Richard Nixon’s former ‘Western White House’ relist for $65,000,000
© Provided by Daily Mail
MailOnline logo
The former California home of Richard Nixon where the president retired to write his memoirs after the Watergate scandal is back on the market after failing to sell for six years.
Load Error
The property – dubbed the ‘Western White House‘ after Nixon spent time there during his term in office – is back on sale with a hiked up asking price of $65 million as the state’s luxury housing market experiences a surge.
The 5.45 acre Spanish-style compound was home to the 37th president of the United States and his wife Pat for nearly two decades.
Nixon purchased the oceanfront compound at the beginning of his first presidential term in 1969.
The current owner has been sporadically trying to sell the property since 2015. It was most recently listed in May 2019 for $57.5 million but taken off the market at the beginning of 2020.
Earlier this week it was relisted by Rob Giem of Compass for $65 million- a 13% price hike.
It appears that the owner is taking advantage of the strong market sentiment, which includes an increasing demand for luxury homes with more space and privacy, Mansion Global reports.
The statewide median price set a record high in March at $758,990, while the number of closed sales rose nearly 20% year over year, according to the latest data from California Association of Realtors.
The oceanfront estate, known as ‘La Casa Pacifica’ (which translates to ‘The house of peace’) has the distinction of being the largest fully gated oceanfront compound south of Santa Barbara.
The home has all the staples of classic Spanish-style décor- including vaulted ceilings, hand-painted ceramic murals, ceramic tiled walls and floors and arched doorways.
The property, built in 1926, has a grand total of 15,000 square-feet spread across several buildings on the property.
The spacious 9,000 square-foot main residence has a total of nine bedrooms, 14 total bathrooms- including nine full bathrooms, four half bathrooms and one 3/4 bathroom.
The massive master suite takes up an entire wing of the main residence and features three rooms, including an entrance gallery and two-story drawing room.
The suite also has a separate reading, writing, and lounging areas, a private garden terrace, and a large bath and dressing areas, Architectural Digest reports.
The home features a 3,000 square-feet ocean-view poolside entertaining pavilion with a two-bedroom guest house. Nixon reportedly added the pool himself to replace a tennis court.
The property has multiple staff residences, a lighted tennis court, expansive lawns and a green house.
For lovers of the beach, the property offers 480 linear feet of beach frontage and an exclusive view of Santa Catalina Island.
Amenities of the estate include a six car parking garage, a screening room, exercise room, and wine cellar.
The current owner, Allergan Pharmaceuticals Chief Executive Gavin S. Herbert purchased the home from Nixon himself in the 80’s.
The property has been on and off the market since 2015, when it was first listed for $75 million.
Nixon purchased the mansion in 1969 and utilized the home for political meetings with various world leaders and gatherings with celebrities.
According to the Orange County Register a total of 17 heads of state visited Nixon at his estate, including Japanese Premier Eisaku Sato, South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu and former Soviet leader Leonid I. Brezhnev, the Los Angeles Times reports.
The home was even the setting for former President Lyndon B. Johnson 61st birthday.
Superstar singer Frank Sinatra, actor John Wayne and the Rev. Billy Graham also paid visit to the home.
Nixon retired to the San Clemente estate following the disgraceful end to his turbulent presidency.
Nixon was forced to resign to avoid impeachment, leaving the White House in 1974 following the Watergate scandal.
He was pardoned by President Gerald Ford but was reportedly a ‘broken man’ who exiled himself on the property before returning to public life in the late 70’s.
Nixon even penned his memoirs in ‘La Casa Pacifica’ while overlooking the ocean at the San Clemente property.
The former president moved out of his oceanfront mansion to live in New York City in 1980 before settling down in New Jersey.
In 1990 he established the Richard Nixon Library and Birthplace Foundation in Yorba Linda, California.
He died in 1994 following complications after a stroke.
Source: Thanks msn.com