Jack, off topic. LOL!
>>Peter Sperling, son of the founder of the Arizona-based University of Phoenix, and his wife, Stephanie, have purchased a home adjacent to their 12-acre Montecito estate for $25 million in cash, local real estate sources said.
The purchase, less than a mile from the home Oprah Winfrey bought last year for $54 million, is one of the largest for a private residence in Montecito.
The home that the Sperlings bought is on 10.5 acres. Built in 1916 and recently renovated, the Mission Revival-style home, designed by Francis T. Underhill, is reached by way of a long, tree-lined drive, which ends at a large motorcourt surrounded by stone walls and a set of carved Moorish doors.
The home also has a 60-foot entrance hall, a family-media room, a full basement with wine and grocery cellars; a walk-in vault; a staff suite; five upstairs bedrooms, including a master suite with an ocean view; a guest house; a pool; and garage space for more than nine cars.
The Sperlings' adjacent home was purchased in 1997 from actress Geena Davis and her ex-husband, director Renny Harlin, for about $9.5 million. That property has a 9,000-square-foot main residence, a guest house, a staff cottage, a tennis court and a pool.
Peter Sperling, 41, also purchased a three-acre oceanfront site in Montecito for $17 million a year ago. The site has a guest house but no main residence. The purchase included house plans.
Sperling's father, John, created the University of Phoenix as a for-profit school open only to jobholders age 23 and older. It won accreditation in 1981 and by 1997, its enrollment topped that of New York University. |
