IPnterviewroperty

Next level Whether skyscraper, penthouse or eighteenth-century mansion, billionaires know how to live. We visit the world’s most extravagant homes: Antilia Mumbai, Villa Leopolda Belgium, Tour Odeon Penthouse Monaco, Four Fairfield Pond NY and Witanhurst London

FRENCH RIVIERA Edmond (who died in 1999) and Welcome to Lily Safra’s Villa Lily Safra, who inherited the villa Leopolda in the French commune after her husband’s death. Villefranche-sur-mer. The Safras held large parties MONACO sky penthouse spread over the top Set on 20 acres, the residence at the villa, and, at a 1988 party, Long-held hopes for the sale of five floors. Until then, London’s was valued at €500m euros female guests were given an the five-level penthouse atop the One Hyde Park was home to the ($567m today), when Russian enamel box with a portrait of Tour Odeon continue, with the most expensive penthouse in the billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov tried the Villa Leopolda. The party $400m unlikely to budge. The world, (sold in 2015 for $240m). It to buy it in 2008. Safra accepted was described by author John near-3,000 sq.m hillside space also features a cinema, a marble his offer of €370m ($420m today) Fairchild as the “ultimate in beginning, on the 45th floor, has disco, a bedroom the size of plus €19.5m ($22m today) for the conspicuous consumption”. its own rooftop deck and pool, two tennis courts – and tables furniture, but Prokhorov eventually In its current incarnation, Villa with a water slide that descends upholstered in stingray skin. ➤ backed out of deal in the wake La Leopolda was designed and one storey from the dance floor of the GFC, losing his €50m completed in 1931 by American directly into the infinity pool. Above: Monaco’s Tour Odeon ($57m today) deposit. Safra architect, Ogden Codman, Jr., The 50-storey, 170m tower penthouse is still on the market subsequently announced that she on an estate once owned by King opened in 2015 as Monaco’s first Below: The stunning Villa would donate his deposit to various Leopold II of Belgium. The estate skyscraper in 30 years, with its Leopolda Belgium global charities. was originally reported to be one of The villa has had several several water-side homes that the notable owners including Fiat King built for his many mistresses. President Gianni and Marella After Leopold’s death, his Agnelli, Izaak and Dorothy J. mistress Blanche Delacroix was Killam (a Canadian philanthropist), evicted, and his nephew, King and, since 1987, Brazilian banker Albert I, became its owner.

January-March 2019 Upward Curve 63 Property

Left: The classic redbrick Witanhurst in North London Below left: Mukesh Ambani’s controversial tower in Mumbai by day and by night below

property – which has a live-in staff 600-strong to maintain the residence 24 hours a day – cost almost $2bn to build. To compare, 7 World Trade Center, the 52-story tower that stands just north of Ground Zero in Manhattan with more than 500,000 sq. m homes in Southampton. Now of office space, cost a reported LONDON Southampton homes cannot be $2bn to build. London’s biggest private property more than 6,000 sq. m in size. Completed in 2010, Ambani’s aside from Buckingham Palace 400,000 sq.ft skyscaper home is Witanhurst in Highgate, MUMBAI includes six stories of underground which boasts 65 rooms spread Named after the mythic island parking, three helicopter pads and across three floors, including Antilas, Antilla, in South Mumbai, 10 elevators. 25 bedrooms, a 21-metre is the world’s most expensive The 27-floor 173-metre home ballroom, and two mega- residential property after was built in consultation with basements. Owned by the family Buckingham Palace, which is US architecture firms Perkins and of Putin associate and fertiliser designated as a crown property. Will & Hirsch Bedner Associates, baron, Andrey Guryev, Witanhurst Witanhurst has been used as Owned by Mukesh Ambani, with the Australian-based is a large Grade II listed early a filming location by various chairman of resources construction company Leighton 20th-century Georgian Revival production companies, including conglomerate holding company, Holdings taking charge of its mansion located on five acres. the BBC, to shoot films and Reliance Industries, the initial construction. ■ The house has had several television programmes such as prominent owners since being The Lost Prince, Tipping the rebuilt by the soap magnate Sir Velvet, and Fame Academy. Arthur Crosfield, and after several decades of increasing dilapidation NEW YORK it underwent substantial A power plant, 29 bedrooms, refurbishment after its 2008 sale. 39 bathrooms, three swimming The original estate, dating from pools, a synagogue, two 1774, was known as Parkfield, courtyards, an orangery, a but in 2007 the Assads (ruling 164-seat home theatre, basketball family in Syria) sold the mansion court, two bowling alleys, two to the British property developer tennis courts, two squash courts Marcus Cooper for £32.5m and a 100-car garage. This is the ($41m today). He subsequently Long Island home of billionaire repaired Witanhurst to satisfy investor Ira Rennert. Camden council’s previous The 19,500 sq.m mansion complaints, and put the property is located in the Hamptons, New up for sale for £75m ($95m today) York and valued at $249 million. through the estate agents Glentree Rennert commissioned the Estates and Knight Frank. Guryev mansion in 1999 but lawsuits and purchased the property through the local community stalled his an offshore company called move until 2004. Safran Holdings, located in the Due to the lawsuit, local town British Virgin Islands for £50m council passed a by law that limited ($63.5m today) in 2008. the size of any newly constructed

64 Upward Curve January-March 2019