This week at TopTenRealEstateDeals.com, we take a look at Bob Hope’s 1973 spaceship home in Palm Springs that finally sold.
Also, Tommy Hilfiger’s Plaza penthouse in New York and a Vanilla Ice project in South Florida are for sale.
“Bob Hope’s UFO Home”
At long last, Bob Hope’s house has sold for $13 million, after first being listed in early 2013 with a price tag of $50 million. Having gone through a couple of price cuts over the last three years, the most recent cut lowered the ask to $25 million. But with no comps available, how does one actually price a concrete space ship? Seems that when $25 million was thrown at the wall, $13 million stuck.
The Palm Springs spaceship/volcano house, designed for Bob and Dolores Hope by John Lautner in 1973, needed a buyer with deep pockets who would appreciate its futuristic leanings, had appreciation for architects who think outside the box and are young at heart enough to enjoy a bit of whimsy. The buyer, California billionaire Ron Burkle – co-founder and managing partner of a private equity and venture capital firm, is well known in the Los Angeles area for his connections with the Clintons. Sporting as interesting a persona as the house, Burkle is a prominent Democratic activist and fundraiser.
At 23,000 square feet under the dramatic high undulating roof, the unique house has open spaces in the walls and ceiling which allow daylight or stars to shine through casting shapely shadows into the interior. These curved openings also allow for stunning views across the landscape and mountains while appearing to be nestled comfortably into its well-designed desert landscaping and outdoor living areas. The house also has a spa with greenhouse wall, 6 bedrooms, 13 bathrooms, indoor and outdoor pools, a pond, putting greens and a tennis court.
Burkle collects other historic architecture and purchased the Frank Lloyd Wright Ennis House in 2011 and also owns Greenacres that was originally built for silent comedy film actor Harold Lloyd. Even at the greatly reduced closing price of $13 million, the sale has set a record for the highest sale price in Palm Springs beating Lautner’s Elrod House that sold for $7.7 million just two months earlier.
“Tommy Hilfiger’s Plaza Hotel Penthouse”
One of the most stunning apartments in New York City is Tommy Hilfiger’s penthouse at the Plaza Hotel. In 2008, the Hilfigers bought two units at the Plaza for $25 million. From there, he and his wife spent three years and $17 million in major renovation and connecting the apartments. Totaling 6,000 square feet including the dome atop the hotel and terraces overlooking Central Park and Fifth Avenue, the apartment has four bedrooms, five baths and a grand staircase. It is for sale at $58.9 million.
“Vanilla Ice Project House”
Rob Van Winkle’s foray into the renovation business came about by accident, when after finishing a music tour, took a look at the California and New York properties he had purchased earlier in case he needed a pad to crash and realized neither had ever been used. His latest project is in Lighthouse Point, Florida for sale at $2.395 million.
