Tag: wealth

The Finery of Fatland

Vast Greek Revival style Pennsylvania mansion for sale for 56% less than it was marketed for in 2014; it comes with a pub in the basement

An extravagant and somewhat over the top estate in Pennsylvania is on sale for £2.96 million or 56% less than the £6.75 million sum it was listed for back in 2014.

Extending to some 11,377 square foot and consisting of 7 bedrooms and 8 bathrooms, Greek Revival style ‘Fatland’ – originally known as ‘Vaux Hill’ and known as such once again since 1990 – in Lower Providence, Montgomery County dates to circa 1843 and stands on the site of an earlier stone farmhouse. That building served as the headquarters of General George Washington in 1777 and also was used by General Sir William Howe.

Now set on a plot of just 11.29 acres, the Fatland Estate used to be significantly larger but was reduced by land sales to make way for an express highway, a housing development and 154 acres towards the expansion of the Valley Forge National Historical Park.

Barbara Safford speaking at the time of the 2013 sale of the contents of ‘The Fatland Estate’

The house as previously furnished

“Decorated in the rich French taste,” the house was stuffed to the brim with European antiques by an insurance tycoon named Robert Safford after he and his wife, Barbara, purchased it in 1990. The couple also altered ‘Fatland’s’ original asymmetrical composition with the addition of a west wing and end pavilion that mirrored the east wing and end pavilion and even added a pub to the building’s basement. After Mr Safford’s death in 2011, the property – which also includes an outdoor pool, tennis court and barn – was put up for sale in 2014 whilst separately, in 2013, Freeman’s auction house in Philadelphia held a sale of contents that netted £2.9 million.

After three years on the market and now with a significantly reduced asking price, Terese Brittingham and Tom McCouch of Keller Williams Realty Group are the agents currently handling ‘The Fatland Estate’s’ listing.

The Fatland Estate – The Numbers

November 2017 – For sale at a reduced price of £2.96 million ($3.95 million, €3.31 million or درهم14.50 million) after a pending sale in June failed to complete through Keller Williams Realty Group.

October 2016 – Relaunched to the market for £2.96 million ($3.95 million, €3.31 million or درهم14.50 million) through RE/MAX Elite.

August 2016 – Reduced to £3.7 million ($5 million, €4.2 million or درهم13.4 million).

February 2016 – Relaunched to the market for £5.248 million ($6.999 million, €5.866 million or درهم25.699 million).

September 2014 – For sale for £6.747 million ($8.999 million, €7.542 million or درهم33.042 million) through Kurfiss Sotheby’s International Realty.

July 1990 – Sold to Robert Safford and Barbara Harvey for £1.6 million ($2.1 million, €1.8 million or درهم7.7 million).

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November 26, 2017
A $20k Gobble

New York hotel offers a Thanksgiving dinner complete with gold-flaked turkeys and bottomless champagne for £15,100

Late last week Guest of a Guest reported that a New York hotel is to offer a Thanksgiving dinner with a difference.

Priced at £15,100 ($20,000, €17,000 or درهم73,500), HGU New York at 34 East 32^nd Street’s “luxurious holiday dinner experience” includes the services of a personal event planner, butler service, a 5-piece jazz band, and two king hotel suites. Two gold-flaked turkeys, liquid gold hot chocolate and bottomless champagne form part of a “curated meal” by executive chef Keith Geter also.

Those with pockets deep enough to book should email [email protected]

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November 20, 2017
Double Cher

Holmby Hills estate owned variously by Sonny and Cher and Tony Curtis for sale for double what it sold for in 2016

A 12,201 square foot mansion on 10.1 acres in Holmby Hills, Los Angeles is on sale for £136 million or double the sum it sold for just a year ago.

Featuring 9 bedrooms and 10 bathrooms, ‘The Owlwood Estate’ or more simply 141 South Carolwood Drive is described as “easily one of the city’s most iconic and historically significant properties.” Built in 1937 to the designs of Robert D. Farquhar in a “classic European Italian Renaissance” style, the estate was owned by Tony Curtis and Sonny Bono and Cher in the 1960s and has also been home to Joe Schenck, the first president of United Artists and a chairman of 20^th Century Fox.

Now offered with designs for redevelopment by Bob Shapiro, the head of Sturmer Pippin Investments and CEO of Woodbridge Luxury Homes, the property offered also includes a sunken tennis court, a swimming pool and two guest houses.

Adam Rosenfeld of Mercer Vine is the realtor handling the sale.

The Owlwood Estate – The Numbers

July 2017 – Placed on the market for £136 million ($180 million, €153 million or درهم661 million).

September 2016 – Sold for £68 million ($90 million, €76 million or درهم331 million) to developer Bob Shapiro.

July 2012 – Placed on the market for £114 million ($150 million, €127 million or درهم551 million) by Dawn Arnall, “the widow of subprime mortgage profiteer Roland Arnall.”

2002 – Sold for £25 million ($33 million, €28 million or درهم121 million).

1999 – Listed for sale for £44 million ($58 million, €49 million or دره213 million) by Ghazi Aita complete with an adjacent property.

1978 – Sold to a “shadowy businessman” named Ghazi Aita for £3.2 million ($4.2 million, €3.6 million or درهم15 million).

1970 – Sold to Sonny and Cher for £568,000 ($750,000, €636,000 or درهم2.8 million).

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November 18, 2017
An Idea Car

Futuristic 1952 Chrysler styling prototype to be auctioned in New York; its “wild technology” includes a hydraulically operated spare wheel

Concept cars don’t generally go far and most end up sidelined to the world of dreams, but a 1952 Chrysler D’Elegance by Ghia headed to auction in December is something quite to the contrary.

Described as an ‘Idea Car’ and the product of a collaboration between Chrysler’s Virgil Exner Sr. (1909 – 1973) and Ghia’s Felice Mario Boano (1903 – 1989) – the designer of the Ferrari 250 GT Boano – the D’Elegance was built on a shortened 292 centimetre chassis and comes with two comfortable armchairs, power steering and electric windows.

What makes this car standout, however, are its gunsight taillights, distinctive egg-crate grille and “wild technology” such as a rear deck lid with a hydraulically operated full-size spare wheel that raises and lowers at the touch of a switch.

Described by Virgil Exner Jr. as “one of my father’s favourite cars” in 2011, the D’Elegance now comes with a 1956 vintage 354 Hemi V8 engine and a pedigree that includes ownership in the Blackhawk Collection, winning a special class of Chrysler Concepts at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance and having been driven through the Alps from Monaco to Venice as part of the Louis Vuitton Classic Serenissima Run.

RM Sotheby’s will sell the fully restored car with an estimate of £682,000 to £834,000 ($900,000 to $1.1 million, €771,000 to €943,000 or درهم3.3 million to درهم4 million) at their ‘Icons’ sale in New York on the 6^th December.

November 16, 2017
The World’s Most Flirtatious Car

Off-the-wall 24-carat gold 1958 Austin Healey that would appeal to Liberace to be sold at auction in New York with an estimate of £420,000

A truly bonkers one-off 1958 Austin-Healey 100-Six that was given the monikers ‘Goldie’ and ‘The Golden Child’ is to be sold at auction in December.

For sale for 165% less than it was offered for in 2013 but 781% more than it was valued at in 1958, ‘Goldie’ is capable of speeds of upto 120 miles per hour but what makes her unique is that all brightwork – including the trimming washers and screws, wire wheels, disc brakes, bumpers and instruments – are plated in 24-carat gold.

The car’s interior is trimmed in champagne Connolly kid leather and champagne diadem mink by London furrier Lorna Doon Snow adorn the inserts and back squabs of the bucket seats and the key ring comes complete with a solid-gold scale replica of the car itself.

The brainchild of Donald Healey’s then PR manager, Ken Gregory, in association with the Daily Express’s then motoring correspondent, Basil Cardew, ‘Goldie’ was the show-stopping car exhibited at the entrance to the 1958 London Motor Show at Earl’s Court. She reportedly wowed audiences and no doubt would have been dubbed a ‘dream machine’ by the motoring world’s most extravagant doyenne, Lady Docker.

Sold immediately to the paper the Daily Express dedicated a page to the promotion of a reader competition to win ‘Goldie’ on 22^nd October 1958. Of her, they remarked:

“[This is] the world’s most flirtatious car… The Daily Express has bought it… You can win it. She’s elegant… she wears mink… and she adores champagne. No, not the girl… the car!”

“The real stuff… The most sumptuous… A vintage squirt… The biggest sensation of the [Motor Show at Earl’s Court]… Yes, you could call it the car that was born with a golden spoon in its mouth!”

“In the whole of the land there isn’t anything to match it.”

Surprisingly, the winner of the competition decided to sell the vehicle immediately. She was first road-registered in February 1959 and then passed through various owners until being completely restored by Bruce and Inan Phillips of Healey Surgeons of Washington, D.C. between 1983 and 1986.

Speaking of what the current marketing catalogue entry describes as “the most spectacular Austin Healey ever produced,” Inan Phillips is said to have remarked: “[‘Goldie’ was] one fantastic running and driving car… The smoothest driving Austin Healey we’ve ever owned.”

In time sold to a wealthy businessman and Jeep restorer named Dennis Collins from Wylie, Texas, ‘Goldie’ was offered for sale first on eBay and then at auction in Houston, Texas for £758,000 in 2013 and 2014. It appears no sale went through and now an estimate of £265,000 to £417,000 has been set for this striking creation.

RM Sotheby’s will sell ‘Goldie’ at their annual New York ‘Icons’ sale on 6^th December. They list the vehicle as being “without reserve.” If only Liberace were still around to put in a bid.

‘Goldie’ – The Numbers

December 2017 – Offered for sale at auction with no reserve and an estimate of £265,000 to £417,000 ($350,000 to $550,000, €300,000 to €471,000 or درهم1.3 million to درهم2 million) in New York.

January 2014 – Offered for sale with a ‘buy-it-now’ price of £758,000 ($1 million, €857,000 or درهم3.7 million) on eBay.

March 2013 – Offered for sale for £758,000 ($1 million, €857,000 or درهم3.7 million) in Houston, Texas by Collins Brothers Jeep owner Dennis Collins.

October 1958 – Valued at £4,000 (the equivalent of £86,000, $113,000, €97,000 or درهم417,000 today) prior to being sold to the Daily Express and offered in a reader competition in London.

November 12, 2017
A Modern Beauty

“One of Britain’s finest 20th-century country houses” has been placed for sale for £20 million; it comes with 530 acres and was built by the late businessman Sebastian de Ferranti in the 1980s

One could imagine being in the early 18^th century or in Italy even on first taking a look at the Palladian style Henbury Hall, near Macclesfield in Cheshire. However, as Moliere said: “One is easily fooled by that one loves” and in reality this 12,496 square foot beauty was actually constructed between 1980 and 1986.

The vision of the buccaneer businessman and patron of the arts Sebastian de Ferranti (1927 – 2015) and based upon Palladio’s Villa Rotunda at Vizenza, the 6-bedroomed main residence stands on the site of an earlier mansion demolished in the 1950s. It was designed by the architect Julian Bicknell in conjunction with Felix Kelly and David Mlinaric, was constructed by Tarmac Construction and is faced with warm-toned limestone from north east France. The estate also includes a Grade II listed dower house, five further houses and cottages, a Grade II listed and stable block and courtyard.

The late Sebastian de Ferranti

Henbury Hall during construction

A depiction of the original Henbury Hall in 1707

The front elevation of the current Henbury Hall with parkland beyond

Aside from 12 acres of immaculate gardens with a series of lakes, there is a 200 year old landscaped park, woodland, agricultural land, a beautifully designed swimming pool, a tennis court and a polo field.

Selling agents Savills offer the Henbury Hall Estate as a whole for a guide price of £20 million – a world away from the £9,000 sum the estate sold for in 1872 (the equivalent of £934,000 today).

November 11, 2017
Highs and Lows in Hyde Park

Pint-sized flat in Knightsbridge goes on sale for ambitious sum of £5,813 per square foot; it was offered for the even more crazy sum of £7,027 per square foot in 2013

The owners of an apartment in the edifice of vulgarity that is One Hyde Park in Knightsbridge plainly have no belief in Brexit and increased stamp duty having affected the property market given they have just put the 989 square foot space on the market for the punchy price of £5.75 million ($7.65 million, €6.58 million or درهم28.11 million).

Offered effectively for £5,183 per square foot ($6,900, €5,928 or درهم25,342 per square foot) by agents Strutt & Parker, the third floor space was last marketed in June 2013 with what appears to be identical interior design for £6.95 million ($9.25 million, €7.95 million or درهم33.99 million). It consists of a 26’2” by 12’10” reception room with a champagne bar, a 9’2” by 6’4” kitchen and an 18’3” by 10’6 bedroom with an en-suite bathroom and comes with a single parking space and basement storage room.

A similar 988 square foot apartment on the fourth floor – which had been repossessed by an Irish bank – was marketed for £5.25 million ($6.99 million, €6.01 million or درهم25.68 million) or £5,313 per square foot ($7,071, €6,077 or درهم25,980 per square foot) in September 2013.

November 1, 2017
Moron of the Moment – Stephanie Mack

Daughter-in-law of fraudster Bernard Madoff illustrates how utterly out of touch she truly is with normality and the lives of ordinary, decent people

“The biggest mistake is putting on something you don’t feel comfortable in” casually commented Stephanie Mack (formerly Madoff) to The New York Times’ ‘Style’ in an interview this week.

As if without a care in the world, the daughter-in-law of the world’s worst Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff – a man whose actions led to financial ruin for many and the suicides of several of his victims – talked to the paper’s Hilary Sargent and shared news that she’s now gone into the business of advising women on how to “choose simple pieces like the best jeans and the kicky accessories to go with them.”

Tastelessly titled: “A Madoff gets a makeover, by giving them,” this cringeworthy feature was plainly designed to give this out of touch with normality woman (whom “loves a good beanie”) room to try and show her human side. It failed and simply illustrated yet another example of the very self-serving entitlement that brought down her father-in-law and those around him.

Remarks such as “I have nothing to hide” are all very well from Ms Mack, but in sharing that she now urges clients coming out of “their recent breakup or divorce” to “drop… $1,200 on a jacket by Iro” she illustrates that money is still her mantra. In adding that her mother-in-law Ruth Madoff is “so much fun to be around” she forgets that this very same woman was shown to be a greedy cross between Imelda Marcos and Barbara Amiel but in commenting: “I’ve urged her to have a comeback. Everyone loves a comeback,” Mack most definitely fails to understand that the public have no desire to see such.

Whilst Guest of a Guest, in toadily referencing the article, decided to term this pointless clothes peddler “the best friend you didn’t know you needed,” we would suggest otherwise: Stephanie Mack – a woman whose new name includes ‘M’ for ‘Madoff’ and vulgarly ‘ACK’ after the airport code for Nantucket (a ritzy location where she once had a holiday home) – is someone one most definitely doesn’t need.

October 21, 2017
A Bargain in Belgravia

Belgravia mews house with garaging for five cars for sale for equivalent of £1,442 per week

A two-storey mews house behind The Lanesborough Hotel in Belgravia has gone on sale for what initially seems like a bargain price of just £1.5 million ($2 million, €1.7 million or درهم7.2 million).

The catch? The 1,391 square foot property in Wilton Row – which comes with a 40-foot long garage with space for up to five cars – is offered on a new 20-year lease that comes without the ability to extend or acquire the freehold.

Effectively priced at the equivalent of rent of £75,000 per year ($99,000, €83,000 or درهم362,000 per year), the unlisted building also includes a reception room, kitchen, two bedrooms and a bathroom.

Ayrton Wylie are the selling agents.

October 20, 2017
A Bargain in Belgravia

Belgravia mews house with garaging for five cars for sale for equivalent of £1,442 per week

A two-storey mews house behind The Lanesborough Hotel in Belgravia has gone on sale for what initially seems like a bargain price of just £1.5 million ($2 million, €1.7 million or درهم7.2 million).

The catch? The 1,391 square foot property in Wilton Row – which comes with a 40-foot long garage with space for up to five cars – is offered on a new 20-year lease that comes without the ability to extend or acquire the freehold.

Effectively priced at the equivalent of rent of £75,000 per year ($99,000, €83,000 or درهم362,000 per year), the unlisted building also includes a reception room, kitchen, two bedrooms and a bathroom.

Ayrton Wylie are the selling agents.

October 20, 2017