Over the 50 years since the first issue of Unique Homes rolled off the presses, countless estates have graced our cover. Hundreds have captured a top position on Ultimate Homes’ list of the most expensive, but only a very few are real estate legends. Trackback through record-setting sales and property listings, and a handful of properties filter to the top, including an equally select cadre of real estate agents.

What destines a property for legendary status? Rarity, provenance, architecture, land and location all play a role. “We have represented and sold many properties that are above and beyond, but what makes them legendary is the architecture and the history of the property, including notable prior owners, location, and the property amenities that set the bar for other luxury properties,” explains Judy Zeder, a member of the Jills Zeder Group (along with Jill Eber and Jill Hertzberg) with Coldwell Banker Realty in Miami.

“What truly makes an incredible luxury property is that it’s something that someone else would never have. It’s not just another house with a different material feature,” shares Shari Chase, founder of Chase International Real Estate in the Lake Tahoe/Reno region. “Rarity is huge,” she says, as is “not being bumper to bumper with a lot of mega mansions that are exactly the same.”

Owlwood, Pickfair, Le Belvedere, Greenacres and Chartwell: the list of legendary properties that Joyce Rey, who heads Coldwell Banker Global Luxury’s division for Southern California, has sold is only surpassed by the number of accolades she has received over her more than 40-year career. Her sales have achieved price records multiple times, sometimes for the same property. In 1976, she sold the Sonny and Cher mansion for $1.2 million, a record at the time. Two years later, she sold it again for $4.2 million, which surpassed all other prices, setting a new high in the U.S. and worldwide. “It was a really big deal,” she says. “It changed the marketplace.”

The storied history of this property, which was renamed Owlwood to honor owls living in the estate’s towering trees, continues to the present day. The acquisition of neighboring properties and additional acreage over the years enhanced the value. Last offered for sale well above $100 million, it appeared on Unique Homes’ Ultimate list last year at $115 million. It sold in December in an off-market transaction for a reported $88 million.

Once dubbed “the Crown Jewel of Beverly Hills,” Owlwood’s resume includes a number of other high-profile names and celebrities, including Marilyn Monroe.

Ultimate Manhattan? The Tommy Hilfiger penthouse at The Plaza in New York City graced the cover of Ultimate Homes in 2014.

When it came on the market, the Playboy Mansion received lots of media coverage. Still, when Jade Mills, who represented the buyer, initially saw the property, she wasn’t expecting to find a zoo. The property had “been talked about, but not really the zoo and the peacocks and everything that was there,” she says.

“When I first went there, there were all of the animals, monkeys, peacocks were all over the property — I just thought that it was so amazing that right in the middle of Holmby Hills, you had all those fabulous animals. So, it was just fun to see, and to see the grotto.”

Gold says the number of birds increased over time as local avians decided it was a great place to call home and joined the menagerie.

Another interesting tidbit was an abundance of pushbuttons in this home, sort of a smart home before the era of home tech. For example, push a button and the bed would turn around. The grotto had an array of buttons, all glowing red, and a phone from which you could dial up whatever music you wanted

Foundation of Value

But for legends, it is the amount of land or an impossible-to-replicate location that usually sets them apart. A majority occupy sizable parcels, whether it’s hundreds of acres like Tranquility in Tahoe, or a dozen or less in Bel Air or Holmby Hills. The exception are places such as Malibu, where a setting on the beach is more prized and rarer than acreage.

“Regardless of the condition — like new, falling down or anything in between — each owner puts their heart and soul into these homes,” shares Robert Kinlin, co-owner of Robert Paul Properties, who works with some of the most expensive in Boston and on the Cape. “But a lot of times, people are buying the land and the feeling it evokes when they’re outside walking the property, because you can’t change the land, but you can change the house.”

“The biggest thing you can have with a beautiful estate is Mother Nature,” adds Shari Chase.

When Chase founded her brokerage in 1986, the word “luxury” really wasn’t part of the vocabulary. Instead, she says, “we talked about estates and extraordinary estates, and her tagline was Exceptional Properties for Exceptional People. “I wasn’t going to bother with just any kind of real estate. I only wanted the best, and whether I had one or two or three sales a year, it didn’t matter. I mean, as long as they were fantastic. I think the very first sale was lakefront.” Early on, Chase was involved in what she describes as “the most extraordinary sale we ever had at Tahoe,” the Thunderbird Lodge at a record $50 million. “It held the price record in the entire nation for over 8 years.”

Not often are newly constructed homes destined to become legendary, but Le Belvedere, sited on over 2 acres in Bel Air overlooking the city with a romantic landscape that includes a swan pond, rose gardens and a 280-degree panorama of city lights, is the exception. Over-the-top features such as opulent materials, a ballroom seating 200, a media room seating 50, and a 500-bottle wine cellar, were exceptional when it came on the market in 2009, but the way every detail is executed, the stateliness of the architecture and the sense of harmony from all facets working in perfect sync pushes it from a “stellar property” to a legendary estate.

Le Belvedere, like Tranquility, is also exceptional for its amenities. At that time, shares Rey, “people weren’t building so many of those major theaters. Before that, only those in the industry had large screening rooms.

Rey was involved in the sale of Le Belvedere for $50 million — the highest in the U.S. in 2010 –— and again in 2018 for $56 million.

Amenity Wars

In recent years, there have been a number of newly built for-sale trophy homes, some with list prices stretching current benchmarks. What sets these properties apart is the number of over-the-top features, including curated art installations, stocked wine bars, car collections, an onsite staff and even a helipad. The objective — to include everything someone might want in a home — is aligned with the motives behind the inclusion of extensive amenities in classic estates.

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. 

The 14,443 square foot residence itself offers a huge measure of security with concrete construction and windows that exceed hurricane standards. The exterior is clad with marble, and the same stone — all from a single source — is used on covered balconies and lanais that overlook an infi nity pool and the blue of the wide lagoon. Inside, light dances throughout the home. A neutral palate becomes an ideal backdrop to showcase exquisite details such as Venetian plaster and carved plaster moldings, marble columns and stone carvings. The overall effect is elegant and restrained. 

This list originally appeared in Unique Homes Ultimate ’17. 

Click here to see the digital version.