LOCATION: Westport, CT
PRICE: $19,900,000
SIZE: (approx.) 10,000 square feet, 6 bedrooms, 6.5 bathrooms
YOUR MAMAS NOTES: Our unofficial aide de camp Hot Chocolate gave us a ringy-dingy over the weekend after s/he noticed radio firebrand Don Imus had once again heaved his Westport, CT waterfront estate on the market with a (familiar) asking price of $19,900,000.
This is not Mister Imus's first time at the real estate rodeo. No siree, Bob. Indeed, lightening rod of political and social conservatism has had the property on and off the market since at least spring 2009 when it carried a much higher and (in hindsight) preposterously optimistic $30,000,000 price tag.
Property records indicate Mister (and Missus) Imus paid $4,600,000 for the 4-acre property in 1997 and proceeded to erect an approximately 10,000 square foot, 14-room, multi-winged main mansion described in an older listing as a "Greco-Georgian" -style pile.
In addition to the spacious and tastefully traditional (if sorta snoozy) living quarters in the 6 bedroom and 6.5 bathroom main house, the compound-like property includes garaging for 9 cars, a 2 bedroom gate house, a new(ish) 2 bedroom guest house, and a flat, football field-sized backyard that extends ends abruptly at the 215 feet of bulk-headed and sandy beach front. The property does not currently have, as far as we can tell, a tennis court or swimming pool and—no offense to the often offensive Mister Imus—but for twenty million bucks we want an already-installed swimming pool and tennis court, thank you very much.
Mister Imus continues to own a pair of New York City apartments in the same Neo-Renaissance-style pre-war building on Central Park West as well as Imus Ranch, a 4,000(ish) acre, village-like working cattle ranch near Santa Fe, NM operated as a charitable enterprise where children with cancer and the siblings of SIDs victims can visit (for free) and experience what it's like to live and work on a functioning cattle ranch.
That Girl Marlo Thomas and her chat show pioneer hubby Phil Donahue have lived along the same coveted stretch of Connecticut seaside as Mister and Missus Imus. In 2006 they sold a 17-room Tudor-style mansion for—so say the reports—$25,000,000 and moved right next door to a custom-built mansion on 6.5 acre they heaved on the market earlier this year (2012) with an asking asking price of $27,500,000.
Other high-profile and or high-net-worth property owners along the swanky seaside lane include movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, billionaire hedge funder Marc Lasry and legally embattled financier Rajat Gupta.
listing photos: Coldwell Banker