Grace Kelly’s Provençal Estate Can Be Yours—And Other Real Estate News

From the former hideaway of Grace Kelly to skyscrapers in San Francisco, there is always something new happening in the world of real estate. In this roundup, AD PRO has everything you need to know.

On the Market

Grace Kelly getaway on the market in the South of France for $13 million

An historic estate in Provençe that movie star royal Grace Kelly frequented is on the market for $12.92 million. Located in the village of Gilette, about 45 minutes from Nice, Les Moulins du Villars started out as a collection of mills on the banks of the Estéron River, some of which date to the 14th century.

View more

In the 1970s, the remaining structures fell into the hands of Count Jean Fernand Joseph Gouin de Roumilly, who transformed them into a hot spot for French-speaking high society. Kelly visited Villars for the first time in 1980, bringing her daughter Caroline and Prince Louis de Polignac, godfather to her son, Albert II. She returned several times in the last years of her life, often bearing gifts, including several statues that remain there today. 

In the early 1990s new owners restored the 5.19-acre property’s stone walls and transformed the landscaping. Then, in 2010, the current owners oversaw a complete overhaul of the main villa, a former olive oil mill. Only the exterior walls were untouched, and to protect against earthquakes a reinforced concrete caisson was added inside the building’s 30-inch stone walls. The renovation also enlarged the home’s 40-plus double-glazed windows.

Today, Les Moulins du Villars has nearly nearly 6,500 square feet of living space. Connected by elevator, the main house’s four floors house seven bedrooms, two kitchens, and a media room. The spacious living and dining areas are linked by an antique mill wheel encased in glass. Additional outbuildings include a two-room guest house, a four-car garage, a large greenhouse, bird coops, and the Sanctuary, a semirestored ruin dating from ancient Rome used for parties and other events.

Côte d’Azur Sotheby’s International Realty has the listing.

A Bel Air mansion hits the market for $32 million

Who wouldn’t want to make a grand entrance descending the staircase at 1055 Stradella Road in Bel Air? Spanning all three three floors of the newly completed mansion, the feature touches down on the ground floor facing a wall of windows.

The floating European oak steps are offset by a minimalist glass railing and a feature wall made from Italian Pierre de Varennes stone. The wall’s recessed handrail appears to be carved out of the massive wall and is illuminated with indirect light, adding to its drama.

“We used a darker stone to give the wall a sense of mass, contrasting with the lighter travertine stone that is used for the exterior and interior walls,” says Belgian architect and interior designer Dieter Vander Velpen, who created the interiors for the 6-bedroom, 11-bath home. “The slabs are cut into huge pieces, forming a geometric composition.”

The pièce de resistance, though, is a custom chandelier by Canadian designer Randy Zieber. Consisting of 16 rough-cut alabaster pieces, it intersects all three floors, “further linking them together and drawing the eye upwards, looking up to the skylights at the roof, bringing in daylight in the staircase gallery,” according to Vander Velpen.

Completed this year, the 13,600-square-foot estate was Vander Velpen’s first project in LA, and represents a unique partnership with Venezuelan-born architect David Maman and Cape Town–based Saota, who collaborated on the exteriors. Other highlights include a cigar lounge, cedar sauna, and a home movie theater with a 160-inch screen and 4K laser projector.

The property is currently listed for $31.995 million, down a bit from the $38 million listed in June. Tyrone McKillen of Plus Real Estate Group at Official and Branden and Rayni Williams of Williams & Williams Estates Group share the listing.

New Developments

SCB reveals proposed 50-story San Francisco skyscraper

More detailed renderings of 2700 Sloat Boulevard, the 50-story residential tower under consideration in San Francisco’s Outer Sunset neighborhood, have been released by Solomon Cordwell Buenz. As presented, the sleek tower is sheathed in glass, with floor-to-ceiling windows and rounded balconies on each floor. There are 680 units, from studios to three-bedroom residences, as well as an amenity space with a large terrace on the third floor.

At nearly 590 feet, 2700 Sloat would be one of the 12 tallest buildings in the city, offering what a release promises will be “stunning vistas of the ocean, Mt. Davidson, Twin Peaks, the Golden Gate Bridge, and the far-flung Marin Headlands.” It would also include ground-floor retail, a fitness center, underground parking, and more. The site, which currently houses the Sloat Garden Center, is about two blocks from Ocean Beach.

Critics complained that the tower would blot out low-rise buildings in the Sunset District, where nothing is more than 100 feet tall, and city officials said it violated zoning codes. But Nevada-based developer CH Planning LLC counters that, because 110 units are being set aside for affordable housing, the property qualifies for California’s density bonus law.

“It’s really very simple, and we will see it through,” Raelynn Hickey (who owns the development company with her husband, John) told SF YIMBY in March. “The city needs to supply the Outer Sunset area with 11,000 new housing units in just over 7.5 years, and approval of hundreds of small projects is not going to get them anywhere near that state requirement.”

This is the fourth iteration of 2700 Sloat since the project was announced in 2020. (The original concept was for a mere eight stories with 213 units.) Whether this is the final form or a new vision will become a reality remains to be seen.

Lefferts furthers investment in North Miami Beach with Arquitectonica-designed condo

Developer Lefferts has just submitted an application to Miami Beach’s Design Review Board for a new luxury condominium south of Surfside. Tentatively named 72B, the 20-story tower at 600 72nd Street is designed by Arquitectonica to include 125 residences.

Lefferts recently topped off the 206-unit 72 Park just across the way at 580 72nd Street and will launch two more projects in North Beach, part of what it calls a “long-term commitment” to revitalizing the oceanfront district. “We are deeply committed to preserving the fabric of the residential community while enhancing the quality of life and options available for families looking to make this slice of paradise their home,” Lefferts chief development officer Jim Hedden said in a statement.

Sales for 72B will be managed by Douglas Elliman Development Marketing.

Brooklyn Tower is top dog with the New World’s highest amenities

Some luxury high-rises tout private restaurants. But when you’ve hired SHoP Architects, who designed the Brooklyn Nets’ home, Barclays Center, you go with a basketball court.

And not just any basketball court—the highest in the Western Hemisphere, according to JDS Development Group, which recently showed off renderings of Brooklyn Tower’s mile-high amenity. The arena will be on the 93-story supertall’s 66th floor, about 629 feet above DeKalb Avenue, along with the world’s highest dog run and a children’s playground and rec room with foosball, ping-pong, and air hockey. Sky Park, as the facility is being called, is an open-air loggia, intended to help mitigate the 1,066-foot-tall building’s sway—and offer residents singular views of Manhattan.

If that doesn’t get you high enough, Sky Lounge on the 85th floor includes an observation deck, fireplace, garden terrace, outdoor dining, and a cocktail bar. (Sky Lounge will only be available to residents of the building’s 150 condos, not the 400 rentals.)

Brooklyn Tower’s design was inspired by the hexagonal patterns and Classical Revival style of adjacent Brooklyn Dime Savings Bank at its base, which was decommissioned in 2002 and will be reborn as a retail flagship location. It topped out in late 2021 and sales began in March. Residents have already started moving in, according to leasing and sales company Douglas Elliman, and the Sky Deck is expected to be complete in 2024.

JDS and SHoP previously collaborated on another superlative supertall: 111 West 57th Street on Billionaire’s Row, a.k.a. Steinway Tower, the second-tallest residential building in the Western Hemisphere and the skinniest skyscraper on Earth.

At launch, pricing for condominiums at the Brooklyn Tower ranged from $875,000 for studio residences to $8 million for four-bedrooms. Rentals begin around $3,400 for studios; two-bedrooms run just north of $6,000.

Sales Launch

Sales commence for Fogarty Finger condo in Williamsburg

Developer Gemini Rosemont has just launched sales at 171N1, a seven-story residential project in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, designed by Fogarty Finger. The plans call for 57 units, ranging from studios to two-bedroom apartments, as well as a trio of four-bedroom town houses. 

Groundbreaking at 171 North 1st Street commenced in 2021 and move-ins are anticipated this fall. Buyers will enjoy spacious, light-filled homes with oversized windows and white oak flooring, and kitchens with quartz countertops, custom Italian cabinetry, and luxury European appliances. Amenities include a backyard zen garden, a gym with Matrix equipment, and a rooftop terrace with a 20-foot grill and sweeping views of Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge.

“Williamsburg residents want the neighborhood feel of a boutique building and the amenities of a large building,” Gemini Rosemont executive vice president Paul Gerwin told Real Estate Weekly in 2020 after the company acquired the site. “We are attracted to the property because the project size hits the sweet spot in meeting both of these lifestyle demands.”

Pricing at 171N1 starts at $650,000, with sales being handled by the Franklin Team at Compass.

Chris Fogarty and Robert Finger’s eponymous firm is also responsible for 300 Nevins Street, a two-building residential project going up in Gowanus and Nova, a 24-story condo nearing completion in Long Island City.

Model Residence

Dazzling model residences on the Lower East Side

Studio D has just completed three new model residences at 222 East Broadway on New York’s Lower East Side. Developed by Optimum Asset Management, the project includes a new 28-story tower designed by SLCE Architects, as well as the 11-story former Bialystoker Center and Home for the Aged, a converted Art Deco landmark dating to 1931.

Studio D’s Xandro Aventajado says the juxtaposition of old and new, in both the buildings and its locale, fueled his choices for the showcase units. “For these specific units, I envisioned young, stylish, and creative singles and couples,” Aventajado says. “People that need to feel the area’s energy and dynamism to stay inspired. The [neighborhood] and the building are full of possibilities and I wanted to continue that feeling inside with carefully selected transitional pieces.” He was also intentional in positioning pieces to take full advantage of the breathtaking views: The bed in the main suite is situated, he said, “so you wake up to see the expansive view of downtown and the Freedom Tower.”

222 East Broadway will be home to 70 residences in all, ranging from studios to four bedrooms, with interior building design by Paris Forino. Based on availability, residences range from $835,000 for a studio to $6 million for a four-bedroom unit, with sales handled exclusively by Cantor Pecorella.