Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Mayor Bloomberg Buys Big Ol' Bedsit in Hamptons


BUYER: Mayor Michael Bloomberg
LOCATION: Southampton, NY
PRICE: $22,500,000 (list)
SIZE: 22,000 square feet, 11 bedrooms, 8.5 bathrooms

YOUR MAMAS NOTES: All the New York City and Hamptons real estate gossips are hog wild over the news that three-time New York City mayor and mega-billionaire Michael Bloomberg is in contract to dump twenty million clams on a significant and substantial estate in hoity-toity Southampton, NY.

Listing information for the almost 35-acre spread shows the stately ivy-covered Georgian-style pile at the tail end of the winding half mile long drive was designed by F. Burall Hoffman and built in 1910 for Charles Blair MacDonald, the man who reportedly built the first 18-hole golf course in the country.

Mister Bloomberg, one of New York City's most eligible billionaire bachelors with a net worth estimated by the folks at Forbes to exceed eighteen billion bucks, isn't really known as a real estate size queen by all us celebrity real estate flibbertigibbets, particularly when compared to others with similar net worth. However, the mayor opted to blow it out in the Hamptons with a massive and well-maintained but decoratively out-dated 22,000 square foot mansion that includes 11 bedrooms and 8.5 bathrooms.

The grounds include acres of rolling lawns and pastures, mature shade trees, various riding rings, equestrian facilities–one of his adult daughters is a horsey sort of gal–tennis court, swimming pool and English gardens.

Like all good mega-billionaires Bloomie owns a number of significant properties in his property portfolio. His in town residence is a discrete 7,000-plus square foot bow-fronted townhouse on East 79th Street all did up and done over by nice, gay decorator Jamie Drake. When the communications tycoon became mayor in 2002 he declined to occupy the mayor's official residence, the grand Gracie Mansion, preferring to stay put on East 79th Street. In classic billionaire-only style Mayor Bloomberg reportedly spent $86,000,000 several years ago to acquire a pair of nearby buildings to house his personal offices and non-profit foundation.

The Mayor has long maintained a country residence as well, a pond-pocked estate with a groovy star-shaped mansion in Westchester County's semi-rural/quasi-suburban North Salem community and reportedly also owns an ocean view estate in in Bermuda's Tucker's Town, a ski condo in Vail and a 3,600 square foot triplex apartment on London's swanky Cadogan Square.

listing photos: Prudential Douglas Elliman Real Estate

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

When you take a bite out of the Big Apple, it's good to know where the maggots are.

Anonymous said...

OH la la... the Jewel in collection! Loves the Major and loves the house! Oh la la

P.S. Sassy Fabu Gay Decorator get in this abode pronto and flash up some chicness!

Anonymous said...

Old news. Curbed had this covered. Next...

Anonymous said...

Mama:

My, what an impressive pot rack! And I'm visualizing the green and white garden room converted into a conservatory for raising orchids, which seem conspicuously absent in the listing photos.

Verandah and Patty O.

Anonymous said...

I presume his job keeps him busy, or does it? If he is really busy, what use does he have for all his residences? I would think just the bother of moving from one to the other would be tiresome. Or is he carried on a litter?

lil' gay boy said...

Ballyshear has been on and off the market for quite some time; once a larger property, it is one of the more significant estates on Long Island not just for its unique architecture but also in part for its cryptomeria garden that previous owners have sought to see preserved following its sale.

For a bachelor worth $18BN, he certainly has forborne the jetsetter lifestyle in favor of his three terms as mayor. Love him or hate him, I think he's done a particularly thankless job fairly well.

Anonymous said...

Dear Anon 3:33
Not all of us read Curbed everyday, but we are loyal to Mama! It is not old news to all of us, but your comment sure is!

Trixie von Trott said...

I actually quite like the decor, it's got that English country house "We decorated over the last 100 years" look to it.

Country homes should always have a patina in my opinion. I hope some ditzy decorating queen doesn't do the place up with flatscreens and overpolished trinkets.

What does concern me though is a distinct musty smell from those well aged draperies. However the garden looks like it has some fragrant flowers so the problem could be averted.

midTN said...

As previously noted, da Mayor bought himself one hell of a pot rack.......and the rest of the place is nice too!

Anonymous said...

Actually, Mr Bloomberg is very much a jet-setter in the most literal sense of the term. Although he and his minions manage to keep it under the radar, he and his lady friend jet off as many weekends as they can in his plane. This was brought more to light during the Christmas blizzard last year here in New York when he slipped back into town from somewhere just before the airports were closed.

You have to wonder what his thinking was in buying this place. But when you have the money that he has, it doesn't have to make any sense on any level. It doesn't matter if it's a bad decision, that he ends up never using it, that it's a money pit, etc., etc.

angie said...

Gorgeous old Long Island estate. I neither begrudge Mr. Bloomberg his money nor how he spends it. I actually think it's fortunate when someone who can afford to do so scoops up a place like this to avoid further subdivision, restoring, refurbishing, and preventing a tearing down of what's worth preserving in the process.

It's also a boost to the local economy and population in terms of the number of people who will make their living and feed their family keeping it in good repair, well maintained, and clean. Jumping all over productive members of society just because they have money seems rather convoluted and short sighted imo. There are plenty of the other type to criticize.

gurlplz said...

Angie, I agree wholeheartedly with your sentiments. Hating on the wealthy just because they have the money that most of us don't seems to have sadly become commonplace. I admire Mr. Bloomberg for his work as mayor and I love the look of this place!

Anonymous said...

Imagine if Bernie Ecclestone had Bloomberg's money....what his daughters would be buying...

Anonymous said...

12:58.....maybe you should tell Bernie's daughters that he doesn't have Bloomberg's money. I don't think they have gotten the message. Their blowing daddy's money on houses like it's 2007, dropping $100mil on houses is a whole lot, even for someone like Mr. Ecclestone. It's slightly interesting to compare Bloomberg's and Bernie's daughters. I mean Bloomberg's daughters seem to have at least gone out and tried to make something of themselves, other than just being some rich guys daughters. While the Eccelstone daughters seem perfectly content on pissing away hundreds of millions. Money can buy you houses, but not class.

Anonymous said...

Regarding the Ecclestone comments, he is certainly buying properties that are disproportionate to his net worth. However, it's a way of passing on his wealth. People in the UK do it all the time, albeit with considerably more modest purchases; inheritance tax is 40% for Bernie's children. He's coming to the end of his wealth creation period in his life. F1 is a success but he's not George Soros - he's not going to make $1bn a year. He needs to pass this on in the most tax efficient way.