Bill Gates's house: Difference between revisions
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==Description== |
==Description== |
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The lot was purchased in December 1988 for $ |
The lot was purchased in December 1988 for $38 million, and construction occurred over a period of seven and a half years with nominal completion in 1995.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.billgatesmicrosoft.com/billhouse.htm|title=Bill Gates House|accessdate=2008-07-21|publisher[billgatesmicrosoft.com}}</ref> The house is located on a hill, at the east end of the lot. |
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The residence occupies {{convert| |
The residence occupies {{convert|66000|sqft|m2}} on a {{convert|5.15|acre|m2}} lot. Garage space and outbuildings may occupy an additional {{convert|16000|sqft|m2}}. Property records indicate 7 bedrooms, 24 bathrooms, 6 kitchens, 6 fireplaces, and 4 building levels. Inside this mansion you will find, a swimming pool size 17 × 60 foot (5.1 × 18.2 m), {{convert|2100|sqft|m2|sing=on}} library, theater with approximately a 20 people seating capacity, a formal dining room, a grand staircase size {{convert|92|ft|m|0}} long and {{convert|63|ft|m|0}} high with 84 steps, reception hall capacity more than 150 people at a time, conference facilities, outdoor sports courts, exercise room, offices, and plenty of advanced technology. |
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==Property taxes and assessed value== |
==Property taxes and assessed value== |
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According to [[King County, Washington|King County]] public records, as of 2005, the total assessed value of the property (land and house) is $136,617,000 and the annual [[property tax]] for 2006 was $1,012,321.{{Fact|date=June 2008}} ''Seattle Weekly'' reports the 2008 tax jumped to $ |
According to [[King County, Washington|King County]] public records, as of 2005, the total assessed value of the property (land and house) is $136,617,000 and the annual [[property tax]] for 2006 was $1,012,321.{{Fact|date=June 2008}} ''Seattle Weekly'' reports the 2008 tax jumped to $1.063 million and the home's assessed value to $147.5 million.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.seattleweekly.com/news/blogs/dailyweekly/2008/05/gates_taxman_cometh.php |title=Taxman Cometh|publisher=Seattle Weekly}}</ref> The address of the [[mansion]] is 1835 73rd Ave NE, Medina, WA 98039. |
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==Details== |
==Details== |
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==Construction== |
==Construction== |
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The house was designed by [[ |
The house was designed by [[James Cutler]] of [[James Cutler Architects]] and the architectural firm [[Bohlin Cywinski Jackson]].<ref>Cheryl Weber, ''Dream teams: architects are partnering with other firms to win plum projects.(practice)'', [[Residential Architect]], [[January 1]] [[2006]]. [http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-12554429_ITM]<small>Courtesy link, registration required</small> Retrieved on [[October 4]] [[2007]].</ref> |
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The number of building permits needed completely overwhelmed the Medina city clerk's office, necessitating the purchase of a computer-based document management system. Ironically, the city used a variation of [[Linux]] to meet this demand.<ref>{{cite web|name=Christine Burns|url=http://www.networkworld.com/archive/1998/49241_10-05-1998.html|title=Gates pushes hometown to Linux|publication=[[Network World]]| date=[[1998-10-05]]|accessdate=2007-10-04}}</ref> |
The number of building permits needed completely overwhelmed the Medina city clerk's office, necessitating the purchase of a computer-based document management system. Ironically, the city used a variation of [[Linux]] to meet this demand.<ref>{{cite web|name=Christine Burns|url=http://www.networkworld.com/archive/1998/49241_10-05-1998.html|title=Gates pushes hometown to Linux|publication=[[Network World]]| date=[[1998-10-05]]|accessdate=2007-10-04}}</ref> |
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Revision as of 14:36, 1 September 2008
Bill Gates's house is a large earth-sheltered mansion in the side of a hill overlooking Lake Washington in Medina, Washington. The house is noted for its design and the technology it incorporates. It is nicknamed Xanadu 2.0.[1]
Description
The lot was purchased in December 1988 for $38 million, and construction occurred over a period of seven and a half years with nominal completion in 1995.[2] The house is located on a hill, at the east end of the lot.
The residence occupies 66,000 square feet (6,100 m2) on a 5.15 acres (20,800 m2) lot. Garage space and outbuildings may occupy an additional 16,000 square feet (1,500 m2). Property records indicate 7 bedrooms, 24 bathrooms, 6 kitchens, 6 fireplaces, and 4 building levels. Inside this mansion you will find, a swimming pool size 17 × 60 foot (5.1 × 18.2 m), 2,100-square-foot (200 m2) library, theater with approximately a 20 people seating capacity, a formal dining room, a grand staircase size 92 feet (28 m) long and 63 feet (19 m) high with 84 steps, reception hall capacity more than 150 people at a time, conference facilities, outdoor sports courts, exercise room, offices, and plenty of advanced technology.
Property taxes and assessed value
According to King County public records, as of 2005, the total assessed value of the property (land and house) is $136,617,000 and the annual property tax for 2006 was $1,012,321.[citation needed] Seattle Weekly reports the 2008 tax jumped to $1.063 million and the home's assessed value to $147.5 million.[3] The address of the mansion is 1835 73rd Ave NE, Medina, WA 98039.
Details
The house is a modern design in the Pacific lodge style, with classic features such as a large private library with a dome shaped roof and oculus (light well).[4] The house also features an estate-wide server system running Windows, heated floors and driveways, and a pin worn by guests that upon entrance of a room automatically adjust temperature, music, and lighting based on the guest's preferences.
Gates and his wife Melinda are fond of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, and they have inscribed in the library a sentence from the last page of the novel: "He had come a long way to this blue lawn, and his dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it."[5]
Parties
Gates often entertains the rich and powerful at his home. Once, when Bill Gates had a private party for the National Governors Association at the house, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced a temporary security zone around Gates' house which restricted access to those with Government permission. The zone covered all of Lake Washington south of the Highway 520 bridge and stayed in effect for two days.[6]
Construction
The house was designed by James Cutler of James Cutler Architects and the architectural firm Bohlin Cywinski Jackson.[7]
The number of building permits needed completely overwhelmed the Medina city clerk's office, necessitating the purchase of a computer-based document management system. Ironically, the city used a variation of Linux to meet this demand.[8]
See also
References
- ^ "Bill Gates's stately pleasure dome and futuristic home". 11/23/97.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Bill Gates House". Retrieved 2008-07-21.
{{cite web}}: Text "publisher[billgatesmicrosoft.com" ignored (help) - ^ "Taxman Cometh". Seattle Weekly.
- ^ Pool building part of a U.S. News feature on the house [1]. Retrieved on October 4 2007.
- ^ Paterson, Thane (June 13, 2000). "Advice for Bill Gates: A Little Culture Wouldn't Hurt". Business Week. Retrieved 2008-03-21.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Homeland Security works door at Gates' party". CNET.
- ^ Cheryl Weber, Dream teams: architects are partnering with other firms to win plum projects.(practice), Residential Architect, January 1 2006. [2]Courtesy link, registration required Retrieved on October 4 2007.
- ^ "Gates pushes hometown to Linux". 1998-10-05. Retrieved 2007-10-04.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Unknown parameter|name=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|publication=ignored (help)