We all know the market is certainly in bad shape, but sometimes it helps to put things into perspective to really look at the progression of a single property over time. Consisting of two combined waterfront lots and a sanctuary, the Waterfront Blossom Estate on Ocean Blvd. excellently portrays the evolution through time in the real estate market.
Standard Oil heir Charles W. Bingham first deeded the property to his daughters in 1919. In November 1942, the Bingham-Bolton-Blossom family extended a 99-year lease on the northern part of their property to the Audubon Society. Mary Blossom Lee acquired the property following her mother, Elizabeth Blossom’s death. Figulus, the main house, was placed in the National Register in 1972, but was demolished only two years later. A decade later, Lee’s heirs sold the property to developer Michael Burrows for only $5.8 million, who divided the entire estate into nine lots.
Reed Krakoff bought the lakefront acreage adjacent to the Audubon Society bird sanctuary for $9.4 million. As Executive Creative Director and President of Coach Inc., Krakoff retained architect Richared Meier to design a house for the South Ocean Boulevard property. With the deed filed Dec. 17, Krakoff has sold the vacant 5.98-acre parcel to attorney Ronald S. Kochman for $10.65 million.
Although it is difficult to measure the outright the changes in these prices as the acerage was dispersed, we can see the incredible difference in value, as the property sold to Meier was once listed for $19.75 million according to Palm Beach County Property Appraisers, yet it shows a current appraised value of only $10.7 million. While the dip in prices surely means trouble, those such as Krakoff on the selling side of the deal, would agree that Meier caught quite the bargain on this waterfront property.
Over a century ago, Chicago architects Daniel Burnham and John Root brought their vision of cloud-touching skyscrapers to San Francisco in the celebrated form of The Chronicle Building. Our extensive restoration brings back the splendor of that era, augmented with the casually elegant style of service and amenities that only The Ritz-Carlton can provide.
From the minute you step foot into your residence, your only mandate is to relax and enjoy yourself, while our attentive staff and 24-hour on-site Concierge handles any of your needs or wants.
Find yourself surrounded by everything the world loves about San Francisco just steps outside your door – the stylish shopping in Union Square, the bustling energy of Financial District, the charming cable cars and fine dining galore. The Ritz-Carlton Club, San Francisco is 20 minutes from the San Francisco International Airport, 30 minutes from Oakland International Airport, 25 minutes from Sausalito and Berkeley, and 1 hour from Napa and Sonoma.
For more information visit www.ritzcarltonclub.com
The house is beautifully situated on a shy 2-acre lot in Southampton Village’s estate section. This 7,000 sq. ft. home boasts 10 ft. ceilings on the first and vaulted ceilings on the second floor, large living room with fireplace and adjoining sunroom with fireplace, formal dining room, large gourmet eat in kitchen, den with fireplace, study, 6 en-suite bedrooms, including master with fireplace, sitting area and sunroom, 5 fireplaces in all, heated gunite pool/spa, pool/guest house, sunken tennis court, wine cellar, and 3-car attached garage. Located close to the ocean and village shops. Don’t miss this one of a kind stately property with meticulous landscaping.
Offered @ $9,950,000
Contact Tim Davis @ 631.283.7300 x 211 or tgdavis@corcoran.com. Or visit www.corcoran.com.
Things are clearly heating up between British funnyman Russell Brand and his new girlfriend, singer Katy Perry, as Brand purchased a four-story home in Los Angeles so the two of them will have a place to spend more time together.
Actor Russell Brand recently put his London apartment on the market which immediately sparked speculation that he may be heading to the States on a more permanent basis. Not long after his apartment was listed, Brand purchased a $3.5 million home situated in one of the most affluent areas of California for Perry.
The four-story luxurious home features four bedrooms, four bathrooms, an outdoor swimming pool, and sweeping views of downtown LA.
The couple met at September’s MTV Video Awards.
While many of us are dreaming of what changes we’d like to make in 2010, chef Norman van Aken is actually making his dreams a reality as the creator of New World cuisine gears up for some significant changes of his own. But first, let’s get to know the man underneath the chef’s hat a bit better.
Norman’s 180 restaurant is all about change. In September van Aken said he’s preparing to steer the ship away from Latin and Caribbean influences and heads towards a more Americana and global selection with dishes “like buttermilk friend chicken and pizza with fried green tomatoes.”
But before he expands upon his already incredible reputation, here are a few tid-bits you may or may not know about the renowned chef.
His most embarrassing cooking-related moment happened when he got a job at The Midget BBW in Key West in the early 1970s, where he admitted to the boss that he didn’t know how to cook anything other than breakfast yet. The boss said, “Don’t worry kid. You’re working the graveyard shift and those folks will be so [far gone] by the time they eat, they wont’ really care what you know how to cook.” Van Aken said “I was lower than low knowing how far I had go to go in the biz.”
Van Aken may be a master of his trade, but the one thing about the kitchen that still confounds him is microwaves. While many of us heavily relay on microwaves, van Aken clearly survives on hand crafted dishes rather than pre-heated leftovers.
When recently asked what food item he would like to come back as in his next life, van Aken said, “a million buttered strawberry pancakes served to all the kids in Florida who need a breakfast. It would be served near the field where we picked those berries in the morning and they could come cook with me and get that sense of the circle of life. Or an apple. To Eve. On a mirror.”
If he had a choice to serve a meal to any famous person, alive or dead, van Aken said it would be Mark Twain, and he would cook “Pork Havana, My Way.” Apart from his own successful restaurants, van Aken loves to go to Antojitos in Homestead, Miami for soups and pupusas.
Always thinking ahead, when asked “if you significant other gave you a pass, what celebrity chef would you most like to enjoy a naked cooking session with and why?” Van Aken respectfully responded, “No pass.”
When cooking, van Aken loves to listen to The Buena Vista Social Club series or a blues shuffle featuring Buddy Guy, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Albert Collins, John Lee Hooker, and Howlin’ Wolf.
And finally, van Aken’s favorite junk food item is a hot dog from Wrigley Field.
South Florida lawyer, Scott Rothstein, recently plead not guilty to charges alleging he ran a $1.2 billion fraud. The man who has quickly caught the attention of the public across the nation for his alleged crime had an incredible need to flaunt his wealth—now a collection of his prized gadgets are headed to auction.
Scott Rothstein’s collection of clocks, sports memorabilia, and other gadgets will be heading to auction on January 23, 2010. For the moment, none of his wrist watches have been listed for the auction, but there were a couple of watch-related items such as a Franck Muller Crazy Hours Dual Time wall clock, and a Cartier clock that are ready for bidding.
Las Vegas and Miami could both be classified as party cities, but the happening locales share more in common than just a reputation for debauchery. It seems their condo markets have shared similar paths as well. In Miami, the static cranes throughout downtown and Brickell certainly told a story of stalled development in 2009. But Las Vegas buyers share similar stories of depreciation as Miamians. Kathy Riggle told the Miami Herald that she bought a condo conversion for $180,000 during the boom, but has watched in disbelief as values have dropped by more than half. In her particular case, the unit, which is in foreclosure because she couldn’t collect enough rent to cover the mortgage, is valued at $49,000.
The Herald goes on to report, “Las Vegas analysts and builders blame South Florida developers, as well as other out-of-market players, for helping whip up the condo mania in the nation’s gambling mecca. During the boom, Miami development companies launched full-scale assaults on the Vegas market — complete with cocktail parties (hosted by gorgeous models) and million-dollar sales centers.
With predictions that the markets will be back on the rise soon, the race is now on to see which city will recover faster.
Via The Miami Herald
While some may have complained of the stagnant real estate market in 2009, not everything remained static in the housing industry. Though properties may not have moved with the speed that we would have liked, many brokers in Palm Beach used it as an opportunity to do some moving of their own. Mirsky Realty Group invited Heidi Cole into their ranks at the start of the year, making it the perfect time to rebrand as Mirsky Cole & Company. Sheri and Paul Reback have welcomed two Engel & Voelkers franchises into their family in the past year. Fite Shavell & Associates has grown to include 64 realtors, and Brown Harris Stevens also brought on new hires this month.
Though some may express surprise over such activity, we know that the markets have been experiencing quite a bit of positive movement recently. Our Haute Living Real Estate Network has taken off with record speed and as we reported last night, we have already accepted more than 29 exclusive members in just the past three weeks. Stay tuned to HauteLiving.com to find out which top brokers we will welcome into our elite circle next.
With just a little more than 24 hours left of 2009, there’s no time like the present to take a moment to look back at some of the year’s biggest dining surprises.
The Eater website has been examining the responses of several foodies, chefs, bloggers, and writers who were asked several questions pertaining to their opinion on certain food matters of 2009. We wanted to share a glimpse at what Eater found out in some of the responses when they were asked about the biggest dining surprise of the year in New York. Do you agree with the responses? Let us know what your biggest dining surprise was of 2009 below!
Andrew Knowlton, restaurant editor Bon Appetit: “The undeniable success of a joint like Marea; the sophomore slump that was John Dory; Joe Jr’s unfortunate demise; the underwhelming food—at least in Boulud terms—of DBGB; Momofuku going “Midtown;” Anthony Mangieri’s departure; octopus as de rigueur menu item; and my continued inability to convince otherwise food-savvy Manhattanites to venture out to M & T (Flushing), Roberta’s (Bushwick), Saraghina (Bed-Stuy), Tanoreen (Bay Ridge), and others.”
Danyelle Freeman, Restaurant Girl: “How awful the food was at The Monkey Bar.”
Bret Thorn, Nation’s Restaurant News: “David Burke Townhouse’s new chef, Sylvain Delpique.”
Gabriella Gershenson, Food Editor TONY: “The demise of New York classics like Chanterelle, Cafe des Artistes and Tavern on the Green.”
Ryan Patrick Sutton, restaurant critic Bloomberg: “The Brooklyn Star. It represents, along with Fatty Crab, the most viable alternative to Momofuku. (i.e. Slightly more refined versions of comfort food and junk food served as small plates in a stripped down setting).”
Kate Krader, restaurant editor Food & Wine: “Best pleasant surprise in 2009 economy – the packed dining room at Marea. Unpleasant surprise: closing of John Dory.”
Zach Brooks, mayor of Midtown: “Momofuku coming to *gasp* Midtown… with a $10 lunch menu!?!? (Pinch me)”
This stunning and newly built retreat is located on Heronvue Road in Greenwich, CT. Priced at $4,375,000, it is an absolute steal. It includes 6 bedrooms, 6.5 bathrooms, 10,700 square feet of living space, a front motor court, a massive stone fire place, a 4-car garage, and lots of space for a pool site. Located on a site overlooking shallows in the Byram River, this elegant but informal home is located in a private association that has a tennis court for the use of the residents. Additionally, it has a “green” irrigation system (rainwater is stored in 1,000 gallon cisterns located in vaults under the terraces), an exterior fireplace, outdoor shower, and landscape lighting.
Via: Homes of the Rich
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Los Angeles
Jan/Feb 2012
FASHION :: COUPLES’ RETREAT
COUPLES’ RETREAT
With the resort collections oozing throw back references, a high-society escape to the confines of a once-again-new Eden Roc Renaissance Miami Beach is the perfect scene of the crime for two couples to get caught up in the swing of things.
