Paul Allen’s Major League Atherton Estate Lists at $41 Million
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Paul Allen died almost exactly one year ago, leaving behind a vast and complex estate that “could take years to unravel,” per an extensively researched Fortune article.
Included among the Microsoft co-founder’s $26 billion worth of holdings were stakes in professional sports teams, two superyachts, a massive commercial real estate portfolio, several charity organizations, a space venture that built the globe’s largest aircraft, one of the world’s foremost private art collections, and a sanity-defying collection of outrageous personal residences that included no fewer than ten palatial homes scattered around the world.
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Over the weekend, one of Allen’s most recent additions to his residential real estate collection popped up for sale, fueling speculation that other homes may soon follow suit and satisfying those hungry for a glimpse into the private life of a famously reclusive man. Located on almost two flat acres in the prestigious Silicon Valley town of Atherton, Calif., the sprawling flag lot property is invisible from the streetfront, secreted behind a long gated driveway. The eye-popping asking price north of $41 million — $41.488, to be exact — makes it the most expensive Atherton home currently on the market, by far.
Built on speculation by Pacific Peninsula Group — Atherton’s most prolific developer of luxury homes — the megamansion-sized residence was completed in 2013. Allen coughed up exactly $27 million for the property in November of that year, right around the same time he opened a Palo Alto branch of his Vulcan Capital investment office with the goal of funding both emerging and public technology companies.
The Transitional-style structure spans more than 21,000 square feet, roughly ten times the size of an average American home. Clean-lined and contemporary on the inside, the three-level spread features a spacious movie theater, sunny breakfast room with walls of glassy windows, an open kitchen with dual marble-topped islands, library with fireplace, formal dining room with fireplace, and a double-height great room that overlooks the extensive backyard. An upstairs master suite contains a private sitting room and boutique-style dressing area/closet.
Park-like grounds include sprawling lawns, native grasses and rigidly manicured formal gardens. Redwoods and scads of other mature trees completely envelope the extra-private estate, while gurgling water features add to the tranquil atmosphere. Outdoor recreational amenities comprise a pool suitable for lap-lane swimming, poolside cabana with bathroom and changing facilities, patios for al fresco dining, and a sizable backyard fire feature. Around front, a large motorcourt can easily accommodate two dozen cars, and there are garage facilities for four luxury automobiles.
A $14+ million price jump in six years may seem an optimistic ask, but this place assuredly ranks among the grandest estates in the U.S.’s wealthiest zip code. Some of Allen’s neighbors include NBA superstar Steph Curry — who recently coughed up $31 million for his own spec-built Atherton house — Warriors owner Joe Lacob and Charles Schwab. Other folks within sugar-borrowing distance include Sergey Brin, Jan Koum, Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, Meg Whitman, Eric Schmidt and a slew of other foreign and local billionaires.
Allen’s other real estate holdings include — but are not limited to — a 50,000 sq. ft. mega-compound on Washington State’s Mercer Island, lavish residences in New York and London, a historic hilltop mansion in the South of France that was once leased to Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, and a palatial estate in the mountains above Beverly Hills that contains its own funicular and was the scene of Rock Hudson’s 1985 death from complications of AIDS.
Courtney Charney of Parc Agency Corporation holds the Atherton listing.
Launch Gallery: Paul Allen's Former Atherton Estate Listed at $41.5 Million
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