Monday, August 17, 2015

Nixon's 'Western White House' Hits Market for $75M

The oceanside estate where Richard Nixon hosted 17 heads of state and retired to write his memoirs is on the market for $75 million.

Nixon bought the San Clemente, CA home in 1969 and dubbed it “La Casa Pacifica,” which means “The House of Peace.” It was better known during that era as “The Western White House,” because the native Californian spent so much time there.

Nixon

Photo of Richard and Pat Nixon from National Archives

He wasn’t the first president to walk the halls of the sprawling estate. Franklin D. Roosevelt reportedly used it as a retreat while serving in the 1930s.

Roosevelt also reportedly played poker there with financier Hamilton Cotton, who built the main house in the 1920s, modeling it after a country home in Spain.

Nixon replaced the tennis court with a swimming pool and built a wall around much of the compound.

“It’s like owning a big boat on the ocean,” the current owner, Allergan Pharmaceuticals founder Gavin Herbert, told The Orange County Register.

The 5-plus-acre property, which has been featured multiple times in Architectural Digest, boasts 480 feet of beachfront, where Roosevelt’s train used to make unscheduled stops.

The bluffs above the beach were planted with cypress trees to diffuse the late-day sun. Behind them, sprawling lawns abut seaside gardens of various stripes, including rose, English, ornamental and vegetable.

The compound comprises a main house that spans 9,000 square feet, as well as an entertaining pavilion, a two-bedroom guest house, a swimming pool and — back again — a lighted tennis court.

There are 9 bedrooms and 11.5 baths throughout the estate, including a single-level main residence with white stucco walls and a two-story tower. It’s adorned by wrought-iron flourishes and hand-painted tiles.

The listing agent is Rob Giem of Sotheby’s International Realty.

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from Zillow Blog - Real Estate Market Stats, Celebrity Real Estate, and Zillow News http://www.zillow.com/blog/nixon-ca-estate-on-market-75m-181709/
via Reveeo

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