£39 million summer house on Lake Geneva that was designed by one of the architects of the Eiffel Tower to be sold at auction without reserve
Built in the Belle Époque style on the north shore of Lake Geneva, Château de Promenthoux is a 13,988 square foot house on a plot of 9 acres. It has been on the market for £38.8 million (CHF 50 million $49.9 million, €45.7 million or درهم183.5 million) but is now to be sold at auction on the 15th June “to the highest bidder” by Concierge Auctions.
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Couturier Jean Philippe Worth (1856 – 1926) commissioned Stephen Sauvestre (1847 – 1919), one of the architects of the Eiffel Tower, to build Château de Promenthoux as his summer house in 1896. The son of the “father of haute couture”, Charles Frederick Worth (1825 – 1895), opted for a building that featured Meillerie stone pillars and brick walls covered by dark wood and an interior dominated by parquet flooring, paneling, velvet wall coverings and soaring ceilings.
Now restored “with modern amenities”, the 4-storey house has 7 imposing reception rooms, 8 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms, 3 kitchens and separate accommodation for staff. It comes with a hydraulic lift, a gym, a sauna, the largest private harbour on Lake Geneva and also enjoys the most spectacular of views across the water.
Of why she is selling, current owner Linda Durand remarked:
The property has been in our family for almost two generations. I grew up here as a kid and then I remained in the property with my family and I raised my children here.
The property is a very large house that could be called a mansion, could be called a small castle. It’s so natural, it’s so remote, giving a big atmosphere of peace and quietness… Within just half an hour’s drive you can be skiing, sledging, cross-country.
The house is not a proper wooded house. Just the style it was given was the wood, which means the house was very safe. It is very solid, very, very well built… It was built as a family home but it could be used by an organisation for international purposes, for a consulate, by an embassy, a private club.
After discussing an auction, we decided it would be a different opportunity to sell the property in a certain time frame… We want to enable the property to continue to belong to someone in a certain time frame and not be on the market for maybe longer.
Situated within a district of Switzerland most famous for the production of white wine, Château de Promenthoux is 7.5 miles from Geneva and 27 miles from Lausanne.
Readers have their say
10 comments
It is striking but not friendly. I don’t find it endearing though I would be wowed if I walked around the corner and unexpectedly saw it. The interior has been ruined. No wonder they’re flogging it for whatever they can get. No way is this worth £39 million.
Knock it down!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It’s a f***ing fire hazard!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Even next to the water it will burn like a f***ing tinder box!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! £39million!!!!!!!!!!!! Sick!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ridiculous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ridiculous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I like the harbor though!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Very Gilded Age. A perfect spot for a party.
I am digsusted to return to these pages after some time absent to find you are still writing about multimillion houses and not helping dear Gerry and Kate McCann in their search for their beloved daughter Madeleine. You should be ashamed and you must now put it right. We need to FIND MADELEINE, FIND HER NOW.
What a pity you don’t go missing, we could all start a campaign on here, FIND GILLIAN, FIND HER NOW……….NOT.
Eddie and Keela already found her Trotters. Trouble was the police weren’t interested. As our American cousins say ‘go figure’
Great for tax exiles who like sailing.
This pad looks like something out of the Ming Dynasty. It doesn’t have a nice feeling about it.
THis house was built by architect, Sauvestre. And ordered by my great great uncle, Jean-Philippe Wort a Grand Couturier. On trhe picture it is not him but his elder brother, Gaston Worth, my great great gran father, Gasto Worth asked Sauvestre to build a house in the same style in Suresnes, Paris area France.
Good evening.
the photo published of Jean Philippe Worth is in error.
It is the one of Gaston Worth my great grand father, elder brother of Jean WortH.
I would be interested to know when this property was first sold. I have photos of the mansion dated 1918
J.P.L