Mansions

The Frances J. Dewes mansion, a Gothic-revival masterpiece in the Lincoln Park area of Chicago, has been listed for sale at $9.9 million. The historic home, designed by architects Adolph Cudell and Arthur Hercz and completed in 1896, was built for Francis Dewes, a Prussian immigrant who made his fortune as a brewer. A six-year … Continue reading »

Nature | Archaeology & Paleontology Hadrian-henge: Roman Emperor’s Villa Oriented to Catch Solstice Rays The Emperor’s country estate is aligned to meet the solstices. | June 16, 2011 | By Eric Hand of Nature magazine Hadrian’s villa 30 kilometers east of Rome was a place where the Roman Emperor could relax in marble baths and … Continue reading »

This magnificent Neoclassical Georgian style estate is located at 236 Park Lane in Atherton, CA. It is situated on 1.5+ acres at the end of a cul-de-sac near the prestigious Menlo Circus Club. Dubbed Villa Eirini, this masterpiece of a home was designed by renowned Andrew Skurman Architects and completed in 2009. It boasts 12,000 … Continue reading »

By Mike Eckel Villa Souane Chbar (“garden villa” in Khmer) sits along the Mekong River, 30 minutes by car outside of Phnom Penh, off a dirt road marked with shacks, an open-air pool hall, stray chickens and a Buddhist temple. In the morning, the warm breezes and the soft put-put-put of fishing boat motors drift … Continue reading »

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 … Continue reading »

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 … Continue reading »

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 … Continue reading »

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 … Continue reading »

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 … Continue reading »

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 … Continue reading »