Publisher's Showcase from the duPont Registry
Gallery of Fine Homes
One would expect
the extraordinary from the CEO of Dreamworks, the film studio that brought us Shrek, Madagascar,
and the Lion King. The Park
City residence of Jeffrey
Katzenberg does not disappoint.
"It is the
ultimate ski home," says Paul Benson of Sotheby's International Realty,
who is handling the sale of the $20.5 million Park City, Utah
property.
On two lots
within the prestigious Bald Eagle community, the home was designed by Rick Otto
and Charles Gwathmey with interiors by Naomi Leff, whose celebrity clientele
includes Ralph Lauren and Giorgio Armani and was built by renowned hotel
developer New Star, a true dream team.
"They set
out to build a home with a cabin feel -- a true family trap," says Benson.
A 14,100 square
foot rustic lodge, with 7 bedrooms, 10 baths, and multiple entertaining spaces
flowing beautifully from one to another, including a living room with 30-foot
windows offering shimmering views of the silver rush town.
"It shows
like an art gallery," says Benson, but one where you "want to jump on
a sofa and enjoy a fire."
This is a house
you want to be snowed into, he says, with a resort-style entertainment center
on the lower level that includes an indoor pool, sauna, spa, gym, and game
room. An 80" LED TV allows for private film screenings and a ski room with
a bar that walks right out onto the slopes.
Should you
emerge, three of the world's best ski areas are outside the door along with a
dozen world class golf resorts and exceptional restaurants and shopping -- as
expected from a town that attracts thousands of glitterati to the Sundance Film
Festival and counts Mitt Romney and Katherine Heigl as part-time residents.
The town is
enjoying a latter day silver rush, with home sales-- and prices -- climbing.
"The
Olympics put us on the map," says Benson. "Sundance keeps us
there."
With consistently
sunny days and a lung-building altitude, the town remains a training paradise
for Olympic-level athletes. "We have the lowest percentage of body fat in
the U.S."
Benson laughs.
It increasingly
attracts buyers from the United Kingdom,
France, China, Mexico,
even Russia,
says Benson, who markets properties around the world. In one recent month he
ran magazine ads in 7 countries.
The strategy has
paid off. With a client list that reads like an international who's who, Benson
was named one of the country's top agents by the Wall Street Journal and is Utah's top broker,
selling over 100 homes and over $100 million in volume in 2011 and 2012.
"It
was," he says modestly, "a pretty good year."
