Medina Waterford Estate
With elements if a European manor, French chateau and Scottish hunting lodge, this estate achieves intimacy and spaciousness.
by Jennifer Martin
The Seattle area is home to some of the most successful people in the world: Delta Airlines CEO Jerry Grinstein; Amazon.com CEO Jeff Bezos; and the Nordstrom family, among them. Three of the 10 wealthiest people in the world also live in this area-billionaires Bill Gates, Paul Allen and Steve Ballmer of Microsoft Corp. So it's not entirely surprising that a sprawling manor home much like a castle has just entered the market here for $53 million.
Location: Medina, Washington
Price: $53 million
Square Footage: 30,067 square feet
Acreage: 5.42 acres
Special Features: 372 feet of level waterfront access; 114-foot boat dock with floatplane lift; floor-to-ceiling glass walls and stone floors.
Additional Comments: This Tudor-style home is 10 minutes from downtown Seattle.
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The Medina, Wash., waterfront estate is a 30,067-square-foot European country home that rests on 5.42 meticulously landscaped acres. Built by entrepreneur Peter La Haye and his wife, Sandra, the home was first put up for sale in 1999 but was taken off the market shortly after Peter La Haye's death in a plane crash that year. Its asking price-a record for the Puget Sound area-reflects its exacting detail and high- quality construction, says Tim O'Keefe, senior vice president of Coldwell Banker Richard Ellis.
"The design is spectacular," O'Keefe says. "There are only a few pieces of property this size in Medina. It includes almost 400 feet of waterfront and runs from water to street. It's very unique." The property has been featured in the Wall Street Journal and frequently has been named one of Forbes magazine's Most Expensive Homes in America. The Tudor-style home comes with a 114-foot boat dock with an attached floatplane lift. But despite its privacy, it's also convenient, situated only 10 minutes from downtown Seattle.
"People love to live in this area because it's beautiful and tranquil-and you can be in southern California or Phoenix within two hours, and Hawaii within 4 and a half hours," O'Keefe says. "Successful people retire here, get bored in a year or two and start another company. There's a lot of innovation going on."
The six-bedroom, six-bathroom mansion includes elegant chandeliers and French doors, floor-to-ceiling glass walls and stone floors. Its light tonal qualities, bright rooms and warm colors provide a sense of intimacy even amidst its grandeur. "Even if there are just two people there, it's very comfortable," O'Keefe says.
The Seattle area is expected to experience significant job growth over the next few years. More entrepreneurs may take up residence in this area permanently. But it's doubtful that the area will see another house like this estate. "It takes six or seven years to build a home like this," O'Keefe says. "This home could not be duplicated for the asking price."
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