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Saturday, March 17, 2012

House of the Day: An Afrikaner-Inspired Estate in Montecito Returns After Reno

× Like us and you'll find top breaking news in your Facebook newsfeed. Sign up for our daily email newsletter and get top stories and breaking news delivered to your inbox. Thursday, March 15, 2012, by Rob Bear

Have a nomination for a jaw-dropping listing that would make a mighty fine House of the Day? Get thee to the tipline and send us your suggestions. We'd love to see what you've got.

Location: Montecito, Calif.
Price: $17,500,000
The Skinny: Inspired by the Dutch Colonial country estates in the hills outside Cape Town, South Africa, this Montecito mansion, known as Constantia, was designed by Chicago-based architect Ambrose Cramer as a wintertime escape for one of his Windy City patrons, the Meeker meatpacking family. Over the years since its completion in 1931, the magnificent structure passed to other local notables, like architect Jack Warner and philanthropists Stewart and Katherine Abercrombie, who are said to have hosted the Dalai Lama here on one of his American tours. The current owner, who purchased the property in 2006, has conducted an exacting renovation of the 9,800-square-foot main house and the sprawling Lockwood de Forest, Jr.-designed grounds. That must have been quite a reno, because now that very same owner is asking $17.5M, a solid $10.5M more than he or she paid back in '06. Regardless of the profit margin, this place has undeniably been restored to the standard that earned it a place in a 1979 issue of Architectural Digest.
· 1599 E Valley Road [Zillow]


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