On the Market: Inside Miami's Utterly Bonkers Manmade Water Fortress

× 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. Friday, March 23, 2012, by Sarah Firshein

Some properties are so outrageous that the souls who run real estate blogs hope and pray that they will eventually come on the market. This is one of them: the low-lying water world that Miami architect Charles Sieger (known for multi-million-dollar residential high-rises) built for himself smack in a land-locked Miami neighborhood. Now that moat-surrounded castle is for sale for the first time since its completion in 2007 with a list price of $10.9M.

As if to reveal the Sieger's deepest personal obsessions, everything about the property is painstakingly symmetrical, from the quite-obviously manmade lake to the diamond-shaped courtyard to the pair of concrete gazebos (accessed by stepping-stone paths) jutting out to either side of the house. The eight-bedroom, eight-bathroom, 10,100-square-foot interiors have a bright, airy, double-height living room, but the ornate wrought-iron rail running around the second story creates a moody, almost Gothic feel (as do many of the furnishings). And if Stonehenge and the Roman Forum were to have an extremely modern baby, it would likely resemble that sculpture garden out back.

If you're thinking that this place would look pretty rad in a hip-hop video: brilliant! The Sieger Residence featured prominently in Birdman's 2010 track "Fire Flame." Here, watch:

Birdman: Fire Flame

· Totes Ma Goats: Architect Charles Siegel Lists Epic Lake Castle [Realtor.com]
· Birdman - Fire Flame [YouTube]
· 25791 SW 167 Ave., Miami [Realtor.com]

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The Fortress: DJ and producer Val Kolton brought...

× 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, August 4, 2011, by Rob Bear

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Under 500K Club: Tiny in Chelsea, a Fortress in Indy, a Cambridge Cottage, and more!

× 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. Wednesday, May 4, 2011, by Rob Bear

Sometimes we get so caught up in the super high end listings that we forget about some of the notable, more affordable numbers. So from now on we'll be making a concerted effort to bring some lower-priced offerings to the front page. Admittedly, our inspiration is internal: Curbed SF has been running similar posts for that stratospherically-priced city for a while now. Okay, let's get started in famously-expensive NYC, where this Chelsea walk-up requires three flights of huffing and puffing with the groceries, but delivers with exposed wooden rafters, a relatively spacious pullman kitchen, and a deep closet, all in just 500 square feet. Despite the tiny space, the price creeps close to our limit at $499K.

? To escape the cramped spaces of Manhattan, head out to Indianapolis, Ind., where this quirky contemporary has almost 5,700-square-feet arranged around an interior atrium on more than an acre. The windowless facade is something to behold, and the atrium idea is pretty groovy, but the interior is going to need a full revamp before it could be considered for any glossies. Still, for 11 times the space of the NYC digs, this place still only costs $500K.

? Down in Atlanta, Ga. we opted for something a little more classically styled. Though the listing claims this is "Frank Lloyd Wright-style," we have a hard time relating the conventional interiors to any of FLW's work. But the Prairie-style exterior and the loft-like living room combine to make this one enticing package anyway. Plus, this four bedroom has recently seen a $100K reduction in price, just enough to slip in at $500K.

Out in Denver, Colo., it seems quality Craftsman-style homes are a dime-a-dozen, but the interior finishes of this Congress Park bungalow set it apart from the pack. Between the classic built-ins, subdued color scheme, and basement rec room, there's not much to dislike about this $500K beaut.

? Just across the river from Boston, Cambridge, Mass. is famous as home to titan's of higher ed Harvard and M.I.T., but the limited housing stock and high prices don't make it easy to get by on a student's budget. At $449K, this petite two-bedroom cottage is one of the cheaper single-family homes in town, but it doesn't skimp on style. The stripped and white-washed beamed ceiling, caged light fixtures, and bright kitchen earn this house high marks.
· Under 500K Club [Curbed SF]
· 307 West 20th Street [Streeteasy]
· Colony Woods [Sotheby's]
· Frank Lloyd Wright Styled Home with Guest Suite [Sotheby's]
· 840 Adams Street [Sotheby's]
· 504 Franklin Street [Zillow]

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