17. Jun, 2011

When New York real estate developer Michael Bolla decided to renovate the late Federal row house now known as the Chelsea Mansion, he called in architectural colorist Carl Black.

Built in 1835 by Donald Cushman as a single family residence for wealthy

merchant John Smith, the five-story structure had been broken up into as many apartments in the 1930s.

Facing north, it’s 25 feet wide and 87 feet deep.

“What’s inter…(Read more)

Nobody wanted to buy former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega’s old house — again.

Panama’s Division for the Promotion and Sale of State Property says no bids were received in the auction of the abandoned, weed-choked mansion valued at $2.5 million in Panama City’s posh San Francisco district.

Thursday’s auction was the second unsuccessful attempt to sell Noriega’s main residence. Indigents were living in it until recently.

The mansion was expropriated fro…(Read more)

A Look at Brooklyn, then and now.

The Pierrepont’s were arguably the most important family in Brooklyn Heights in the 19th century. The family was from New England originally, and James Pierrepont, the patriarch of the family was a minister. He was actually one of the three ministers who founded Yale College in 1700. His descendants were successful and wealthy financiers and landowners. The first Pierrepont to live in Brooklyn was Hezekiah Pierrepont, who came here in 1804. H…(Read more)

PROVIDENCE — Shortly after Puritan outcast Roger Williams founded this city, settlers cut a cow path across the Providence Plantations “for the benefit of all.’’ The dusty trail eventually grew into the city’s most historic avenue, yet Benefit Street remains true to its communal origins, and those who stroll underneath its leafy canopy and visit its venerable institutions continue to reap its benefits.

Williams would probably be proud of what&rs…(Read more)

The market for homes worth $50 million or more is so small that when even one of these behemoths is sold, it makes waves. So real estate experts are paying close attention to the recent sale of Le Belvedere, a sprawling sandstone palace in Bel Air, which sold on June 4 to an unidentified European family, for as much as $72 million.

The home was designed and built by developer Mohamed Hadid, former owner of Ritz Carlton Hotels, for his personal use. Hadid put the home…(Read more)

America’s most expensive mansion, sold to the family with the most money to blow! Le Belvedere, a massively ostentatious mega mansion sold for as much as $72 million!

The luxurious 10-bedroom, 14-bathroom palace sits on a 2.2 acre bluff in Bel Air, and spans a dizzying 48,000 square feet. Just like a majestic palace, a 36-foot-high wall, that spans 1,000 feet, encloses the compound to the world. It’s a safe bet the owners are not the frugal.

Le Belvedere is America’s most ex…(Read more)

PROVIDENCE — Shortly after Puritan outcast Roger Williams founded this city, settlers cut a cow path across the Providence Plantations “for the benefit of all.’’ The dusty trail eventually grew into the city’s most historic avenue, yet Benefit Street remains true to its communal origins, and those who stroll underneath its leafy canopy and visit its venerable institutions continue to reap its benefits.

Williams would probably be proud of what&rs…(Read more)

“For sale, 3, 345 square meter home in one of Panama’s most exclusive locations. Former owner living in France as guest of French government.”

Panama’s

Ministry of Economy and Finance has again failed to find a buyer for a home that was seized from former dictator Manuel Noriega in Altos del Golf.

The property is valued at

$2.5 million and has a history of parties and Noriega rages during the dictatorship years. Many leading citiz…(Read more)

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Attorney buys Lake Forest mansion

Chicago personal-injury attorney Thomas Demetrio, who has owned many high-end residences over the years, has paid $5.5 million for a five-bedroom, 10,500-square-foot mansion in Lake Forest.

Built in 2001, the French Normandy-style mansion sits on nearly 4 acres and has six full baths, two half baths, a two-story living room topped by beams and arches, a master bedroom with a sitting area, a screened porch, …(Read more)

Have you ever wondered how much that old lamp might be worth? You know, the one that’s been sitting in your basement for as long as you can remember? Or how about the dishes your great, great grandmother left to your family before you were even born?

On Saturday, you’ll have the opportunity to bring any two items to the Morven Park mansion where Appraiser Ben Hastings will provide you with information on detail, history and how much it may be worth.

Collec…(Read more)