John Lennon and Yoko Ono bought a Palm Beach summer retreat for $725,000 just before his murder. Now, it's on the market for $47.5 million — take a look inside.
Hillary Hoffower
- John Lennon and Yoko Ono's former Palm Beach estate is on the market for $47.5 million, The Wall Street Journal's Katherine Clarke reported.
- Located on Billionaires Row, it was last sold for $23 million four years ago and has since been owned by several people.
- The over 14,000-square-foot mansion has a rich history and oceanfront views.
A piece of Beatles history is up for sale.
John Lennon and Yoko Ono's former Palm Beach estate has hit the market with an asking price of $47.5 million, The Wall Street Journal's Katherine Clarke reported. The couple bought the mansion in 1980, shortly before Lennon's death. Yoko Ono renovated it and sold it six years later.
Since then, the estate has passed through a number of buyers. It hasn't publicly been on the market since 2016, when it was purchased for $23 million — roughly half of the current listing price.
Located on Palm Beach's Billionaires Row, the landmark estate has no shortage of luxurious amenities and features. Spanning more than 14,000 square feet, it boasts oceanfront views, historic architecture by a famed society architect, two pools, and a tennis court.
Take a look at the sprawling Florida property.
John Lennon and Yoko Ono originally bought Palm Beach estate El Solano for $725,000 in 1980. Forty years later, it's on the market for $47.5 million.
"I really don't want to leave Palm Beach," Lennon told Palm Beach Daily News in 1974. "I'd like to own a piece of it."
They planned to renovate the property and use it as a getaway from New York during the winter, Robb Report's Howard Walker reported. Lennon was murdered later that year, and Yoko Ono sold the mansion for $3.15 million in 1986 after restoring it.
Katherine Clarke of The Wall Street Journal wrote that the couple was a "curious presence" in Palm Beach, quoting the book "Pop Culture Florida" by James P. Goss: "Lennon was often chased by giddy teenagers while driving down the well-manicured streets of Palm Beach in his red Cadillac."
The couple never looked at properties in person to avoid driving up the price, Goss wrote. Instead, they sent a servant to take Polaroid pictures who would tell the agent he worked for an anonymous businessman.
But the Palm Beach Post says the couple reportedly toured El Solano themselves during a trip to Palm Beach and made a spur of the moment decision to rent it for the month.
Located on Palm Beach's South Oceanfront Boulevard, an area nicknamed Billionaires Row, the mansion overlooks 180 feet of the Atlantic Ocean.
Billionaires Row in Palm Beach is home to the rich and famous. Rod Stewart, author James Patterson, and billionaire Ken Griffin also have estates in the neighborhood, and President Trump's private club Mar-a-Lago is nearby.
It's also home to record-setting real estate deals. In 2019, a Billionaires Row home became the most expensive home ever sold in Palm Beach, at $110 million. It belonged to late Broadway producer Terry Allen Kramer.
This record was soon broken in early 2020 when hedge-fund billionaire Steven Schonfeld and his wife bought an estate there for $111 million. According to a report by CNBC, it's the most expensive home ever sold in Florida.
Source: Christian Angle Real Estate
At 14,145 square feet, the estate sits on nearly two acres.
It hasn't been listed on the market since 2016 when John and Cindy Sites bought it for just over $23 million, Clarke reported.
John, a former EVP at Bear Stearns, is currently a partner at Wexford Capital. Cindy founded the Go Figure barre fitness chain.
Source: Christian Angle Real Estate
The estate spans three levels and features seven bedrooms, nine baths, and three partial baths.
Source: Christian Angle Real Estate
The Spanish-style mansion was designed by famed 1920s architect Addison Mizner in 1925.
Mizner's designs epitomized Palm Beach style. "Until his arrival, the buildings of southern Florida were simply pastel versions of the wooden structures found up north," Architectural Digest's Stefanie Waldeck wrote. "Mizner started designing edifices in the Spanish style, based on his experiences in Spain and Latin America — and his aesthetic continues to be the preeminent style of architecture in South Florida today."
Mizner named the estate after his hometown, Solano County, California. He originally owned the home before selling it to yacht-racer Harold S. Vanderbilt, who reportedly commissioned Mizner to add an expansive living room and pool.
Source: Christian Angle Real Estate
The grand salon is vast and full of grandeur, boasting oversized fireplaces, elegant tapestries, and opulent furniture.
Palm Beach granted the estate landmark protection in 1980, The Palm Beach Post's Alexandra Clough reported. She cited a report from the landmark process, which described the estate as "very representative of (Mizner's) distinctive style of this period, of which very few examples remain. Also, the scale of El Solano is in keeping with the oceanfront neighborhood of the estates of which it is an important part."
Source: Christian Angle Real Estate
It all sits underneath hand-stenciled wooden ceilings.
Source: Robb Report
Wrought-iron chandeliers help make such detailed ceilings glitter at night.
Source: Christian Angle Real Estate
The ceilings are just one of the many rich architectural design elements throughout the estate. Polished wood floors, coquina stone accents, and intricate crown molding are seen throughout the home.
The grand dining room features floor-to-ceiling windows with poolside views.
Source: Christian Angle Real Estate
The sumptuous style carries into the library, which is located between the dining room and grand salon on the main level.
Source: Christian Angle Real Estate
Mediterranean-style designs can be found throughout the estate, like this tile-inspired carpeted runner that mirrors the teal accents on the banister.
Source: Christian Angle Real Estate
The sitting room ditches the mahogany palette for a softer color scheme of blues and whites. It creates a more cozy feel suitable for a less formal living space.
Source: Christian Angle Real Estate
An expansive oceanfront master wing is even more light and airy, taking up much of the upper level.
Source: Christian Angle Real Estate
It features dual baths, a sitting room, a study, and a large open terrace.
Source: Christian Angle Real Estate
And, of course, it comes with oceanfront views.
Source: Christian Angle Real Estate
Thanks to its sprawling grounds, the exterior of the estate looks just as nice as the inside.
Source: Christian Angle Real Estate
... and a terrace from which to watch a good game.
Source: Christian Angle Real Estate
There's also a beachfront cabana, a two-story pool house with a guest suite, and a three-car garage.
"You have a limited supply (of homes) that have a direct, oceanside cabana," Christian J. Angle of Christian Angle Real Estate told the Palm Beach Post.
Source: Christian Angle Real Estate
That's not to mention the estate's two pools: one positioned for sunrise and one for sunset.
Source: Christian Angle Real Estate
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