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Luxury Real Estate News and Information - Christie's International Real Estate

Friday, July 12, 2013

Spanish Estate, Offered at Us $53 Million, Features 180-Degree Vistas of Los Angeles Basin

Hacienda de la Paz is the only home in the Americas to have been designed by famous Spanish architect Manzano


LOS ANGELES, CA Hacienda de la Paz, an eight-acre, amenity-rich residence in Greater Los Angeles’ Rolling Hills enclave, is now being exclusively marketed by Christie’s International Real Estate, the world’s leading luxury real estate network.  Offered at US$53 million by Christie’s International Real Estate affiliate Hilton & Hyland, the property, influenced by Spanish architecture and design, is perched atop the crest of Southern California’s Palos Verdes Peninsula and features unparalleled, panoramic views of the Los Angeles Basin, San Gabriel Mountains and Santa Monica Bay.
Entry through the estate’s gated front courtyard reveals its hidden grandeur.  The interior measures nearly 50,000 square feet under roof, complemented by sprawling grounds. The construction of Hacienda de la Paz—completed in 2008—included the installation of materials imported from Spain, Portugal and Italy. And as a testament to the exacting standards of its owner, the very workers and craftsmen who painted the murals and frescoes, inlaid the tile work and installed elaborate ceilings, fireplaces, floors, and carpets, were also brought from the European countries to guarantee authentic efforts. Additionally involved in the home's development was Raphael Manzano Martos, a renowned curator for King Juan Carlos of Spain. Adding to its unmistakable draw, Hacienda de la Paz is the only home in the Americas to have been designed by Manzano, who is noted throughout Spain and the Middle East for his hotels, commercial buildings and homes.
The property is shrouded in Mediterranean herbs as well as the traditional trees and flowers of Moorish gardens, reminiscent of an early 1900’s Andalusia country estate. In traditional Spanish style, the main house is flanked by attached “stables” -- reconfigured as guest quarters.  Amenities include a private chapel, custom-forged door and window fixtures, and tile roofing created by the same artisans who have restored the roofs of the California missions. Much of the home’s flooring is comprised of rare, reclaimed heart-pine wood – nearly 300 years in age. The nine-bedroom main residence is also notable for its stately library/office, media room, traditional kitchen, game room and bar. Other iconic, Spanish-inspired amenities include a full-size, 10,000-sqaure-foot Moroccan-style Turkish bath, or hammam, with a cobalt-blue lap pool at its center, accented with 24-karat gold tiles, fountains and imported columns and corbels.
“One of the largest residences in the Western United States, Hacienda de la Paz is remarkable not only in its grandeur but also in its privacy and relative seclusion in the heart of greater Los Angeles,“ said Zackary Wright, Senior Vice President of Christie’s International Real  Estate.  “Imagine being able to look directly out over the city of Los Angeles yet be comfortably removed from the flurry of activity.”
“Never in my career in the Los Angeles luxury real estate market have I seen a property quite like Hacienda de la Paz,” said Marcie Hartley, the listing agent with Christie’s International Real Estate’s exclusive affiliate, Hilton & Highland.  “This amazing, meticulously designed residence is surely L.A.’s best-kept secret.”
In addition to a red-clay tennis court on the grounds -- built to French Open specifications, --Hacienda de la Paz has orchards, a wine cellar, two elevators and 24-hour security. All buildings on the property have been structurally engineered to counteract seismic activity, and the walls are braced with steel beams. As a breathtaking finishing touch, Hacienda de la Paz also has a subterranean ballroom that doubles as a USTA regulation tennis court and emergency shelter. Five stories high and capable of seating 350 guests, the vast room has been decorated with floor-to-ceiling trompe l’oeil murals.

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Spending on Lanai Airport upgrades nears $28M


Reporter-Pacific Business News

Lanai majority owner Larry Ellison is getting quite a bit of help from the state and federal government to the tune of nearly $28 million for improvements to Lanai Airport, the sole airport on the Pineapple Island.
The state-owned airport is part of the 2 percent of the island that the billionaire CEO of Oracle Corp. doesn’t own.
The airport, which has a 5,000-foot-long runway, about 1,900 feet shorter than Kahului Airport on Maui, is scheduled to undergo $27 million in runway safety improvements.
Caroline Sluyter, spokeswoman for the state Department of Transportation, told PBN that 90 percent of the $27 million is coming from federal funding.
The state has prepared, under the National Environmental Policy Act, a draft environmental assessment for the safety improvements.
Additionally, the state, with some help from the Federal Aviation Administration, is spending $900,000 for improvements to Lanai Airport, including a renovation of the terminal and an update to the airport’s master plan and noise program.
Meantime, Ellison’s Lanai Resorts LLC is currently in discussions with the state DOT regarding numerous improvements at Lanai Airport, Sluyter told PBN.
She pointed out that details of these improvements aren’t available at this time.
Ellison, who purchased 98 percent of Lanai about a year ago for a reportedly $300 million, has made known, through Lanai Resorts, that access to the island is a key issue that will be addressed.
Major steps in this initiative include acquiring Island Air in February and also buying another interisland airline — go! — which is expected to be officially announced on Friday.