Listing of the Day
Location: Lake Tahoe, Crystal Bay, Nevada Price: $17,500,000
Affectionately known as "Summertide," it's not terribly surprising that this waterfront Adirondack-inspired estate is the stuff of legend, thanks to its rustic authenticity and the fact that it once belonged to billionaire aviator, producer, and tycoon Howard Hughes.
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Built during the 1930s by mining kingpin and politician Tasker Oddie, Summertide was sold to Lord Christian Arthur Wellesley, a descendant of the 19th Century Duke of Wellington. By 1950, the property was in the hands of Hughes, who used it as a getaway from his primary residence in L.A. (and presumably entertained some pretty bold-faced names—Hughes famously socialized with everyone from JFK to Marilyn Monroe).
The home was sold to its current buyers in 1995, who upgraded the kitchen, the bathrooms, and both the mechanical and electrical systems throughout the main house.
In addition to its historical value, Summertide—which sits on five-and-a-half acres—has tremendous possibilities for redevelopment, depending on the buyer’s needs.
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"This property has the potential to be dramatically transformed into a grand lakefront residential compound or into segregated [waterfront] and lakeview home sites," says agent John Leles of Sierra Sotheby’s International Realty.
The estate sits on a bluff overlooking 500 feet of shoreline and is situated on a coveted wind-sheltered cove on Lake Tahoe’s nature-filled North Shore in Crystal Bay, Nevada.
The Stats
The 2,518-square-foot home has five bedrooms, four full bathrooms, one half bath, and a detached four-car garage. There’s also a separate waterside guest house which is approximately 1,280 square feet and features two bedrooms, two full bathrooms and one-half bath, bringing Summertide’s combined square footage to 3,800.
Design Pedigree
The main house is designed to look as if it were plucked from the East Coast’s woodsy Adirondacks and was built using locally-sourced timber. To further its authenticity, eight furniture makers from the Adirondack region designed and custom-made pieces and fixtures in the classic Rustic style of the 1920s.
Amenities
Summertide has its own pier, boatlift, and mooring buoy facilities, as well as a washer/dryer, wood floors, fireplace, RV parking, sprinkler system, and hot tub.
Neighborhood
Unlike Tahoe’s party-hearty South Shore, the North Shore is known for its tranquility and access to untouched nature, as well as several of Nevada’s best golf courses, tennis facilities, camping trails, ski resorts, and casinos (don’t forget, gambling is legal here). Crystal Bay is an easy 20-minute drive from the Truckee Tahoe Airport and 45 minutes from Reno Tahoe International Airport.
Agent: John Leles, Sierra Sotheby’s International Realty
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