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      Michael Jordan Finally Has a Buyer for His $14.9 Million Mega-Mansion Outside Chicago

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      After a little more than a dozen years and a couple of substantial price chops, former Chicago Bulls superstar Michael Jordan has officially landed a contract for a sprawling mega-mansion he owns in the Highland Park suburb of Chicago, about 2 miles west of Lake Michigan. Originally listed for $29 million back in 2012, the home has languished on the market for the past few years at a speck under $14.9 million.

      What the ultimate sale price will be and other details “will depend on what happens in the next 20 to 30 days,” per Crain’s Chicago Business. The magazine added that the buyer is an end-user rather than a developer and the timing of the contract, which came less than two weeks after the long-unsold estate was featured in The Wall Street Journal, is a coincidence.

      Custom-built for Jordan and his then-wife Juanita Vanoy in the mid-1990s amid a 7.4-acre parcel the couple purchased a few years earlier for $2 million, the massive contemporary home is tucked away behind iron gates emblazoned with “23,” the jersey number he wore while playing for the Bulls. The two-level structure offers a total of nine bedrooms and 19 baths in a whopping 56,000 square feet of living space, which makes it slightly larger than the White House.

      Highlights of the extremely personalized home, which was last renovated in 2009 and has sat unoccupied for years, include five fireplaces, an office space, a dining area flanked by a massive aquarium, a library with a drop-down movie screen, a cigar room with poker tables, and a fully equipped gym. There’s also a regulation-sized basketball court with MJ’s famous Air Jordan logo in the center, plus a set of doors culled from the original Playboy mansion in Chicago.

      Equally impressive are the grounds, which hold a circular infinity pool with a grassy island, a putting green, and a tennis court, as well as a separate three-bedroom residence for guests or staff and an attached garage with room for up to 14 vehicles.

      Jordan spent 13 seasons with the Bulls from 1984 to 1998, minus a season when he left to play minor league baseball, and led Chicago to six NBA titles. After announcing his retirement in 1998, he returned in 2001 to play two seasons with the Washington Wizards and then retired permanently in 2003. He went on to purchase a majority ownership stake in the Charlotte Bobcats, now the Hornets, before selling to a group led by Gabe Plotkin and Rick Schnall last summer for approximately $3 billion, and he currently co-owns the NASCAR team 23XI Racing with three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin.

      The Hall of Famer, who has an estimated net worth of around $3 billion, has been married to his Cuban-American model wife Yvette Prieto for 11 years and they reportedly maintain residences in Jupiter, Florida, where they recently shelled out $16.5 million for a second mansion in the Bear’s Club enclave, as well as in Utah and on the shore of North Carolina’s Lake Norman. More

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      Late Photographer Melvin Sokolsky’s Beverly Hills Home Hits the Market for $7 Million

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      What do Mia Farrow, Natalie Wood, Twiggy and Ricardo Montalbán’s iconic “Corinthian leather” ads for Chrysler in the 1970s have in common? Melvin Sokolsky, the late, great and wildly imaginative surrealist fashion photographer and acclaimed TV commercial director who not only made portraits of some of Hollywood’s biggest stars and created innovative fashion shoots for Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue and The New York Times, but hoovered up 25 Clio Awards for his many advertising gigs along the way.

      Sokolsky was prized for bringing a surrealist approach to his fashion photographs.

      Melvin Sokolsky©

      RELATED: This One-Time Hollywood Hills Home of Celebrity Photographer Herb Ritts Can Be Yours

      In the 1970s, the native New Yorker was based on the West Coast where he acquired a secluded English Country-style cottage in the foothills of Benedict Canyon in Beverly Hills. Now, two years after his death at the age of 88, his beloved private sanctuary is being sold by his son Bing Sokolsky for just under $7 million. The boomerang-shaped hillside home, originally built in 1939 and designed by artist and architect Frederic Barienbrock for a silent screen actress, according to marketing material, is listed with Susan Andrews and Martin Withrow of Compass.

      A quick one-mile hop from The Beverly Hills Hotel and tucked into the southern shadow of Michael Ovitz’s avant garde mansion, the self-taught snapper’s residence is hidden behind iron gates at the end of a sleepy cul-de-sac. Far less theatrical than some of his more memorable fashion shoots, such as those in which models appear suspended above Paris in translucent spheres, the home is imbued with a relaxed traditional style. 

      The wood-paneled study has a contemporary stone fireplace and access to a wraparound terrace.

      Shad Yassini / No22 Media

      There are, however, many elements throughout the five-bedroom and three-and-a-half-bath home’s 3,400 square feet that speak to Sokolsky’s expansive imagination. Among them are a ceiling painted like a lightly cloudy sky in the foyer and a mural-lined powder room inspired by Edgar Degas. 

      The living room has a baronial stone fireplace and built-in bookshelves; the dining room has a stunning view of the Century City skyline poking above the treetops; and the kitchen sports rustic wood counters and commercial-grade appliances. Like the living room, a cozy, wood-paneled study with a fireplace opens to a covered terrace that runs along the back of the house with sunrise to sunset vistas.

      Mullioned windows frame panoramic skyline views from almost every room in the 1930s residence.

      Shad Yassini / No22 Media

      RELATED: This $5 Million L.A. Home Epitomizes Midcentury-Modern Design and California Cool

      Bedrooms are tucked down onto the lower level. There are two small bedrooms and a shared bath accessible by their own staircase just off the kitchen, while another staircase leads from the foyer down to an ample pair of en suite bedrooms that flank a library that’s convertible to another bedroom. The larger bedroom suite, the primary, includes a spacious modern bath and a huge walk-in closet, plus a separate dressing room. 

      The two larger bedrooms spill onto a large brick terrace, and the 18,000-square-foot hillside parcel also includes a sunny lower terrace with an elegant, though not currently filled, oval swimming pool.

      Click here for more photos of the Beverly Hills Home.

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      Floyd Mayweather Just Put His Knockout Beverly Hills Mansion on the Market for $48 Million

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      After seven years of ownership, Floyd Mayweather Jr. has decided to return his lavish mansion tucked into the heart of Beverly Hills back to the market. The ask is an impressive $48 million, which is a whopping $22.5 million more than the former pro boxer and current exhibition fighter originally paid for the French Modern-style spread.

      Records show Mayweather doled out $25.5 million in cash for the property back in 2017, shortly before he retired. Sited behind high hedges and iron gates on a half-acre parcel that’s next door to the Beverly Hills Hotel, the all-white structure was built on spec by Los Angeles-based real estate developer Nile Niami, who picked up the 1990s home that previously stood on the property in 2014 for $16.5 million from Marianne Metropoulos, wife of billionaire businessman C. Dean Metropoulos. 

      A cocktail bar and glass-encased wine display are just some of the home’s numerous amenities.

      Jim Bartsch

      A snazzy marble-clad foyer boasting a dangling chandelier hanging from a coffered ceiling introduces the residence, which contains a total of six bedrooms and 10 baths spread across more than 15,000 square feet. Glitzy amenities include a handsome wood-paneled library and a cocktail bar flanked by a glass-encased wine display, plus a separate guesthouse that comes with a movie theater, a Miele-equipped concession stand, a gym, staff quarters, and a four-car garage.

      Among the other standout features is a living room sporting a decorative fireplace surrounded by a mirrored accent wall and 10 sets of French doors spilling outside, as well as a formal dining room and a sleekly designed kitchen outfitted with an eat-in island and an accompanying breakfast nook. A plush primary suite flaunts a private terrace and dual walk-in closets and baths, while the resort-like grounds are spotlighted by a pool and spa sitting amid a black-and-white striped sundeck.

      A fireside living room has dark herringbone-patterned wood floors and 10 sets of French doors.

      Jim Bartsch

      In addition to his Beverly Hills home, which is listed by Josh Altman and Matt Altman of Douglas Elliman, the 47-year-old Michigan native—who is estimated to have brought in more than $1 billion in total earnings during his boxing career—still owns a $10 million mansion in Las Vegas and a Miami Beach compound he acquired in 2021 for $18 million.

      Click here for more photos of Floyd Mayweather’s Beverly Hills mansion.

      Jim Bartsch More

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      Kenny Rogers’s Chateau-Style Mansion in Georgia Is Up for Grabs at $2.5 Million

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      A little over four years after his death from natural causes at age 81, Kenny Rogers’s final homestead is newly available. As first reported by The Wall Street Journal, the Grammy-winning country singer moved into the property in the Atlanta suburb of Sandy Springs shortly before he passed away in March 2020 to be closer to his medical team. Now the opulent French Country-style residence is up for sale, asking a dash under $2.5 million. The listing is held by Thom McCorkle of Ansley Real Estate Christie’s International.

      The stucco and stone-accented home clocks in at nearly 6,000 square feet.

      Bartolotti Media

      Records show Rogers’s widow Wanda Rogers-Webb purchased the property in October 2019 for $1.7 million and subsequently renovated the premises, which included adding a custom-built elevator to help the ailing musician better navigate the multi-story house. The six-bedroom, six-bath home rests amid a cul-de-sac parcel spanning over half an acre and is fronted by a tiered fountain surrounded by manicured boxwood hedges. Steps lead up to double front doors, which open into almost 6,000 square feet of living space.

      A grand double-height entry foyer displaying marble floors and a curving staircase flows to a turreted office space where Rogers conducted business and kept many of his music awards. Other highlights include formal living and dining rooms, as well as a gourmet kitchen boasting an eat-in island, high-end stainless appliances, a butler’s pantry with a wine fridge, and a window-lined breakfast nook.

      The singer kept many of his music awards in a turreted office space next to the foyer.

      Bartolotti Media

      Elsewhere is a fireside family room, plus a lavish primary suite that comes complete with a private balcony and a luxe bath sporting a wet bar, dual vanities, and a lavish built-in soaking tub. A lower-level entertainment area has a movie theater, a climate-controlled wine cellar, and a game room with a kitchenette and a seated bar, while the private backyard hosts a covered loggia overlooking a waterfall-fed pool and spa. There’s also a three-car garage.

      Per WSJ, Rogers’s widow is selling because she has remarried and is relocating. “This home, sadly, was our last home with Kenny,” said Rogers-Webb, who was married to the singer for more than 20 years. “To make the decision to move was a little bittersweet for me and the boys.”

      During his decades-long career, the Texas native sold more than 100 records. His numerous country hits ranged from the breakthrough single Lucille, which was released when he was 38 years old, to The Gambler, which has been called “one of the most popular singalong songs in the world.” Also topping the pop charts were Lady, written and produced by Lionel Richie, and Islands in the Stream, composed by the Bee Gees and performed by Dolly Parton.

      In addition to three Grammy awards, recognition for lifetime achievement by the Country Music Association, and induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013, the musician also dabbled in acting and photography. He even co-founded the chicken restaurant chain Kenny Rogers Roasters, which now operates overseas.

      Click here for more photos of Kenny Rogers’s Sandy Springs home.

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      A Famed Travel Writer Lists His Remote Island Retreat in Maine for $1.3 Million

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      Around 23 years ago, Paul Theroux picked up a private retreat off the coast of Maine. Now the Hawaii-based travel writer and prolific novelist of more than 50 books—among them The Mosquito Coast, which was adapted into a 1980s movie, as well as a more recent TV series starring his nephew Justin Theroux—has decided to part ways with his longtime Calf Island home, hoisting the place on the market for a relatively affordable $1.275 million.

      Tucked away on a seven-acre parcel offering sweeping coastline views paired with more than 3,000 feet of waterfront footage on Wheeler Bay, the property features a post-and-beam main home and separate guesthouse that were handcrafted in the late 1970s by late contemporary artist and furniture-maker Duane Paluska. In addition to a combined four bedrooms and two baths in a little more than 1,700 square feet of living space, there are also pathways meandering through serene spruce-lined meadows, a mix of sand and pebble beaches, and a ramp leading down to a floating dock with a row boat.

      The floating dock houses a boat used for padding to the nearby mainland.

      Kate Sfeir

      Highlights of the primary dwelling include a window-lined living room displaying rustic hardwood floors and a vaulted wood-beam ceiling, along with a simple, “functional” kitchen that has an accompanying dining area warmed by a wood-burning stove. Per the listing, which is held by Joseph Sortwell of Christie’s International Real Estate, a large open room upstairs also has plenty of space for a bedroom and a living area.

      Elsewhere is the wood-shingled guesthouse, which has two bedrooms, a bath, and an open living room sporting a loft and another wood-burning stove, plus its own porch. A small shed and boathouse also can be found on the premises.

      The main home has an open-concept great room housing a living and dining area, plus a kitchen.

      Kate Sfeir

      “Being a coastal New Englander really shaped my life,” the 83-year-old Maine native once told National Geographic. “I would find it almost impossible to live in an inland city or town. I simply can’t do it. I need to live where there’s the smell of the sea, where there’s water.

      “I also like the idea of forest next to a sea—like the Maine coast or the California or Oregon coasts,” Theroux added. “Where there’s sea and forest going up to the sea. That’s heaven to me.”

      Click here for more photos of Paul Theroux’s private island retreat.

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      DC Studios Chief James Gunn Snags Mia Farrow’s Bel Air Family Home for $8.5 Million

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      Over eight decades ago, this historic Monterey Colonial-style house in the coveted Lower Bel Air enclave of Los Angeles was owned by John Farrow and Maureen O’Sullivan—he an Oscar-winning film director from Australia and she an Irish-born actress who starred as Jane Parker in numerous Tarzan films, and both the parents of Mia Farrow, who is best known for her role in the 1968 horror film Rosemary’s Baby and as Woody Allen’s former partner. It was also occupied at one time by film and TV composer Bruce Broughton. Now the property has changed hands once again, this time selling to a trust connected to veteran filmmaker and entertainment executive James Gunn.

      Records reveal the Guardians of the Galaxy director and co-CEO of DC Studios doled out $8.5 million for the creamy stucco and terracotta-roof structure, which was originally listed for a speck under $11 million. Crafted in 1937 by architect Arlos R. Sedgley and known as Greystoke Cottage, the recently renovated home rests on over a half-acre of land and sports four bedrooms and five baths spread across nearly 4,300 square feet of John Cottrell-designed living space on two levels.

      The dining room boasts rustic hardwood floors and a vintage chandelier.

      Anthony Barcelo

      Main-level highlights include formal living and dining rooms, plus an updated kitchen outfitted with a center island, high-end stainless appliances, and a cozy fireside breakfast nook. There’s also a wood-paneled library and a media room that has French doors opening to a Juliet balcony, as well as a primary suite with a fireplace, a wraparound balcony, dual walk-in closets, and a spa-like bath spotlighted by a soaking tub.

      The downstairs portion of the home holds three additional bedrooms, including one that could easily be converted into an office space. The amenities continue outdoors, where the Tichenor & Thorpe-landscaped grounds host a covered veranda that has steps leading down to a lower terrace ideal for al fresco lounging and entertaining, along with a pool surrounded by a sundeck and pathways meandering through lush gardens. A two-car garage also can be found on the premises.

      A quaint gazebo holds court on the garden-laced grounds.

      Anthony Barcelo

      RELATED: A Hollywood Producer Is Selling His Celeb-Pedigreed L.A. Home for $7.5 Million

      The listing was held by Allen Roth and Kaitlyn Benson of Sotheby’s International Realty. Gunn, who also maintains a home in the Fayette County area of Georgia that he picked up in 2018 for around $1.3 million, was repped by Brittany Herman of Douglas Elliman.

      Click here for more photos of James Gunn’s Bel Air house.

      Jeremy Wetmore Spann More