Villa Leopolda
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Villa Leopolda is the world's most expensive house, situated in the French town of Villefranche-sur-Mer on the Cote d'Azur. In August 2008, the previous owner, Lily Safra (wife of the deceased Syrian (Lebanon-born) businessman Edmond Safra), a famous Jewish philanthropist, decided to sell it to its new Russian owner, Mikhail Prokhorov, at a price of approximately 500 million euros ($736m:£397m).[1] The deal was decided in August 2008, and is to be finalized by September of that year. Mr Prokhorov's spokesman denied the he was the purchaser, he said the magnate refused to do business in France until he got an apology for being held in a prostitution probe. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7569742.stm)
Ogden Codman bought the property in 1929 and built his own house there from 1929 to 1931. The land, known as the Domaine of La Leopolda, was assembled by the King of Belgium Leopold II, who intended to build a villa there but died before he could start.
Past residents
- Izaak and Dorothy Killam
- Gianni Agnelli
- Edmond and Lily Safra
References
- ^ "Record 500m euros for Riviera pad". BBC News Website. Retrieved 2008-08-15.