Rosie O’Donnell’s Former Waterfront Miami Beach Home Lists for $54 Million
A little over two decades ago, David and Linda Frankel paid comedian and talk show host Rosie O’Donnell $16.5 million for this sprawling estate directly overlooking Biscayne Bay on Miami Beach’s celeb-studded Star Island, off the coast of South Beach.
Now the family of the recently deceased doctor and real-estate investor and his wife, a former Vogue editor and the sister of broadcast journalist Diane Sawyer, is returning the Mediterranean-style mansion to the market, The Wall Street Journal first reported. The asking price is a hefty $54 million, with the listing held by Liz Hogan of Compass.
A fireside living area is lined with wood-trimmed French doors opening out to a covered veranda.
Mike Ruiz/Legendary Productions
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Tucked away on a parcel spanning over an acre, the stucco-and-terra-cotta-roof structure was originally built way back in 1923. O’Donnell acquired the property in the late ’90s for nearly $6.8 million from a so-called religious organization known as the Ethiopian Zion Coptic Church. Per The Real Deal, she listed the place just days after The Rosie Show on Oprah’s TV network was canceled.
Extensively renovated by the couple during their tenure, the premises include a main home fronted by a motor court centered around a towering banyan tree, along with two separate guesthouses—for a total of eight bedrooms and 11 baths in a little more than 11,100 square feet. There’s also a freeform pool with a slide and an air-conditioned four-car garage, plus a boathouse and a private dock sporting a 40,000-pound boat lift resting along more than 200 feet of waterfront footage.
The palm tree-laced grounds host a pool and a private dock with a 40,000-pound boat lift.
Mike Ruiz/Legendary Productions
Other highlights include a spacious living area lined with wood-trimmed French doors spilling out to a covered veranda, as well as an elegant formal dining room and an updated kitchen featuring an expansive eat-in island, top-notch Miele, Viking, and Sub-Zero appliances, and an accompanying breakfast nook. A posh primary retreat comes complete with a balcony and an office, with the upper level holding another kitchen and a family room.
While the 43 Star Island Drive home is the only one currently available in the pricey neighborhood, there have been many recent sales to high-profile individuals. In 2023, LoanDepot CEO Anthony Hsieh doled out $57 million for 27 Star, while rapper and record executive Rick Ross paid roughly $35 million for 37 Star. Ken Griffin also repurchased an almost one-acre lot he had previously owned at 14 Star from retired Yankees star Alex Rodriguez as part of a land-swap deal, giving the billionaire hedge funder a total of 6.5 contiguous acres on the Miami Beach island.
Click here for more photos of Rosie O’Donnell’s former Miami Beach home.
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