The Real Estate Behind The Richest Men And Women In The World Part 8: Michael Bloomberg
The founder of Bloomberg LP and a former NYC mayor, Michael Bloomberg is one of the richest people in the world with a net worth of $41.1B. Between using his fortune to fund his well-known political campaigns and his philanthropy, which largely focuses on environmental advocacy, Bloomberg found the time to scoop up some serious real estate. He owns at least 14 properties around the world, but we think five of them stand out from the rest.
When owning one London townhouse simply doesn't cut it, what is a billionaire to do? Just what Bloomberg did: shell out $26M for a historic brick mansion in the English capital. The home boasts seven bedrooms, a private entry road and a ceiling mural painted by Sir James Thornhill, the same man who painted the dome of St. Paul's Cathedral. Bloomberg gets bonus points for owning a house previously owned by the famous writer Mary Ann Evans, better known by her pen name George Eliot.
Bloomberg also can call Southampton, long the retreat of NYC's super-rich, home. In 2011, he picked up the 35-acre Ballyshear Estate for $20M. Built in 1910, the 22k SF Georgian mansion comes equipped with 11 bedrooms and eight bathrooms. Not bad for a retreat on the Island.
But sometimes Southampton simply isn't enough of a retreat from the big city, and that's when Bloomberg heads to his Bermuda mansion. He purchased the estate in 1998, only to raze the existing mansion and build his own custom-made home. Coming in at 6k SF, the mansion cost Bloomberg $10M and is complete with his own putt-putt course and private beach.
Bloomberg has been a skier since his early days at Salomon Brothers, and to save himself the trouble of booking the penthouse suite every time he wants to hit the slopes, he simply bought his own four-bedroom top-floor suite at Vail's Mountain Haus. Rounding out his Vail experience, Bloomberg is a member of the Game Creek Club, which includes access to a special restaurant only accessible via snowcat after dark.
While it's fun to have mansions scattered around the globe, NYC's former mayor obviously has a Manhattan home as well. Bloomberg, a longtime resident of 17 East 79th Street, threw down $14M earlier this year to buy the triplex next door. The purchase is one of many, with Bloomberg buying up neighboring apartments over the last three decades and knocking down walls to expand his primary residence. There's only one unit left for him to buy to complete his NYC dream mansion, but there's one problem—the residents of three-plus decades say they aren't selling.
