A Priceless Mount Rushmore View

The first thing you notice is the view through the 13-foot-tall bank of windows that lines the entire south side of the house. The hills and rock formations against the vivid blue sky are what gave the home its name: Seven Peaks.  

“Then, after you’ve soaked in that spectacular view, when you turn to face the west, it just keeps getting better!” say owners Karen and Steve Kowalke. “Because there’s Mount Rushmore clearly visible! Morning is the best time to appreciate that view, as the rising sun hits the faces on the monument. But evening is great too, because the monument is lit up. And when they shoot off Fourth of July fireworks on top of the monument, we don’t have to go anywhere to enjoy the spectacle!”

Yet as amazing as that sounds, the owners believe it was something else that earned their home a “House of the Week” feature. “We think it was probably the tower that caught the attention of The Wall Street Journal,” they say.

The guest “tower” beside the main home is made to look like the Harney Peak lookout tower; it has living spaces on the first two levels and a 360-degree viewing deck on the top with a spiral staircase connecting all. The tower is connected to the main house via a bridge, so access is easy between the two buildings.  

While unbelievable views and a unique tower might entice a buyer, it’s probably the finer details of this home that will win someone’s heart for good. Entering the home through a massive glass door designed by Thomas Schwaiger from California, and go through a barn-style hanging custom sliding door to the open kitchen/dining/living room area with solid scraped hickory floors and a vaulted wood ceiling that continues out over huge deck.

The kitchen has custom cupboards from Dakota Cabinets, granite countertops, a copper sink, breakfast bar, Hammerton lighting pendants, a custom rangehood by Creative Iron Works and more. The living area is centered around a custom fireplace with stonework by West River Masonry and a custom designed hood and doors.

Yet despite all of that, when asked of their favorite details, the property owners speak of the community.

“Our home is located within the 80-acre Lakota Lake Encampment development, which was developed to preserve wildlife movement, provide privacy between lots and protect the environment,” they say. “All 18 property owners have access to a community lodge where they can host events, grill on the deck, sit around a fire or just meet other neighbors for a talk overlooking the garden. And, an old cave on the property has been converted to a wine cave where owners can store wine at a constant 57 degrees, and have a tasting at the picnic table outside the mine!  Plus, we’re surrounded by natural forest so there are all kinds of hikes starting from or very close to the property.”

Whether reading a book in the living room next to the fire on an evening with a slight chill to the air, or hunkering down in the bedroom —which feels almost like a tree house sanctuary among the pines with views of the night stars after dark — Seven Peaks provides the details, comfort, peace and community needed to feel at home.     

This property is listed by Faith Lewis of Keller Williams Realty Black Hills for $1.599 million. 

In 1859, Charles Dickens wrote, to begin A Tale of Two Cities: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” Millennium, a property near Sturgis, South Dakota, that is unlike any other, is built to allow its owner to enjoy the best of times, while being prepared for the worst of times.

Partially completed and marketed as an amazing mansion, museum, place of worship or retreat, the first thing that strikes a visitor is the beautiful 360 acres of varied terrain. Long-range views, meadows, pine and scrub oak, and a large artesian-water-fed pond provide for the ultimate in year-round wildlife habitat. But Millennium is unique not only because of its setting. The home is designed to last 1,000 years.

“My wife and I have traveled extensively and with my medical missionary experiences have been to many uncommon locations, such as Mongolia, Cambodia, Western Africa and Vietnam,” says owner Edward J. S. Picardi. “We wanted to create something which would be a monument to the World — and one which would last, really last.”

The Millennium’s basement (basically a 5,000-square-foot safe room) is in place and is supported by 48 subterranean pillars and reinforced with rebar every 4 to 8 inches, both vertically and horizontally. The large four pillars in the center are 30 inches in diameter and extend to 24 feet below the surface. The main open level is graced with beautiful ornate columns and dividing walls.

“My wife and I traveled to various regions to view structures that have withstood time,” Picardi says. “We examined the Great Wall of China, examined both the exteriors and interiors of over a dozen pyramids in Egypt, countless Roman, Greek and Trojan ruins and even the Taj-Mahal. I took what they did and utilized modern building techniques to make something which will last just as long.”

 Picardi talks at length about both the location and the construction of the Millennium. “It is located, quite literally, in the center of the nation. In fact, the ‘Geographic Center of the Nation Monument’ is about 15 minutes west of the Millennium.” Also, he adds, “It is located in the most geological stable regions in the USA. There are no earthquakes here.”

For Picardi, his engineering background is a source of pride and came in handy as he worked on Millennium.

“The four center Roman columns, which extend over 25 feet below the ground level, are designed to each support over 75 tons by the sides alone. That doesn’t even include the load support from the ground underneath the columns,” he says. “There is so much steel reinforcement within the walls that there is a magnetic compass deflection of about 30 degrees inside the structure. For that reason I embedded a compass relief showing true north in the concrete.”

For the best of times, Millennium’s location is perfect for enjoying the sheer beauty and natural diversity of this region. “Devil’s Tower, Mt. Rushmore, the Black Hills, the Bad Lands National Park are all in this vicinity and are all quite breathtaking. Being nestled on the east side of the Black Hills helps block the winter storms which originate in Wyoming and creates a more temperate climate, Picardi says.

And for the worst of times? “The foibles of both human nature and Mother Nature have not escaped me,” Picardi says. “As there has never been a 1,000-year period of peace since the dawn of man, I considered such issues in the construction.”

This property is listed by Faith Lewis of Keller Williams Realty Black Hills for $3.8 million. 

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