A truly one-of-a-kind beachside home on La Jolla Bay in California is going to find a new owner if all goes to plan. Billionaire Darwin Deason has spent 15 years spending his vacation time at the massive Versailles-inspired palace by the sea, and now the home that locals have reportedly dubbed “The Sand Castle” (a moniker that has also been adopted for its official listing) for its outward appearance has finally hit the market with an asking price of $108 million.
If The Sand Castle finds a buyer for anywhere close to that price, it will shatter the record for the most expensive single-family residence in San Diego County, which currently rests with the $44 million mansion purchased by billionaire Egon Durban earlier this year.
Regardless of any price records it may set, The Sand Castle is an unforgettable dwelling at first sight alone. It sprawls across 13,000 square feet of living space with elegant stone columns, marble flooring, and intricate mosaics, all engineered to call to mind the opulence of a bygone era. But it was reportedly the property’s tri-directional views that drew Deason to the home back in 2009, and he’s used it as a vacation house ever since.
Deason purchased the property from San Diego-area real estate developer Doug Manchester, who completed it in 2005. Deason performed significant renovations to the home and added a separate guest house also in a Versailles-esque architectural style.
(Photo by Kevin Carter/Getty Images)
Other amenities to be found within the home and on the grounds include a fitness center, a private and elevated beach, a saltwater swimming pool, and two cabanas. It’s all said to have been inspired by the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc on the French seaside, which was the primary touchstone for the interiors designed by “global interior design icon” Timothy Corrigan.
Altogether, the property has ten bedrooms and 17 bathrooms. Here’s a bit more from its official listing:
“The Sand Castle is La Jolla’s most iconic waterfront jewel and includes one of the only on-property private beaches in California. A stunning homage to the finest manors on the French Riviera, the inspired and meticulous elegance of the Main House, Guest Residence and expansive grounds provides magnificent living while honoring extraordinary unobstructed views of the Pacific and coastline to the west, north and south…A tone-on-tone palette mirrors the sea and sky while continually orienting the visitor towards the home’s dramatic ocean views. No expense was spared in creating The Sand Castle. Multistory, manicured hedges cocoon the property, and upon entry through the magical courtyard and grand front hall, one is called to the water.”
But to really appreciate The Sand Castle you should take a look at it for yourself. You can do so by checking out the clip below from the CBS 8 San Diego YouTube channel, where naturally the potentially record-breaking listing made the news: