Tuesday, September 6, 2011

A Pair of Afternoon Delights Number Two

Again, we're not sure how delightful these afternoon tidbits are perhaps they'll keep your real estate appetites whetted for a while longer.
Earlier today our compadres at Curbed presented an epic (and ultimately pyrrhic) 40,000-ish square foot mega-mansion in Fort Washington, PA–that's outside of Philly, folks–that recently clanked and clamored on the market with a pearl-clutching $30,000,000 price tag.

While thirty million smackers is an astronomical amount of money by any standard, the owner–a "ruined credit card tycoon" named Dennis Alter–reportedly spent a truly unnerving $80,000,000 to design, build and furnish his 6 bedroom and 8 bathroom beast of a house.

Have mercy! Somebody run quick and get Your Mama a nerve pill. Lowerd, children, it may not be unheard of for someone to spend such a sum to build a especially massive monument to their wealth but we still go bug-eyed with flabbergast and financial disbelief when those sorts of sums are bandied about in connection to a single private residence.

The sprawling, civic center-sized contemporary was conceived by the bold, exceedingly prolific and much lauded Uruguayan-born/U.S.-based architect Rafael Viñoly. Built on 70 acres, the massive mansion encircles a colossal stone courtyard perhaps more than a little influenced by European piazzas.

In addition to the main house, the expansive pastoral property encompasses two restored stone farmhouses that overlook a private pond, a tennis pavilion and a corporate retreat-sized "Play House" outfitted to the gills with exercise room, changing rooms with showering facilities, and an indoor tennis court plus a two-bedroom apartment perfect for the on-site housing of a thick-thighed tennis pro and a body fat-free fitness instructor.

listing photos: Christies International Real Estate

5 comments:

hippie canyon said...

Just read up a bit on the owner, Dennis Alter. Typical sheister! The monumental (accent on mental) house is symbolic of the sort of arrogant spending of Wall Street types, made possible by zero regulations and zero ethics. The house, however, would be an ideal school or public library and community center. So its too bad the state is broke... thanks in no small part to such mental cases.

Mr Tibbs said...

yesterdays CEO, conservative thoughtful did not spend clients money on homes, lived to be 100 in complete freedom,

todays CEO, a blowhard, loud, has to let everyone know he is alive

he will take all of your money and then some and lavish him and his wife, close friends with gaudy estates, fleets of cars, jets, helicopters,

today's CEO ends up broke or in jail by age 50

:)

Anonymous said...

Ditto hippie canyon and Mr. Tibbs, although sadly most of them don't end up in jail.

As for this "house," a civic center indeed.

Lady J

Anonymous said...

Ah, if only furniture showrooms were still profitable, this would have made a great one, with even a spot to put the bored kiddies! No doubt an NBA player worth more than his salt will buy it.

Anonymous said...

I live not to far from Fort Washington...there are some really nice homes there...BUT THIS IS NOT BEVERLY PARK!!! Even with that amount of land, I dont see people paying $30,000,000 for the Philly burbs...not even on the Main Line!