Like a Desert Mirage: Dirt-Wall Mansion Topped by Jet Wing
The owners of this colorful Las Vegas oasis are casino masterminds — as in Vegas’ Bellagio and the Borgata in Atlantic City — who built their home out of what looks like a 747 wing and a really big pile of dirt.
So it’s probably not surprising that they’ve also commissioned an outrageous video, complete with a posh Brit specially flown in from London, to sell the place.
If this cheeky piece of work doesn’t dazzle someone with $12,500,000 to burn, nothing will:
But there’s some real substance and innovation hidden in this gleaming package. In case you were too busy laughing at the video to catch it, that 140-foot-long solar-panel-lined zinc roof, the size and shape of a jumbo jet wing, covers the home’s south-facing side, providing plenty of shade as well as about half of the estate’s energy needs:
And the brown rammed-earth walls – one of which is 3 feet thick and 24 feet high – are built using old adobe principles, insulating internal temperatures while nodding to the natural desert aesthetics:
Architect Eric Strain created the home in collaboration with the owners, Jon Sparer and John Klai — architects themselves, though their expertise lies in grand casino resorts. They call the residence CAVU, after an aeronautical phrase that’s sometimes rendered “clear above, visibility unlimited” (or a variation).
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There’s an entire floor for R&R, accessible from the home’s sleek elevator by pressing the button for the “play” level:
Several dumbwaiters smoothly transport munchies and party favors. And a 2,000-bottle wine cellar is “digitally inventoried” and a showpiece in itself:
But that’s not all on the “play” level. There’s also a gym with ballet bar …
… plus a retreat to reward conscientious exercisers that the promotional copy refers to as a “Vichy spa.” It’s named for its Vichy shower table – which doesn’t even require exhausted bathers to sit or stand; instead, you lie down for your shower:
Naturally, there’s a steam room, too, plus and a massage table and a mani-pedi station. The discreet placement of a soaking tub allows outdoor bathing.
“It became about creating the perfect entertaining home — envisioning the best layout and efficiencies to allow us to have 200 to 400 people here and still have our own private space,” Sparer told Yahoo Real Estate.
The home totals 13,255 square feet, with five bedrooms and nine bathrooms across three levels.
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The master bedroom is under the “wing.” A TV automatically retracts under the bed; a coffee station is equipped with refrigerated drawers and a mug warmer.
For warm desert evenings, there’s also a bed on the master suite’s adjacent outdoor deck, complete with a shower, a spa and a wet bar.
The master bath has an 8-foot-long trough-style sink made of teak.
The master closet, through which you can access the study:
The main level features a modern Italian kitchen with a modular dining table, a big courtyard, seven fire features, and an infinity pool with a spa.
So why are Sparer and Klai leaving? “We’ve lived here over four and a half years now,” says Sparer. “If you’re not moving forward, you’re falling behind.”
He did acknowledge wryly to Zillow Blog that they spent nearly seven years and more than $18 million building it, but “can’t find anyone to give us $18 million.”
“We realize we spent too much money on it,” he told Zillow. “We’ve gotten over that.”
Sparer and Klai have a home in San Diego and also travel quite a bit, working on resorts worldwide, so they don’t feel they’re using CAVU as much as it deserves. They’ve already purchased a home in Vegas’ revitalized downtown, where they’ll be able to walk or bike to business meetings, shops and restaurants with the three dogs they’ve rescued. “Downtown Las Vegas is the new, hip place to be,” says Sparer.
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But CAVU could also be a cool, hip place for the right kind of buyer, he says: “We see it as the perfect spot for an entertainer or a sports figure who likes privacy, yet who likes to entertain.“ Maybe a member of Imagine Dragons? We hear they’re all Vegas boys.
Then again, it could be the ideal timeshare for 125,000 of us who want to pony up $100 apiece. What do you think? You in?
The listing agent is Jill Lorenz of Berkshire Hathaway Home Services, Nevada Properties. All of the marketing is by Ruhm.
More photos below.
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