Kenny G’s Former Waterfront Estate Lists for $85 Million, the Highest Price in the History of the Seattle Area

BY BILL CARY

The $85 million waterfront listing is on 4 private acres in the ultra-exclusive Hunts Point community. WINDERMERE REAL ESTATE/LUXURY PORTFOLIO INTERNATIONAL

The double-height foyer features a birdcage chandelier and a sweeping staircase to the second floor. WINDERMERE REAL ESTATE/LUXURY PORTFOLIO INTERNATIONAL

Washington’s ultra-exclusive Hunts Point community offers a 12,000-square-foot main house designed by celebrity architect Richard Landry, a pool, a tennis court and an expansive dock big enough for a 150-foot yacht and a seaplane.

It’s the most expensive listing in the history of the greater Seattle area, said listing agent Anna Riley, of Windermere Real Estate/Luxury Portfolio International. The previous high was two years ago, a $60 million property at the tip of Hunts Point.

“It’s the premier address we have in Washington,” she said. “Most properties in Hunts Point are 1 acre. This one is 4.3 acres on Lake Washington, a beautiful fresh-water lake. It’s a really rare, world-class property.”

The sellers are Bruce McCaw and Jolene McCaw, according to published reports. Mr. McCaw’s brother Craig McCaw bought the 1995 home from jazz saxophonist Kenny G, aka Kenneth Gorelick, in 1999. The McCaw family built its fortune after founding McCaw Cellular Communications, which was later sold to AT&T, and investing in other cellular companies.

More: A Shimmering Waterfront Mansion in Seattle

The two-story sandstone and glass main residence has a “very European feel to the exterior,” Ms. Riley said. “It feels like a generational legacy home, and that’s the way it was built.”

Mr. Landry, who is known as the “King of the Megamansion,” has also designed homes for Gisele Bündchen and Tom Brady, Mark Wahlberg and Sylvester Stallone.

“It’s a very unique home for the Northwest,” Ms. Riley said. “It’s on truly the best waterfront property we have.”

Other structures on the estate, which has 327 feet of waterfront and a sandy beach, include a four-bedroom staff house, a pool cabana with changing rooms and showers, and a beach house that was the original home on the property, Ms. Riley said.

“It has an unrivaled dock,” she said. “It’s almost like having your own marina,” with plenty of room for a 150-foot yacht and other boats as well as a seaplane and jet skis.

Interior architectural features include 20-foot ceilings with custom moldings, wide-plank solid walnut floors, sterling silver cabinet knobs and pulls, arched Palladian windows, a formal dining room and a wood-paneled office, according to the listing. The formal living room has two-story windows, 24-carat gold leaf hand-painted ceiling detail and a hand-carved fireplace mantel.

The recreation room features a saltwater fish tank and a wet bar, and the exercise suite has three mirrored walls, another bar, and six sets of French doors that open to the patio and lawn.

The upstairs primary suite offers a marble fireplace, a private balcony overlooking the lake, a custom closet with four separate rooms for seasonal rotation, and dual bathrooms.

Outdoor features include two gated entrances, a motor court and stone patios, according to the listing.

“One of the coolest things about the property is that it has an outdoor stage and two really grand lawns,” Ms. Riley said. “You could do epic entertaining here.”

“It’s an amazing property for doing charitable events and large-scale entertaining,” she added.

The views are “beautiful, a mix of what I call man-made views—the beautiful gardens, the pools and the water features—along with the lake and mountain views.”

The estate is quite private, she said. “It terraces down to the water so you don’t see the house from the water. Most people don’t even know the property exists.”

Stats

The 12,000-square-foot main house has five bedrooms, six full bathrooms and three partial bathrooms. The 4,400-square-foot staff house has a commercial kitchen, a commercial-style laundry room and three bedrooms. There is also a 1,500-square-foot, one-bedroom beach house that was the original home on the 4.3-acre lot.

Amenities

Amenities include a pool, a six-person spa with a waterfall feature, a tennis court, a large dock, a three-car heated garage, a sandy beach, raised garden beds, eight fireplaces, multiple bars, an outdoor stage, sprawling lawns, a gym, and a pool cabana with changing rooms, showers and a media room. The staff house has a commercial kitchen and a wine cellar.

Neighborhood Notes 

Hunts Point, which is just across the water from Seattle, is “very exclusive, while also maintaining almost a rural feeling,” Ms. Riley said. “It’s a very tiny little town. You can’t see most of the houses from the road.”

It’s five minutes from the property to downtown Bellevue and 10 minutes to downtown Seattle, she said.

Lake Washington is the second-largest natural freshwater lake in the state, known for its good boating, according to published reports.

Via Mansion Global