Here’s a topic for crooning about.
Bing Crosby’s midcentury modern mansion, which he constructed in the 1950s, has finally sold for $4.15 million after more than ten years on and off the market.
Bob Teller, an Orange County businessman, and his wife Rita bought the Rancho Mirage mansion for $2.62 million in 2005. Five years later, in 2010, they offered the property for $3.5 million.
However, Wayne Butler and Garret Gray, the software entrepreneur who just sold his business Next Gear to Core Logic, are the purchasers after floating on and off the market for over a decade.
The 6,700 square-foot property, which sits on nearly 1.5 acres in the gated neighbourhood of Thunderbird Heights, has six bedrooms and six bathrooms.
According to the description, amenities include an outdoor kitchen and terrace with views of the Coachella Valley, a pool and spa, putting green, and a whole guest wing with two bedrooms and two baths.
In addition to the “White Christmas” crooner, the house boasts Hollywood ties. John F. Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe are said to have visited the connected two-bedroom casita, which has its own kitchen and independent entrance. Whether or not the rumour is true, it influenced the renaming of the guest wing to the JFK wing.
Barack and Michelle Obama purchased a property in the exclusive private community nearby, which is considered the greatest transaction in the region.
The listing claimed, “Own a piece of history,” characterising the location as having a “seamless indoor/outdoor flow” with panoramic mountain views and “sweeping down valley panoramas.”
The location has also been frequented by celebrities and former US presidents, including Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, and Gerald Ford, who all spent time there on vacation.
The main suite has a fireplace, indoor and outdoor showers, a separate tub, and a spacious walk-in closet and is 1,400 square feet.
According to the listing, the area has staffed security 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The purchasers were represented by Fred Dapp of The Agency, while the sellers were represented by David Emerson and Alexandra Trejo of Compass.
Crosby passed away in 1977. “White Christmas,” penned by Irving Berlin, was the actor’s and singer’s best success. The Christmas song debuted at No. 1 on the charts and has since gone on to sell over 100 million copies throughout the world.