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    Celebrity Chef Charles Phan Relists His Live/Work Loft in San Francisco for $5.5 Million

    A little over three years after it first hit the market for $6.2 million, Charles Phan’s live-work space in the bustling Lower Pacific Heights neighborhood of San Francisco has popped up for sale once again. This time the award-winning chef and owner of The Slanted Door restaurant empire is seeking $5.5 million for the property that he and his wife Angkana Kurutach picked up for a smidge under $1.8 million in late 2005. The listing is held by Trecia Knapp of Sotheby’s International Realty–San Francisco Brokerage.

    Designed by noted Bay Area architect William Wurster and built way back in the early 1900s, the industrial-style structure extends from Wilmot to Bush streets, along Fillmore Street. With a total of 6,300 square feet over three levels, the building includes ground-floor restaurant space that’s currently leased for roughly $11,000 a month and a personal living space on the upper floors consisting of three bedrooms, four baths, and a roof deck providing city views.

    The double-height great room hosts a combined living and dining area, plus a Phan-designed kitchen.

    Open Homes Photography

    RELATED: A Prominent Restaurant Family’s Longtime Beverly Hills Home Hits the Market for $5.6 Million

    Mattina, a Cal-Italian restaurant and cafe operated by James Beard Award nominee Matthew Accarrino, occupies 2,640 square feet on the first floor, while the second floor hosts an attached one-car garage and an entrance to the living quarters that’s accessible from the rear of the property. From there, a wood staircase heads up to the third floor, where the 3,760-square-foot residential layout features updated interiors adorned throughout with light narrow-plank hardwood floors, soaring exposed concrete-beam ceilings, and several sizable skylights.

    The kitchen’s commercial-grade appliances are hidden away from public view.

    Open Homes Photography

    Especially standing out is a combined living and dining area that connects to a wraparound kitchen designed and built by Phan himself and outfitted with an expansive stone-topped island and commercial-grade appliances. Other highlights include a library/media room, as well as two guest bedrooms that each have their own loft space and share a bath, plus a spacious primary suite displaying a wall of steel-framed windows, a seating area, a walk-in closet, and a spa-inspired bath equipped with a dual vanities and a glass-encased shower.

    Topping it all off is a bonus room with a bath that opens via sliding glass doors to a large south-facing roof deck that’s ideal for al fresco lounging and entertaining.

    Vietnam-born Phan, 62, is a Food Network alum best known for founding his Slanted Door restaurant on San Francisco’s Valencia Street in 1995. He’s since opened several more establishments, with the most recent making their debut in the Napa Valley, where Phan has owned a home since the late ’90s, and internationally in Burgundy, France. The two-time James Beard Award-winning chef—widely acclaimed as the inventor of modern Vietnamese cuisine in America—also has penned the cookbooks Vietnamese Home Cooking and The Slanted Door: Modern Vietnamese Food.

    Click here for more photos of Charles Phan’s live-work loft.

    Open Homes Photography More

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    This $1.1 Million SoCal House Had a Starring Role in ‘Poltergeist’

    Almost five decades after it last sold to its current owners for a mere $143,500, an iconic supernatural horror film house in the Simi Valley suburb of Los Angeles has once again popped up for sale. But this time you’ll need a bit more cash to pick up the keys to the traditional Tudor-esque spread, which is now up for sale at $1.17 million. Per the listing held by Lauren Murdock of Equity Union Real Estate, the place is “ready to welcome a new family, without the ghostly antics.” She promises!

    Nestled on over a third of an acre of land, amid a sidewalk-lined street in the Forest Hills neighborhood (aka Cuesta Verde Estates), the property was built in the late 1970s and has been “well-loved by its original owners.” And though there’s probably not a 4-foot-3-inch medium named Tangina wandering the halls or any spooky stacked stairs in the kitchen, the creamy stucco and timber-framed structure still might look a tad familiar due to its starring role in Poltergeist, the movie that became a big hit way back in 1982 and has since morphed into a cult classic. On camera, the normal-looking suburban abode portrayed the residence of 5-year-old Carol Anne Freeling (the late Heather O’Rourke), who was pulled into the spirit realm by a malevolent force shortly after her family moved into their new dream home built atop an old cemetery.

    The family room is spotlighted by a brick wood-burning fireplace, a built-in workstation, and sliding glass doors opening to a covered patio.

    Shad Yassini/No.22 Media

    Described as having a “thoughtfully designed layout perfect for entertaining, relaxing, and living your best life,” the two-story dwelling features four bedrooms and three baths in a little more than 2,300 square feet of living space. Among the main-level highlights is a tiled entry foyer infused with “good energy,” which flows to a spacious living room sporting a bay window. The adjacent formal dining room connects to a breakfast nook that opens to a covered patio via sliding glass doors and an accompanying kitchen outfitted with light wood cabinetry and updated appliances.

    An obvious draw of the home is its large backyard, which hosts a pool and spa, a fire pit, and a gated space tucked off to the side for RV and boat parking.

    Shad Yassini/No.22 Media

    A fireside family room with a built-in office space, a laundry room, and a half-bath also can be found on the bottom floor, while an upstairs primary suite rests beneath a vaulted ceiling and boasts a spa-like bath equipped with dual vanities, a soaking tub, a separate shower, and a walk-in closet. Rounding out the Hollywood-themed offering is an attached three-car garage out front and a gated RV and boat parking area off to the side, plus an “enormous” backyard hosting a fire pit, a spa, and a large swimming pool (sans those pesky skeletons, of course).

    Click here for more photos of the “Poltergeist” house.

    Shad Yassini/No.22 Media More

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    This 1920s Los Angeles Estate Was Once Home to Ava Gardner and Laurence Olivier

    Nothing says old Hollywood glamour like a celebrity-connected estate in Los Angeles. Originally built in 1927, this Spanish-style pad in the Hollywood Hills has housed a slew of stars in its nearly century-long history including Oscar-nominated actress Ava Gardner and cinema legend Laurence Olivier. Fun fact: It’s also the former residence of English comedian Stan Laurel. On the market with Hilton & Hyland and Forbes Global Properties, 3351 N Knoll Drive is currently listed as a rental asking a cool $18,500 a month. 

    Designed by Franz Herding, the hillside oasis has five bedrooms and six bathrooms across a spacious 5,839 square feet. The Swiss-born architect moved to Los Angeles in 1923 where he became the city planning engineer before he died in 1968. According to the Pacific Coast Architecture Database (PCAD), Herding and his family actually lived next door at 3355 N Knoll Drive. 

    The living room features a fireplace, arched display niches, and a leafy view into the surrounding treetops.

    Alexandre Anu and Dag Eliason

    Given its location in the Hollywood Knolls neighborhood near Lake Hollywood, the boundaries between indoors and outdoors are intentionally blurred, so you never feel too far from the natural surroundings . A broad, curvilinear terrace along the back of the house offers 180-degree views over the neighborhood and below, the terraced gardens include hedge-lined walking paths and steps that lead down to a small stretch of grass.

    RELATED: Mae West’s Former L.A. Hideaway Can Be Yours for $6 Million

    The multi-story abode is loaded with swoon-worthy period details including a speakeasy butler’s bar with a wine cellar. Elsewhere, you’ll find traditional Spanish elements such as wood-beamed ceilings, polished hardwood floors, casement picture windows, and terracotta tile accents. The fireside living room is bright and airy with a leafy view, while the formal dining room opens onto the expansive elevated terrace and provides even more incentive to hang outdoors. Upstairs, the primary suite is kitted out with a massive walk-in closet, more beamed ceilings, a sitting area, and a private terrace.  

    The spacious primary suite includes indoor-outdoor sitting areas.

    Alexandre Anu and Dag Eliason

    The Hollywood Hills has long been a sought-after locale for celebrities. Beloved for its hill-hugging homes, epic vistas, and rolling landscape, it continues to draw hordes of A-listers to its narrow, winding street. English comedian and Get Him To the Greek actor Russell Brand is currently selling his home in the Outpost Estates area—interestingly, he once owned a castle-like home that previously belonged to Olivier—and, in the same area, the home where Lord of the Rings star Orlando Bloom once resided recently hit the market for $5 million. 

    Click here to see more photos of 3351 N Knoll Drive. 

    Alexandre Anu and Dag Eliason

    Authors

    Abby Montanez

    Abigail Montanez is a staff writer at Robb Report. She has worked in both print and digital publishing for over half a decade, covering everything from real estate, entertainment, dining, travel to…

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    Clint Eastwood’s Onetime Seaside Retreat in California Is Up for Grabs at $21 Million

    Back in the early 1950s, after he was drafted into the U.S. Army and stationed at Central California‘s Fort Ord overlooking the picturesque Monterey Bay, Clint Eastwood would often find himself visiting the small beach city of Carmel-by-the-Sea, even partaking in his first legal beer at the historic Mission Ranch. The San Francisco native inevitably wound up falling in love with the charming coastal area, telling a local magazine in a Q&A interview shortly before his 94th birthday in May that he “always felt it was a place I’d like to come back to, a place to call home.”

    And call the place home he did, making a big mark along the way. The now legendary and still-working actor, producer, director, and composer of more than 100 films and TV shows—among them, the award-winning movies Gran Torino, Unforgiven, and Million Dollar Baby—not only starred in and made his directorial debut with 1971’s Play Misty for Me, but he also served a two-year stint as mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea in the late ’80s and named his Malpaso production company after a local creek.

    He still lives in the area at Tehàma, an exclusive 2,000-acre private residential enclave in the hills of Carmel that he himself founded. However, Eastwood at one time resided in an eye-catching spread in the heart of the quaint oceanfront village down below, just one street up from Carmel Beach. It’s this seaside retreat that has popped up for sale at $21 million for the first time in almost three decades, complete with enchanting vistas of the scenic coastline that are sure to make your day!

    The charming Spanish Revival-style home is fronted by an enclosed courtyard warmed by a fire pit.

    Sherman Chu/courtesy of Tim Allen Properties Team

    “Many long-standing residents in the region have an affinity for the history of this property,” says listing agent Tim Allen of the Tim Allen Properties Team at Coldwell Banker Realty. “The warm and inviting spaces, both inside and outside, take you back in time and are reflective of Carmel’s old-world style and beauty. This private oasis is truly a special property not only because of its history but also for its exquisiteness and privacy.”

    Per The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the sale, retired investor Frederick O’Such and his late wife Joanne paid an Eastwood-linked trust around $2.25 million in the late ’90s for the gated property, which rests on just over a quarter-acre of land and boasts four bedrooms and five baths in 4,400-plus square feet of three-level living space accented throughout with mahogany details, custom built-ins, cherry wood floors, vaulted wood-beamed ceilings, and plaster walls. There’s also a detached two-car garage.

    A decorative fireplace, built-in cabinetry, and picture window adorn the formal dining room.

    Sherman Chu/courtesy of Tim Allen Properties Team

    Built exactly a century ago in 1924, but given an extensive two-year, $2.5 million rebuild and remodel during O’Such’s tenure, the Carmel stone and terracotta-roof structure is known as Las Ondas and features an enclosed entry courtyard donning a fire pit, several ocean-view decks, and a gated walkway that leads down to the beach.

    Other highlights include formal living and dining rooms, each with their own fireplace, as well as a media room, a climate-controlled wine room, and two laundry rooms. The Craftsman-style kitchen is outfitted with wood and tile countertops, a painted tin ceiling, Thermador and Sub-Zero appliances, built-in seating, and a walk-in pantry, while a duo of luxe primary suites includes one with a fireside seating area that opens to a private balcony and a bath sporting dual vanities, a steam shower, and a vintage clawfoot soaking tub.

    According to WSJ, O’Such is selling because he is ready to move on after the death of his most recent spouse Nancy Fuhrman, who passed away a few months ago. “This has been a lovely house for me with both of [my wives],” said O’Such, who is planning to relocate to a cottage at a nearby retirement community upon the sale of the property. “It is time for the next owner to enjoy this historic home and share it with their friends and family for years to come.”

    Click here for more photos of Clint Eastwood’s house.

    Sherman Chu/courtesy of Tim Allen Properties Team More

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    Ellen DeGeneres Sells Her $96 Million SoCal Compound to a Billionaire Mining Magnate

    Santa Barbara’s most notorious house flipper is at it again! Barely two years after Ellen DeGeneres dropped $70 million on two side-by-side properties in the exclusive seaside enclave of Carpinteria, the former talk show host and her wife Portia de Rossi have already sold the neighboring parcels of land, which rest atop a bluff overlooking the Pacific. As first reported by The Wall Street Journal, the clandestine off-market deal was inked for a whopping $96 million.

    Records reveal the buyer is billionaire mining tycoon Robert Friedland—chairman of Ivanhoe Mines and a business mentor of the late Steve Jobs—who is widely reported to have an estimated net worth topping $3 billion. Avid real estate watchers will recall that this isn’t the first transaction in the Santa Barbara area between DeGeneres and Friedland. Earlier this year Friedland and his longtime wife Darlene paid DeGeneres and de Rossi a lofty $32 million for a rebuilt 1919 estate in Montecito known as Pompeiian Court, only to repurchase the 8-acre spread a few short months later for the same exact amount.

    When DeGeneres and de Rossi paid retired hedge-fund manager and billionaire Bruce Kovner a speck under $70 million for the two neighboring parcels of land in Carpinteria in 2022, they doled out $41.7 million for a Tuscan farmhouse-style mansion set on 3.4 acres and concurrently paid another $28.2 million for the mostly vacant 6.6-acre plot of land right next door, which presently contains a small lake and vast lawns. Together, the two parcels create a 10-acre, fully contiguous compound with a private pathway leading to the beach below.

    The blufftop estate’s 9,000-square-foot home sits amid 10 acres of manicured landscaping.

    Apple Maps

    Though Friedland’s new Carpinteria complex makes quite an impressive estate, it’s actually less than half of the original 22-acre compound that was parceled together by Kovner and his spouse Suzie beginning in 2007. According to WSJ, Kovner cobbled together the massive site over several years, spending around $110 million to buy up adjoining properties as they became available.

    After securing the land, it took another several years to obtain permission to build and complete the private compound, which came to be known as Sanctuary at Loon Point. The construction and other improvements cost an estimated $50 million, per Kovner himself, and when completed, the vast estate comprised two custom homes, each on their own parcels, plus three additional landscaped lots connected by a private, gated road with a guard house. Before DeGeneres and de Rossi bought the portion they just sold to Friedland, the Kovners’ entire spread was put up for sale in 2021 at a hefty $160 million. The remaining home and two additional parcels still owned by the Kovners are currently up for grabs at $75 million.

    Friedland’s new compound boasts a five-bedroom, eight-bath home with just over 9,000 square feet of living space on three levels. The beige-hued and terracotta-roof structure is adorned throughout with high exposed wood-beam ceilings, hardwood floors, stone archways, and marble accents. There’s also a one-bedroom, one-bath guesthouse and an attached three-car garage flanked by a cobblestone motorcourt.

    Especially standing out on the main level is a striking great room displaying a massive antique fireplace, along with a family room and dining area that connect to a gourmet kitchen outfitted with professional-grade appliances, a center island, and a duo of butler pantries. Five en-suite bedrooms can be found upstairs, including a primary suite that comes complete with a spa-equipped terrace and dual walk-in closets and baths; and the lower level has a wine cellar and a movie theater with reclining leather seats.

    Laced with olive trees, the picturesque grounds host a marble mosaic pool, two spas, an outdoor kitchen, several fireside lounge areas, raised herb and vegetable gardens, and numerous spots ideal for al fresco lounging and entertaining. A private beach area atop the bluff also has a fire pit, tiki torches, an antique row boat, and a large stone dining table with a custom umbrella wired for phone and Internet access.

    In addition to his Santa Barbara-area properties—which also includes an oceanfront estate in Carpinteria that he paid TELUS president and CEO Darren Entwistle just under $47 million for this past February—Friedland also owns two side-by-side Beverly Hills estates, plus Zsa Zsa Gabor’s former Bel Air property, a luxury flat in Singapore, and an oceanfront home in Thailand. As for DeGeneres and de Rossi, they still have multiple properties in the Santa Barbara area, including several homes scattered around Montecito. More

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    The Co-Founder of Woodstock Just Listed His Longtime Hudson Valley Home for $2.4 Million

    Move over, Graceland. This newly listed Hudson Valley compound was the longtime home of the co-creator of Woodstock, Michael Lang. 

    Listed for $2.4 million with Chris Pomeroy and Nancy Felcetto of Brown Harris Stevens, the music industry icon snapped up the property in Mount Tremper, New York, some 45 years ago before he passed away in 2022 at the age of 77. The 17-acre estate, dubbed Happy Brooks and about 40 miles from where the legendary music festival was held, was built out between 1929 and 1933 for artist G. Adolph Anderson. Architect A.M. Bedell was tapped for the design, which includes three stately stone structures: a main house, a two-bedroom guesthouse, and a separate cottage.

    RELATED: A Charming French-Style Chateau in New York’s Hudson Valley Hits the Market for $12.3 Million

    The double-height great room inside the main house.

    Jonathan Simons -HudsonHomeTours.com

    “There have always been musicians and painters and sculptors and writers that have either lived there or stayed there or created there,” Pomeroy told Mansion Global. The bucolic spread, now being offered up by Lang’s family, comprises park-like grounds complete with wildflower fields, a large pond with an art island, an oval cement swimming pool, and a three-stall barn. 

    “Once you cross the gate, you’re in a very private world of your own,” Pomeroy added. The four-bed main pad is entered via a double-height great room. This wing of the abode also holds an office, an upper-level bedroom, and a library. Elsewhere, a central foyer opens up to a formal dining room overlooking the mountains and a county kitchen equipped with a breakfast area, a wood stove, and a built-in bread oven. Additional highlights include a reading room with stained glass windows and a dramatic conservatory with a soaring 24-foot glass ceiling. 

    RELATED: Inside a Renovated 158-Year-Old Farmhouse Nestled Within Hudson Valley

    The primary suite features wood paneling and a wooded view.

    Jonathan Simons -HudsonHomeTours.com

    Across the way, you’ll find the guest house, decked out with an oversized living room, a dining area, a kitchen, and a den sporting a large bluestone fireplace. The latter is also decorated with “a striking built-in collection of Fu dogs and woodcarvings on gilded plaques collected from [Lang’s] travels.” 

    The famous Woodstock Music and Art Fair was originally held on a farm in Bethel, New York from August 15-18, 1969. Lang, a 24-year-old concert promoter at the time, relocated the festival to Woodstock, where he joined forces with Artie Kornfeld, Joel Rosenman, and John Roberts. Today, the event is gearing up to celebrate its 55th anniversary.

    Click here to see more photos of Happy Brooks.  

    Jonathan Simons -HudsonHomeTours.com

    Authors

    Abby Montanez

    Abigail Montanez is a staff writer at Robb Report. She has worked in both print and digital publishing for over half a decade, covering everything from real estate, entertainment, dining, travel to…

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    A Musical Family’s SoCal Estate Spins on the Market for $6 Million

    Several years ago, smooth jazz saxophonist Warren Hill and his record producer wife Tamara Van Cleef picked up a home in the Agoura Hills suburb of Los Angeles, decking out the place from head to toe with glitzy amenities and even spawning a Top 10, Season 15 American Idol finalist during their tenure in the form of their pop singer daughter Olivia Rox. Now the music-oriented couple has decided to move on from their obviously cherished Tudor-style digs, asking a slight beat under $6 million.

    Originally built in the mid-1980s and described in the listing held by Alessandro Corona and Brandon Doolittle of Douglas Elliman as a harmonious blend of “British Rock Star grandeur and comfortable elegance,” the aptly nicknamed Kind of Blue Manor features seven bedrooms and five baths in a little more than 7,000 square feet of multi-level living space.

    A cozy sitting area is equipped with a seated bar and a wall of guitars.

    Andrew Orozco

    RELATED: ‘House of Cards’ Composer Jeff Beal Lists SoCal Estate for $4 Million

    Sited amid a woodsy parcel of land spanning just over an acre, within the gated Medea Valley Estates community, the striking blue brick and shingle-roof structure is fronted by a circular driveway that empties out at a four-car garage tucked off to the side. A walkway leads up to ornate wood and glass doors, which open into a double-height foyer displaying polished marble floors and a waterfall crystal chandelier dangling from a coffered wood ceiling.

    From there, the entry level features a combination living and dining area sporting a massive stone fireplace, a hand-polished rock crystal chandelier, and French doors leading outside, plus an updated kitchen outfitted with custom cabinetry, granite countertops, a center island, top-tier Bosch, Thermador and Sub-Zero appliances, a wine fridge, and an accompanying Moroccan-style breakfast nook. The first of two primary suites on this floor has a bath equipped with a spa tub, an oversized shower, and a large walk-in closet.

    A crimson library is complete with glossy black bookshelves.

    Andrew Orozco

    In addition to a formal dining room, two guest bedrooms, and a full bath, the main level offers a fireside sitting room flaunting a lofty lounge area, a full seated bar bar, a space with arcade games, and a movie theater. A second primary suite and an optional recording studio can be found upstairs, while the finished basement hosts a billiards room, a 350-bottle wine cellar, and a red-hued library lined with glossy black bookshelves.

    Topping it all off are the resort-like grounds, which overlook the Santa Monica Mountains and hold four covered cabanas, fire pits, custom fountains, an al fresco kitchen and bar setup, a saltwater pool with a waterfall and spa, a sports court, and an outdoor shower and infrared sauna nestled alongside a citrus grove. The property also abuts the Paramount Ranch recreation area, which is ideal for hiking, biking, and horseback riding.

    Click here for more photos of Kind of Blue Manor.

    Andrew Orozco More

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    Billionaire Steve Schwarzman Is Turning One of His Mansions Into a Private Museum

    Billionaire Steve Schwarzman is unlocking the ornate, wrought-iron gates to his Neoclassical mansion in Newport, Rhode Island.

    The Blackstone CEO, who currently ranks as the 30th richest man in the world with an estimated net worth of $43.9 billion, says he and his wife plan to open Miramar estate to the public following their deaths. “Christine and I intend to set Miramar up as a private museum at the time of our deaths for the benefit of the public in perpetuity,” he told Town & Country. “We are honored to have been able to do this for the community and contribute to Newport’s historic preservation.”

    Located on tony Bellevue Avenue, Miramar represents all the glitz and glamor of the Gilded Age. Philadelphia architect Horace Trumbauer originally designed the extravagant abode for streetcar magnate George Dunton Widener and his wife, Eleanor in the early 1990s. George sadly died aboard RMS Titanic in 1912, before the home was completed in 1915. Eleanor later moved into Miramar with her second husband Alexander Hamilton Rice, Jr., and the couple lived there till the 1950s. The storied property changed hands a few times before former Goldman Sachs banker David B. Ford snapped it up for a record $17.15 million in 2006.

    A view of the Miramar mansion in 1917.

    Heritage Images

    The Schwarzmans bought Miramar for $27 million in September 2021 in a deal brokered by Gustave White Sotheby’s agent David Huberman. The couple then treated the century-old pad to a meticulous, three-year renovation to restore it to its former glory. They have carefully curated period-correct art, such as paintings and portraits by Jean-Honoré Fragonard, John Singer Sargent, Vigée Le Brun, and Peter Lely. They have also sourced the finest antique furniture and decor. “In the great tradition of the Gilded Age of Newport and the Gilded Age of New York, they are really taking this seriously and trying to get the very best objects they can find to make this house sing,” Ian Wardropper, director of the Frick Collection in New York, told the magazine.

    An interior view of Miramar mansion in 1917.

    Heritage Images

    Miramar and the rarities within will eventually be on show for all to appreciate. The museum, one of Schwarzman’s many philanthropic endeavors, will be run by a private foundation, with an endowment covering operation and upkeep costs.

    An interior view of Miramar mansion in 1917.

    Heritage Images

    Miramar isn’t the only historic Newport mansion open to the public—Marble House and the Breakers also offer tours—but the city sounds as if it is ready to welcome another landmark. “Steve and Christine clearly have a love of preservation and that is a trait the people in this community share,” Trudy Coxe, CEO of the Preservation Society of Newport County, told Town & Country. “They know the value of our history and have amassed a remarkable, culturally significant collection. What is even more impressive is that the collection is housed at Miramar, an exceptional example of architecture that could be a museum in its own right.”

    Authors

    Rachel Cormack
    Digital Editor

    Rachel Cormack is a digital editor at Robb Report. She cut her teeth writing for HuffPost, Concrete Playground, and several other online publications in Australia, before moving to New York at the…

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