Versailles house

Versailles is a 85,000[1] square-foot house belonging to Westgate Resorts founder David Siegel and his wife Jackie Siegel. It is under construction at 6121 Kirkstone Lane, Windermere, Florida, in the gated community of Lake Butler Sound in Orange County, Florida. Named and modeled after the Palace of Versailles in France, the completed project will be one of the largest single-family homes in the United States.[2][3][4][5] It is designed as the primary residence of the Siegels and their children.[6]

Status of construction in February 2016

History

Construction began in 2004. Work stalled in 2009 with 60% completed as Siegel's company encountered financial difficulties. The house was subsequently listed for sale at $65 million.[6] With Westgate Resorts' improved finances as of 2013, Siegel now owns the property outright and construction has resumed. Completion was scheduled for 2016,[7][8] although as of March 2017 the completion date has been pushed back to at least 2019.[9] Expected to appraise at over $100 million, the project will be the fourth most expensive house in the United States.[5]

Design
Versailles house in 2014

Constructed on a man-made hill on 10 acres of lakefront property,[6][10] the residence will include 11 kitchens,[2] 14 bedrooms,[11] three indoor pools, two outdoor pools, a video arcade,[6] a ballroom with a 500 to a 1,000 person capacity,[4] a two-story movie theater with a balcony inspired by the Paris Opera House, a 20,000-bottle wine cellar,[6] an exotic-fish aquarium,[6] two tennis courts,[6] a baseball diamond,[6] a formal outdoor garden,[6] and an elevator in the master bedroom closet.[2] Because the Siegels' children are older now, modifications to the original plans included turning playrooms into a yoga studio and a teenager’s cave with a second movie theater.[12]

Doors and windows are constructed using some of the last remaining, legal Brazilian mahogany at a cost of $4 million;[2][6] cut before the Brazilian government banned trade in big-leaf mahogany, in 2001.[13] Exterior walls are precast concrete with Pavonazzo marble veneer.[6]

Criticism

Though not yet completed, the home has been called "absurd".[14] Matt Hickman, writing for the Mother Nature Network, called the mansion a "wretched excess".[10] Alyssa Rosenberg of ThinkProgress called it "a monument to bad taste" and "a testament to waste".[10]

The home and its owners were the subject of the 2012 documentary film The Queen of Versailles as well as an episode of CNBC's Secret Lives of the Super Rich.

gollark: I guess you could be using a voice keyboard thing.
gollark: I mean, probably.
gollark: Fortunately, you are typing, not speaking!
gollark: Initiating orbital spelling strike.
gollark: > convinience

References
  1. "Versailles (residence in the U.S.)". Google maps measurement tool. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
  2. "Versailles in Florida: Construction Resumes on Biggest House in US". ABC News. October 1, 2013. Retrieved February 8, 2014.
  3. "Versailles Lake Butler Mansion by David Siegel". Nine Homes. Retrieved February 8, 2014.
  4. "Boom years are back: Construction resumes on America's largest house, 'Versailles'". Death and Taxes Magazine. Retrieved February 8, 2014.
  5. Riefflen, Lauren (May 3, 2011). "Top 10 Most Expensive Homes for Sale in the U.S." Zillow. Retrieved February 8, 2014.
  6. Berfield, Susan (March 15, 2012). "Versailles, the Would-Be Biggest House in America". Businessweek. Retrieved February 8, 2014.
  7. Christopher Parr. "CNBC's Robert Frank Interview on 'Secret Lives of the Super Rich'". Pursuitist.com. Retrieved February 28, 2016.
  8. Clarke, Sarah (November 13, 2013). "Jackie Siegel, 'Queen of Versailles,' to host charity garage sale". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
  9. Bilbao, Richard (March 9, 2017). "The Queen of Versailles Jackie Siegel: 'I may want a bigger house now'". Orlando Business Journal. American City Business Journals. Last night at the Orange County Property Appraiser Rick Singh's State of Commercial Real Estate Event at the Wyndham Orlando Resort International Drive, Orlando Business Journal asked David Siegel how the mansion was coming along. He responded with one word: "Slowly." However, he said the home is still a couple of years out from completion, which would make it a near 15-year project. Jackie Siegel was a bit more optimistic, predicting 1.5 years of construction to go.
  10. Hickman, Matt (January 24, 2012). "Versailles: 90,000-square-feet of wretched excess and shattered dreams". Mother Nature Network. Retrieved February 8, 2014.
  11. Massey, Robert. "The Property Man: Tragedy strikes family building the biggest home in America".
  12. "Jackie Siegel, 'Queen of Versailles,' really down to earth | Toronto Star". Thestar.com. December 13, 2013. Retrieved February 28, 2016.
  13. Chimeli, Ariaster B., Boyd, Roy G. (February 2010). "Prohibition and the Supply of Brazilian Mahogany". Land Economics. 86 (1): 194. doi:10.3368/le.86.1.191. JSTOR 27759725.
  14. Juzwiak, Rich (September 26, 2013). "The "Queen of Versailles" Shows Off the Progress on Her Absurd House". Gawker. Retrieved February 8, 2014.

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