flathead Lake for some truly beautiful views. The home is under 4,000 square feet and sits on one acre. It is listed at $2.95 million.

%Gallery-14228%

Continue reading Montana Lighthouse, Estate of the Day

Read

Share This

Share This

I heard the song “Teach Your Children” by Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young yesterday and it struck me that we need to be telling our kids about our past, and especially today about Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights movement. Baby Boomers were  active participants in this time; you might have participated in a march or seen Dr. King speak, and if you were old enough, you might remember the horror you felt in hearing about his death.   So we’ve an obligation to “teach our children,” to tell our personal stories, and share our thoughts and feelings about that time.

The only way we have the ability to all pass on the importance of this time is to talk about it. History isn’t just the records of the historians or the newspapers or books like BOOM! by Tom Brokaw.  History is oral history, family history, remembrances. You know the saying by George Santayana that those who don’t remember history are doomed to repeat it. Unless we want to repeat the evils of discrimination in all its forms, we have to make sure succeeding generations remember and keep the spirit of Dr. King alive.

Go here to see the lyrics; their meaning is pretty important for Baby Boomers and their children for this remembrance and others.

Share This

Share This

Share This

Filed under: Estates, Wine

Some people finally go for the dream of owning their own winery but don’t get to like it for very long. Such is the case with retired executive director of Omaha’s Metro Area Transit Robert Curttright, Jr. who spent his very short retirement planning and creating the Whiskey Run Creek winery outside Brownville, Nebraska before he succumbed to cancer. Now the small winery is on sale for just $1.6 million. The winery is on 3.8 acres, and includes a 100-year-old barn, a 5,400 square-foot steel production building, a 100-year-old brick cave, a wishing well and a waterfall. The winery can produce up to 10,000 gallons of wine per year and there are around 60 vines of Chardonel and Chambourcin on a quarter acre just outside the barn. Eight miles away is another Curttright property which is 122 acres and includes a home and machine shed. This property is on the market for an asking price of $650,000.

[via Wines and Vines]

Read

Share This

Share This

Filed under: Estates, Sports

The Real Estalker Mama was a little harsh on this one but I don’t think the Westlake,Texas home of baseball player Mark Teixeira is all that bad. Especially if you’re a golfer. It’s located in the posh Vaquero development which offers residents a Tom Fazio golf course, swim center, fishing ponds a fitness center and a clubhouse. The house itself has four bedrooms and is almost 7,000 square feet. Teixeira, who is a first baseman, used to play for the Texas Rangers but currently plays for the Atlanta Braves (he recently signed up for a one-year contract so he’ll be there a while longer. He and his wife bought the home in 2005 for $3.99 million. His Texas home has a bit of that dreaded modern Tuscan look going on but it really isn’t terrible. It’s got a nice negative-edge pool with a nice outdoor entertaining area. Sure it’s a tiny stodgy and Pottery Barn catalog-like but it seems like a home that looks like it would be on MTV Cribs and many people would find it charming. Not my taste perhaps, but not bad at all. As the Real Estalker Mama did mention, the couple did show admirable decorating restraint when they could have really could have ridden the train to tackytown. And even though the library has a staircase in it, the wood-paneled walls are delightful. It is listed at $5.75 million.

%Gallery-14234%

Continue reading Teixeira in Texas, Estate of the Day

Read

Share This

Share This

Filed under: Estates

Yesterday’s estate had 70 pics, today, just seven but what a lovely seven they’re. This modern house in Phoenix, Arizona just hit the market. The five-bedroom home has around the same square footage as yesterday’s home but with less land and a far better view. You couldn’t ask for a dreamier infinity pool than this one. The home has three levels, each with expansive decks.There is a big media room on the lower level that’s built into the mountain. The contemporary blue kitchen has Snaidero cabinets, Miele appliances and a Gaggenau pizza oven. It is listed at $7.9 million.

%Gallery-14041%

Continue reading Camelback Mountain, Estate of the Day

Read

Share This

Share This

Filed under: Estates, Celebrity Shopping

Today’s estate listing has 70 photos, but that’s because there is a lot to check out. The 12,000-square-foot mansion is Michael Andretti’s home in Bushkill Township, Pennsylvania. Andretti the son of racing legend Mario Andretti and the father of current Indy Racing League star Marco Andretti. He’s also a former racer and is now the owner of Andretti Green Racing as well as other businesses. Andretti built the home in 1986. The ten acres include a six-hole golf course, six-car garage, pool, tennis court and a pond. The home is lavish and developed to the owner’s specifications with hand-painted murals that reference the family’s Italian heritage. There are six-bedrooms total as well as a gym, game room and wine cellar and large two-story dome. The home is listed at $3.4 million.

[via Penn Live]

%Gallery-13947%

Continue reading Michael Andretti’s Home, Estate of the Day

Read

Share This

Share This

Filed under: Estates

A home in London where JM Barrie is believed to have written Peter Pan is now up for sale. The six-bedroom home in South Kensington is where Barrie met the Llewelyn Davies boys who inspired the story (as dramatized in the movie Finding Neverland). The home is a classic Victorian with two living and pleasing rooms, a dining/breakfast room, balconies and a private garden as well as access to communal gardens. It definitely seems to be in need of a gentle restoration but it’s still a magical home. It is listed at

Share This

Share This

Filed under: Estates

Luxury condos in one of the most anticipated buildings in the U.S. went on sale this week. CBS2 in Chicago reports that the sales office for the Chicago Spire is now open. The sales office is as posh as the condos themselves with designs created by the architect of the Spire, Santiago Calatrava. Residences at the 2,000-foot-tall Spire are price from $750,000 to $15 million each. I had my doubts about the building when I first heard about it in 2005 but was soundly rebuked by commenters who insisted that this building is exactly what Chicago needs. Despite the sky-high prices and a sluggish real estate market, it is expected that the Spire will sell, not just to people in Chicago, but to people around the world who are eager to live in a Calatrava building. Those who purchase are in for a long wait, move in isn’t expected until 2012.

Read

Share This

Share This

Filed under: Estates

A million dollars may buy you a sizable place in the U.S. but abroad you would have to settle for something a bit smaller. In Paris, $1 million will get you a historical apartment of 615 square feet. In other countries it will purchase you a high-rise apartment with two beds and one bath — if you’re lucky. Peruse the fabulous photos and see what a million could do for your living conditions. Unfortunately there wasn’t an example in Antartica — guess we’ll just have to leave that icy estate to our imaginations.

%Gallery-13888%

Read

Share This

Share This

Filed under: Estates

Limited edition homes? That’s the pitch for the new 34 Leonard loft project in Manhattan’s TriBeCa neighborhood. 34 Leonard Street is a building of 16 loft-style homes with open floor plans and walls of windows offering urban and park views. The lobby will be dominated by an art installation from Jennifer Steinkamp, which will be a three-dimensional visual illusion of translucent glass with embedded leaves, sculptured wood benches and artisan crafted limestone walls. The development’s units are designed to accommodate art collections, and art expert Carol Dorksy will offer advice to potential buyers interested in starting or expanding their art collections. Other amenities include a wine cellar that can provide storage of 300 bottles per unit, a grill and bar area on the roof deck, a sunbathing area with an outdoor shower, a pet spa, fitness center, storage and a round-the-clock doorman.

GlobeSt.com reports that the approximate construction cost for the project is $45 million. The 16 homes include, one, two and three bedroom residences as well as a 3,086-square-foot penthouse that has a 2,215-square-foot wrap-around terrace. No presales yet but there are 150 people on the waiting list to pick up the homes, which range from $2 million to $8 million for the penthouse.
.

Read

Share This

Share This