News | advice | area guide

Coronado’s Spreckels Mansion Reappears on the Market With a Price Cut

The Spreckels mansion in Coronado, CA, lays claim to one of the best locations in San Diego County. Directly across the street from the beach, the historic home on a huge lot offers glorious views of the Pacific Ocean.

After popping up on the market in March 2018 for $17.5 million, the famed mansion reappeared this week with a slightly lower price, $16.9 million.

The stately main house was built in 1908 by architect Harrison Albright for San Diego magnate and sugar company heir John D. Spreckels.

Spreckels also owned the storied Hotel del Coronado, which sits less than a half-mile away from the mansion. In addition, he owned acres of land in downtown San Diego, the San Diego Union and Evening Tribune, and the local streetcar system.

So it follows that Spreckels had all the resources and capital required to build a grand, Spanish Revival–style home.

Many of the home’s original features have been renovated and restored over the decades, including high, wood-beamed ceilings, wrought-iron window guards and balconies, red tile roofs, multipaned windows, crown moldings, and wood floors.

In 1910, Spreckels gifted “the beach house” to his son Claus as a wedding present. In 1928, Claus worked with architect Richard Requa to build a guesthouse and a garage with two apartments above it.

Claus and his wife, Ellis, lived in the mansion until 1967.

Today, the property measures 10,500 square feet, including 10 bedrooms and 11 bathrooms. There’s also a four-car garage and a 1,000-square-foot basement. The enclosed courtyard features an elegant pool and a spa.

The kitchen has been thoughtfully updated, with a prep island, high-end appliances, a decorative pantry, and a wine refrigerator.

The estate’s modern history is decidedly less sweet than when the home was owned by the Spreckels family.

The home was the site of two notorious deaths in 2007. The first occurred when Max Shacknai, the 6-year-old son of owner Jonah Shacknai, fell from a staircase bannister. The death was recorded as accidental.

Two days later, the body of the owner’s girlfriend, Rebecca Zahau, was found hanging from a balcony. The sheriff announced the death was a suicide, although members of Zahau’s family disputed that finding. They filed a wrongful death civil suit against Shacknai’s brother Adam, and were eventually awarded a $5 million judgment against him.

California state law requires a seller to disclose any death that has occurred on site during the previous three years, regardless of the cause. As such, the current homeowner is under no obligation to share the details of those deaths with a potential buyer, but the sordid case is still fresh in the minds of many locals. It’ll be up to a buyer to make the next move and write the next chapter in the home’s history.

The post Coronado’s Spreckels Mansion Reappears on the Market With a Price Cut appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.

Source: Real Estate News and Advice – realtor.com » Real Estate News