Casa Nana (Palm Beach)

 house, place with historical importance, 1926_construction, 1920s construction

Addison Mizner built this house with its two-story, Venetian-style loggias and an open circular stairwell in 1926 for George Rasmussen, the founder of the National Tea Company, who named it after his wife. The living room contains a circa-1550 fireplace King Henri II of France had made for his mistress, Diana De Poitiers. The fireplace's engraved double D's refer to her; the "H" above stands for the king. In addition to the original circular stair tower leading to an oceanfront master suite, the 30,000-square-foot estate has nine bedrooms, 14 baths and a movie theater with tiered seating for 12. Its former owners include Mary Woolworth Donahue{Hartline}, a host of early Chicago TV shows, who married the heir to the dime-store fortune and once rented the house to Adnan Khashoggi before selling it for $3 million in 1980. Bud Paxson, founder of Paxson Communications, and his wife, Marla, owned Casa Nana in the late 1990s and early 2000s. They hosted a 2000 fund-raiser for George W. Bush's presidential campaign there before selling it furnished for $30.25 million in 2003. Casa Nana is once again for sale, this time for $72.5 million{2009}. PROPERTY REMARKS
This historic estate is situated in one of the world's most exclusive areas, surrounded by magificent estates and restored beyond its original grandeur. The architect-builder Addison Mizner, blended Gothic Spanish and Venetian architectural styles to create an ambiance which was destined to be his trademark and which is highly sought after today. 268; of oceanfront comprising approx. 3+ acres and the property is completely walled and hedged for privacy and security. Electically controlled decorative gates grace the main entrances on So. Ocean Blvd. and on So. County Road with winding drive and arrival courts. The main residence features 9 bedrooms, 8 full baths, 4 half baths, grand foyer, double door entry into formal dining room with frescos on the walls, wood carved ceiling and east garden/ocean views, drawing room, library, authentic movie theatre with tiered seating for 12 along with box office, concession area, cigar lounge with bar and wine cellar which holds 2000 bottles. The Master suite comprised of 17'x36' bedroom with a luxurious bath, double walk-in closets and a glorious morning room 20'x30' overlooking the Atlantic ocean, Lake Worth and entire estate gardens. There is an apartment over the garage, full guest house with 5 bedrooms, 4 baths, full kitchen, living room, dining room, its own private pool and a one car garage. Pool pavilion with wet bar, pizza oven in kitchen, two dressing rooms and baths and 58'x15' game/billard room plus family room. Generator controls cooling tower, main house and pool pavilion. Total square footage 30,547.