Vera Wang’s Via Tranquilla For Sale

Wang and her brother Kenneth inherited the Spanish Mediterranean-style residence from their father, C.C. Wang, who bought it in 1995. Located at 640 S. Ocean Blvd., the 1923 mansion designed by noted Palm Beach architect Addison Mizner has fond memories for the well-known fashion designer.

Wang remembers the days when her children, now 17 and 14, were younger and the house seemed to be bursting at the seams with children running around, recalling with pride that it sometimes felt like a day care center.

Wang, who describes Mizner’s architectural style as “Spanish lite” says she has always been fascinated by his work, especially the sense of whimsy that shows through. She describes Mizner’s style as dramatic, and appreciates the fact that some of his proportions aren’t quite, well, proportional. When asked how she would design an Addison Mizner inspired dress, Wang immediately offered that it would have an uneven hemline. Add some exotic color combinations and some peacock feathers and there you go – another one-of-a-kind Vera Wang creation!

Via Tranquilla is offered for sale at $19 million. Its east wall faces the Ocean, where the master suite and four guest bedrooms, each with its own bathroom, are located. There are a total of 11 bedrooms, one of which on the Northeast corner could be used as a second master suite. There are 10 bathrooms, and the total square footage is 11,654, with 9,706 square feet of indoor living space.

Foreclosed Hearst Mansion Sells at Auction for $22 Million

One of the country’s most expensive residences, the Hearst mansion, sold at a foreclosure auction on Monday for a bid of $22 million from New Stream Capital. According to the attorney representing Veronica Hearst, the property will go back on the market so the creditor can recoup its investment.

The 20,000 square foot home was designed by Maurice Fatio and bought by Randolph Hearst in mid-2000 for $29.87 million, at that time the highest sale price on record in the state. Hearst passed away six months later, leaving his widow Veronica without the means to maintain the property.

Veronica Hearst borrowed millions against the home’s value to pay for property taxes and renovations. She sold 150 feet on the property’s south end for $6.2 million, explaining that potential buyers were uncomfortable with the considerable size of the home. She stated that, with an older property – the home was built in 1929 – you can either destroy it or refurbish it, and her decision as the owner was to refurbish it.

However, to some, any change to the historic home is unacceptable. According to one source, the daughter of the architect who designed the home says that any variation from the original design is wrong.

The home is located at 1100 S. Ocean Blvd. in Manalapan, which does not have a preservation board that may have been able to block Hearst’s decision to split the lot if it had been designated a landmark.