Status of construction in February 2016

Versailles is a 90,000-square-foot (8,400 m2)[1] house belonging to Westgate Resorts founder David Siegel and his wife Jackie. It is under construction at 6121 Kirkstone Lane, Windermere, Florida, in the gated community of Lake Butler Sound in Orange County, Florida, United States. Named and modeled after the Palace of Versailles in France, the completed project would be one of the largest single-family homes in the United States.[2][3][4][5] It is designed as the primary residence of the Siegels and their children.[6]

History

Construction began in 2004. Work stalled in 2009 with 60% completed as Siegel's company encountered financial difficulties. The house was subsequently listed for sale at $65 million.[6] With Westgate Resorts' improved finances as of 2013, Siegel came to own the property outright and construction resumed.[7] Completion was scheduled for 2016. [8][9] Then as of March 2017 the completion date had been pushed back to at least 2019.[10] As of November 2020, Jackie Siegel's estimated completion date remained a year and a half away, well into 2023.[11] Expected to appraise at over $100 million, the project will be the fourth most expensive house in the United States.[5]

Design

Versailles house in 2014

Built on a constructed hill on 10 acres (4.0 ha) of lakefront property,[6][12] the residence will include nine kitchens,[2] 14 bedrooms,[13] three indoor pools, two outdoor pools, a video arcade,[6] a ballroom with a capacity of 500 to 1,000 people,[4] a two-story movie theater with a balcony inspired by the Palais Garnier, a 20,000-bottle wine cellar,[6] an exotic-fish aquarium,[6] two tennis courts,[6] a two-lane commercial grade bowling alley, a baseball diamond,[6] a formal outdoor garden,[6] and an elevator in the master bedroom closet.[2] As the Siegels' children are now older, modifications to the original plans included turning playrooms into a yoga studio and a teenager's cave with a second movie theater.[14]

Doors and windows are constructed using some of the last remaining legal Brazilian mahogany at a cost of $4 million,[2][6] cut before the Brazilian government banned trade in big-leaf mahogany in 2001.[15] Exterior walls are precast concrete with Pavonazzo marble veneer.[6]

Documentary

The home and its owners were the subject of the 2012 documentary film The Queen of Versailles, as well as an episode of CNBC's Secret Lives of the Super Rich.

A follow-on TV series, The Queen of Versailles Reigns Again, follows the house and Siegel family on the Discovery+ streaming service.[16]

References

  1. ↑ "'Queen of Versailles' Couple Says They'll Finish 90,000-Square-Foot Florida Super-Mansion". ABC News. June 3, 2015. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Versailles in Florida: Construction Resumes on Biggest House in US". ABC News. October 1, 2013. Retrieved February 8, 2014.
  3. ↑ "Versailles Lake Butler Mansion by David Siegel". Nine Homes. Retrieved February 8, 2014.
  4. 1 2 "Boom years are back: Construction resumes on America's largest house, 'Versailles'". Death and Taxes Magazine. Retrieved February 8, 2014.
  5. 1 2 Riefflen, Lauren (May 3, 2011). "Top 10 Most Expensive Homes for Sale in the U.S." Zillow. Retrieved February 8, 2014.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Berfield, Susan (March 15, 2012). "Versailles, the Would-Be Biggest House in America". Businessweek. Archived from the original on March 16, 2012. Retrieved February 8, 2014.
  7. ↑ "6121 Kirkstone Ln (Parcel 19-23-28-7391-00-220)". Orange County Property Appraiser. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  8. ↑ Christopher Parr (September 25, 2013). "CNBC's Robert Frank Interview on 'Secret Lives of the Super Rich'". Pursuitist.com. Retrieved February 28, 2016.
  9. ↑ Clarke, Sarah (November 13, 2013). "Jackie Siegel, 'Queen of Versailles,' to host charity garage sale". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
  10. ↑ Bilbao, Richard (March 9, 2017). "The Queen of Versailles Jackie Siegel: 'I may want a bigger house now'". Orlando Business Journal. American City Business Journals. Last night at the Orange County Property Appraiser Rick Singh's State of Commercial Real Estate Event at the Wyndham Orlando Resort International Drive, Orlando Business Journal asked David Siegel how the mansion was coming along. He responded with one word: "Slowly." However, he said the home is still a couple of years out from completion, which would make it a near 15-year project. Jackie Siegel was a bit more optimistic, predicting 1.5 years of construction to go.
  11. ↑ "'Queen of Versailles' Jackie Siegel says 18 months before Florida mega-mansion is finished: Report".
  12. ↑ Hickman, Matt (January 24, 2012). "Versailles: 90,000-square-feet of wretched excess and shattered dreams". Mother Nature Network. Retrieved February 8, 2014.
  13. ↑ Massey, Robert. "The Property Man: Tragedy strikes family building the biggest home in America".
  14. ↑ "Jackie Siegel, 'Queen of Versailles,' really down to earth | Toronto Star". Thestar.com. December 13, 2013. Retrieved February 28, 2016.
  15. ↑ Chimeli, Ariaster B., Boyd, Roy G. (February 2010). "Prohibition and the Supply of Brazilian Mahogany". Land Economics. 86 (1): 194. doi:10.3368/le.86.1.191. JSTOR 27759725. S2CID 154800700.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  16. ↑ "The Queen of Versailles Reigns Again". IMDB.com. Retrieved April 4, 2022.

28°28′23″N 81°33′5″W / 28.47306°N 81.55139°W / 28.47306; -81.55139

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