Friday, January 8, 2010

Kenny Chesney Buys Big Estate in Franklin

BUYER: Kenny Chesney
LOCATION: Franklin, TN
PRICE: $9,200,000 plus a little extra something to sweeten the pot
SIZE: 11,143 square feet, 5 bedrooms, 7 full and 2 half bathrooms

YOUR MAMAS NOTES: Yesterday, Your Mama received an unexpected and covert communique from a southern source we'll call Frannie Franklin who whispered in our big ol' ear that itty-bitty big hat wearing country music superstar Kenny Chesney has gone and bought himself a gigantic new mansion outside Nashville in Franklin, TN.

Mister Chesney, who plans to take a much needed break from touring the big stadiums for at least part of 2010, has more than 30 top ten singles including 17 songs that went to number 1, earned 9 Academy of Country Music Awards that include 4 Entertainer of the Year awards, 6 Country Music Awards including 4 Entertainer of the Year awards, 7 Country Music Television awards, a couple of Billboard Music Awards, sung his heart out at the White House, was married to squinty-eyed actress Renee Zellweger for about 42 seconds, dated a former Miss Tennessee USA in 2009, and recently launched a got-damn line of clothing. Lo-ward have mercy, it just makes us dog-ass tahrd just to think about how bizzy Mister Chesney must be and Your Mama and Mac-Donalds both think the twangin' titan deserves a damn break.

Anyhoo, according to Frannie Franklin, Mister Chesney recently completed the purchase of a 30-acre estate in the Grassland area of Franklin with a 14-room mansion that measures a ten-gallon hat sized 11,143 square feet and includes 5 bedrooms, 7 full poopers and two more half-poopers. The recently completed property was dubbed Bella Luce by its developers. A few clicks on the keyboard of our trusty laptop computer reveals Bella Luce is I-talian for, "beautiful light," which means the light up there on that hilltop where the house sits must be awful purdy. The unapologetically lavish property has received heaps and piles of attention in the last several months, both online where it was Luxist's Estate of the Day in early September 2009 and because of an exhibit/sale/event–also in September of 2009–of 23 "posthumously cast original bronze sculptures" by Rodin as well as works by a number of other artists.

Previous reports on the sale of the property reveal it was purchased for $9,200,000, which happens to be the exact same figure provided to Your Mama by Frannie Franklin who also told us, the children may be amused to know, that in addition to the nine and some million smackers part of Mister Chesney's big real estate deal included transferring the deed to his current Franklin, TN estate over to the seller. We can't confirm that bit o' deed bizness children, but we've got several reasons to believe Frannie Franklin and no reason to doubt her.

According to listing information and previous reports, the tile-roofed Tuscan style villa was designed by local architect Brad Norris and was built with 150-year old brick and sculpted stone, reclaimed walnut wood floors, Mesquite hand-carved doors, Sante Fe clay barrel tiles–whatever those are, hand-crafted iron light fixtures, hand-painted tiles, very expensive and labor intensive Venetian plaster walls, and a Crestron home automation system, which means Mister Chesney can close the curtains in his bedroom and turn on a movie in the media room while he's finishing up dinner in the kitchen.

The main rooms of Bella Luce include a leviathan living room/dining room combo with wood floors, a soaring ceiling with exposed Douglas Fir wood beams and trusses, a couple of custom Smart Car sized chandeliers, a wall of windows and French doors that open to the pool terrace, and two 25-foot high limestone fireplaces, one at each end of the room. Other main rooms include a den, billiard room, exercise room, and a colossal kitchen with double glazed cabinetry and not just one but three dishwashers. The kitchen is open to a family room area which has a wood beamed ceiling and a fireplace.

Each of the 5 bedrooms includes a private pooper and private porch or balcony. The master suite, according to listing information and previous reports, includes a gigantic boo-dwar with high beamed ceilings, sitting room, private portico, custom coffee bar, a plasma tee-vee that retracts into the ceiling (or the floor or the wall or wherever), dual custom fitted dressing rooms and two palatial marble and tile poopers that include such dee-luxe amenities as a 10-head shower with steam, music and programmable water temperatures. What a single man like Mister Chesney needs with two studio apartment sized poopers in his bedroom is beyond Your Mama's booze compromised capability of comprehension.

Some of the additional celebrity style amenities include a driveway nearly a mile long, an elevator that services all 4 floors–or five depending on where you read, three wood, Travertine, tile and wrought iron spiral staircases, a home theater with stadium seating, a sewing/gift wrapping room, a lookout tower, an infinity edged swimming pool and spa, over 3,000 square feet of covered terraces and walkways, several outdoor entertaining areas including an outdoor catering kitchen, private pond and dock, a 6-car garage equipped with heat and air-conditioning and, according to Frannie Franklin, a helipad, which ought to spare Mister Chesney any inconvenient commutes into downtown Nashville.

As far as we know from previous reports and from Frannie Franklin, Mister Chesney has shacked up in a 7,242 square foot house on 48.77 acres with 9 terlits on rural Peytonsville Road in Franklin, TN since records show he purchased it in September of 2003 for $2,500,000. According to Frannie Franklin and confirmed with property records, this property, which Mister Chesney allegedly traded as part of his purchase of Bella Luce, now belongs to the developer of Mister Chesney's new mansion.

In addition to his Nashville spread, Mister Chesney has long owned homes on the U.S. Virgin Island of St. John. In early 2008, Mister Chesney listed one of his properties, called Stoneridge House, for $14,000,000. Previous reports reveal the 10,657 square foot mansion on 1.7 acres includes 7 bedrooms, 7.5 poopers, swimming pool, spa, nearly ten thousand square feet of decking and unobstructed views of Caneel Bay and the island's north shore. The current status of the property is unclear to Your Mama. Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

The children may recall that Mister Chesney also owned a house in Malee-boo, CA for a about hot minute after buying a 3,723 square foot ocean view Mediterranean on Carbon Mesa Road in February of 2008 for $7,400,000 that he turned around lickety-split, re-listed at $7,950,000, and sold–bless his lucky heart–way over the asking price and at a million dollar plus profit in November of 2008 for $8,500,000.

The Malee-boo Mediterranean wasn't the first time Mister Chesney bought a multi-million dollar house and came down with an almost instantaneous case of the Real Estate Fickle. In January of 2009 the country crooner bought the historic W. Hunt Harris House in Old Town Key West, FL for $5,700,000 and before the ink on the deed was even dry, he flipped the 5 bedroom and 7.5 pooper property back on the market with an asking price of $6,495,000. Mister Chesney has not been so lucky real estate-wise down in Key West as he was in Malibu because the pretty and pristine property remains for sale with an asking price of $5,700,000.

photos

25 comments:

Madam Pince said...

"posthumously cast original bronze sculptures" by Rodin

Is that a nice real-estate way of saying "licensed rip-offs"?

I'm not a fan of Miss Chesney, but that looks like a nice house. That spiral staircase and ceiling treatment alone ... I need to borrow one of your nerve pills, Mama, and wash it down with a bourbon & ginger ale, while I fan myself.

SID DELUCA said...

I must admit when I first opened this blog and saw "Kenny Chesney" and "Tennessee" I was afraid to look, having perhaps a hot moment of Southern self-hatred. But I took a deep breathe and opened the pictures. FABULOUS! But a vast amount of space for a "SINGLE MAN".
Have a booty-full weekend, all y'all!

StPaulSnowman said...

The Chinese have made a good business of reproducing bronzes, particularly the Chiparus art deco figures. They are heavy, inexpensive and beautiful to look at and nobody is expected to think that they are originals. It is no different from enjoying a Hockney print or a Giclee reproduction....just in three dimensions.
There are some elegant finishes to the interiors here, but I think the exterior is boring and the massing and rooflines are tedious. All that matters is that the Chesnoid is happy.........as I am sure the seller is. I am repeatedly amazed by the sale of homes in Mama's posts. The buyer pool at this price point must be infinitely small. If you can afford this kind of house, you can afford to work with an architect and enjoy creating exactly what you want. I am constantly astonished that some of these "sloppy seconds" sell at any price.

Grrrowler said...

I kind of like the different masses on the exterior. It reminds me of the jumble of buildings that is an Italian hill town. The interior looks like it has possibilities, but those lights over the kitchen island; I've seen those in about 70% of the Starbucks here in Seattle.

An Aesthete's Lament said...

Perhaps the bronze casts were authorized by Rodin's estate. Not unusual.

Madam Pince said...

Snowman, I doubt celebrities who can afford these houses care about creating a home from scratch. I get the impression they order other people to handle these matters for them. I may be wrong, of course, but I don't think they care about their estates the way you and I do about our humble abodes. I suspect they use them more as tax deductions than actual residences.

L84sky said...

Now all he needs is someone to co-hab-i-tate it with him!!! ME!!!

StPaulSnowman said...

Madam; An interesting and certainly valid point. It is a bummer that most of us who fervently follow Mama's posts could never afford the home ideals we all have. It is hard, at present, to think of any home as an investment. But then again, we don't have to sweat the property taxes and upkeep. When I read about these multiple large home owners, I know it would drive me crazy bleeding money for a place I didn't live in and enjoy. I guess that is what being very wealthy is all about.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful home.

Anonymous said...

Correction:
Grassland section of Franklin, not Grasswoods.

Anonymous said...

Rodin's estate was left to the French government on his death. It was something of a shambles and models were left in the hands of the foundry he used. They continued to cast them, as there was no attempt to stop them.

Also the French government authorized some castings, including those of the Gates of Hell, all of which are posthumous.

The Cantor collection of Rodin works is largely made up of posthumous casts.

Anonymous said...

It's a gorgeous home (I previewed it for a client), but if it makes anyone feel better there's a HUGE TVA (power) line as you're driving up the driveway (that's also visible from the outdoor living areas). Alas, even the rich sometimes have to deal with such eyesores!

Anonymous said...

That kitchen looks like a roller-rink! The follically-challenged dust-bunny-sized Mr. Chesney is going to need a Segway just to get around the place; hope it fits through the elevator doors.

chris said...

HIDEOUS (period).

Anonymous said...

This house is at the top of my subdivision. Legends Ridge. We visited and looked at it a couple of months ago. I have to say it's the perfect home for him because as a mom of two kids, it's not really a kid friendly home. Also.. now I need to wear make up when I jog. Who know's maybe my kids will do a lemonade stand.

Anonymous said...

Why a single person like Miss Chesney would want to rattle around in a house this size is beyond me. I like the finishes and materials, however. With all that land, he'll have TOTAL privacy to entertain guests of all lifestyles.

brightstarlights said...

Chesney still owns the property in St. John.. Just last month his car squealed onto the road in front of me, just down from Stoneridge, doubled back to the about 100 yards from there to the helipad, where I also happened to be heading.. he grabbed his backpack, hopped in solo and BUH BYE

he usually rolls with a big entourage though, lots of people who work crew on his tours, so perhaps they are the ones who will be using all his new terlits..

stolidog said...

I heard he also has a decked out dungeon in the west village...

Anonymous said...

I'm Happy to see such a Large Home for Miss Chesney .... she can never have enough 'CLOSET SPACE'

Anonymous said...

This is my first time to this page and ya'll are just too dang funny! I mean it, I laughed out loud at everyone's comments. Poor Kenny, with the way he flips houses what makes us think he'll keep this one? Anyway, enjoyed reading the article and the comments!

Virgtastic said...

When I look back at my high school years, I always think it's funny that the closeted boys dated all the uber gorgeous girls and no one was the wiser...

keuka design said...

Rumors have it that Kenny has purchased a lake home on Canadaigua Lake in the Finger Lakes. Any truth to the rumors ?

fans12xy12 said...

Responses to this blog are hilarious...we don't care where Kenny Chesney lays his bald head when he sleeps...we just want to see him TOUR:http://www.fansinthestands.com/kenny-chesney-tickets.html

Anonymous said...

the latest news is kenny bought a home on canandaigua lake so they say

Anonymous said...

yes he has purchased a home on canandaigua lake ,,but shhhhhhhhhhh he dont want to be bothered ,,,,leave him alone ,,,thank you