TopTenRealEstateDeals.com Hot Home News: "Gone With The Wind" & America's Most Romantic Homes
Online, August 21, 2013 (Newswire.com) - This week's Top 10 homes spotlight at TopTenRealEstateDeals.com includes a look at a few of America's most romantic homes that are for sale. In Newport Beach, a mansion that was inspired by "Gone with the Wind" will soon go to auction. Also, the New York farm where the design team of Victoria and Richard MacKenzie-Childs spent over 30 years restoring a dilapidated farmhouse into a work of art, and a California estate with a diner and main street replica of where the home's owners fell in love.
"Gone With The Wind" Home Auction
Creator of Fleetwood Enterprises, John Crean wasn't born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Always in trouble in his youth and a self-professed alcoholic at age 25, he grew up on a depression-era farm. Twenty-five was the turnaround age for John when he and his brother started Fleetwood. From that point on he lived his life as "a man who was full of hope and who was constantly looking for the good in others." As Fleetwood grew from a company that designed and manufactured Venetian blinds for travel trailers into a $3 billion enterprise manufacturing RVs and housing, John and his wife built their four-acre "Gone with the Wind" inspired estate in Newport Beach, California.
The majesty of the white columned main house with its sweeping front porch is just the beginning to the four-acre compound of four buildings totaling 30,600 square feet, 18 bedrooms and 30 baths. The main house shows the "Gone with the Wind" inspiration such as a dramatic red-carpeted double staircase entry, elaborate woodwork, hand painted murals, stained glass windows and a huge formal dining room. Things not found at Tara, but that do come with this house include a large commercial kitchen, movie theater, paneled library, game room, swimming pool with bathrooms and showers, and an ice cream parlor.
Auction date September 20th at 11:00 a.m. PST. There is no minimum bid or auction reserve, but bidding is subject to family trust approval.
Retro Diner, Main Street and Gas Station
Built on almost 80 acres with 63 acres of vineyards in the wine country of Suisun Valley, California near Napa, Villa de Madre consists of the 22,882 square foot main house, a 2,896 square foot caretaker's house and three magnificent car barns that can house up to 100 collectible cars. The vineyard produces 150,000 bottles of Cabernet wine annually. A favorite of media real estate, the home and vineyard have been featured on both HGTV's "Million Dollar Rooms" series and the "Behind the Gates" TV show.
The pièce de resistance for the massive estate is the three "car barns" - a low key name for a high key antique car show place. The three buildings and their contents are all built around a 1950/60's theme from the owners' teenage years. One building is an actual working garage, an exact replica of an old Mobile Oil gas station with a full-time mechanic, muscle cars, antique gas pumps and the famous Mobile Pegasus sign. The second car barn not only showcases glittering cars, but also has a full service 1950's Nana's Diner built to honor the memory of the diner where the owner took his girlfriend on dates, and who eventually became his wife. Decked out with neon signs and an antique Pepsi sign with grill and soda machine, counter stools seat ten. Also charming are the old downtown America storefronts including a grocery store, Rexall Drugs, Harley Davidson, tackle shop and more - also reminiscent of the shops in town where the couple dated. The third car palace is an even larger building that houses a collection of brilliantly colored muscle cars and flags of the owners' favorite cities and states that they visited.
Villa de Madre estate originally priced at $22 million, now priced at $18 million.
The Mackenzie-Childs Home
Some people say that the MacKenzie-Childs team is today's version of Tiffany's. Their imaginative decorating style for hand-crafted, one-of-a-kind furniture and home and garden decor has been popular with collectors since 1983. Forget looking for MacKenzie-Childs at Wal-Mart or Target. Think Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus or their stores on West 57th Street in Manhattan and Worth Avenue in Palm Beach.
The cheerful home that the artistic couple created in Upstate New York out of a dilapidated farmhouse is on the market at $975,000. This is the location where they started "Victoria and Richard MacKenzie-Childs" and raised their daughter. It is where they spent well over one million dollars on renovations, landscaping and decor over a period of 30 years. The interior houses a collection of their works and original furniture designs, which can be included in the sale.
The estate consists of a 1790's private residence with a total of seven bedrooms and six baths on 43 acres, carriage house with servant quarters, an artist studio, office and a retail gift shop. The main farmhouse was totally restored paying homage to the year of its birth from original paint colors to the dormers and pitch of the roof and hand-hewn ceiling beams that still show axe cuts from the home's original construction. The dining room is where the MacKenzie-Childs style is most evident with matching checkerboard ceiling, floor and furniture, elegant wallpaper and a beautiful fireplace. All throughout the house and other buildings and venues on the property, the unmistakable signature of these famous artists is on display.
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