Villa Taj, Estate of the Day
Few homes make as bold an impression as the Villa Taj in Burr Ridge, Illinois. This massive home is, at $25 million, the most expensive home on the market in Illinois. The outside includes over 15,000 square feet of terrace space. The developer has created a home that pulls in influences from around the world, a pastiche of Greco-Roman columns, Moorish chandeliers and Mughal wall details. He says that the home is named Villa Taj because it is a "crown jewel" but I'm sure the immediate mind association with the Taj Mahal doesn't hurt either. Last month, CBS2 News in Chicago took a video tour of the home which is over 35,000 square feet total. The scale of the home is incredible, it looks more like a museum than a private residence.
The front doors weigh 4,000 pounds. The palatial interior features two formal living rooms, staff quarters, a home theater, library and even a bowling alley. Ceilings in some rooms are 38 feet high. Antiques built into the home have been flown in from around the world. The home has made use of 160 tons of imported Gold Jerusalem stone both inside and outside the residence. The carved stonework took over two years to install. Two powder rooms are outfitted with over 4,200 square feet of Pineapple Onyx from Mexico with Italian marble accents. The home has multiple service areas including one area between the kitchen and ballroom which provides has a wet bar, icemaker, refrigerator and space for catering setup.
The initial landscaping has been completed with over 600 trees planted at the home. A swimming pool and pool pavilion are planned.There are just a few photos here, check out the property website for the full effect of this home.
[Thanks, Brad]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Kevin Jul 16th 2009 1:37PM
Spend your money any way you want, but from every angle, that's an awful lot of money for one very ugly house.
Thunderball Ent Jul 16th 2009 1:59PM
looks so wrong
DJ Jul 16th 2009 2:06PM
Worse than ugly, it looks like a mausoleum!
GlobalDia Jul 16th 2009 2:09PM
buahahaha, 200 feet from a traffic signal!!!
for $25mio they couldve hired an architect who wouldnt make the exterior just plain ole ugly.
and whats up with the astroturf lawn????
DJ Jul 16th 2009 2:25PM
And get this, even after paying the $25 Million, you still have to down to Abt and buy your own appliances!
just me Jul 16th 2009 3:15PM
God awful, ridiculous.
Justin Jul 16th 2009 3:16PM
I don't even want to think about what will go on in this eyesore of a house. It was clearly designed to accommodate a harem.
big mac Jul 16th 2009 6:53PM
This "developer" is out of his freakin' mind. I have never seen a house with more limited appeal. He is looking for a buyer that:
1. Is probably on the Forbes 400 list.
2. Wants a house that looks like a mausoleum.
3. Has extremely eastern tastes.
4. Wants a home in Illinois.
This house will sit empty for a very long time, eventually selling for a fraction of what it cost to build. Either that or the builder will move into it, if he can afford to. I hope the builder is loaded because he just lost a ton of money.
Matt Jul 17th 2009 10:43AM
I've driven by the home a few times. I thought it was a temple of some sort being built. Burr Ridge is a wealthy suburb but the particular location is very jerk-water. There is no view. There are two busy roads intersecting there that will be packed with commuters many hours of the day. The broker will talk up its proximity to Chicago, but its still an hour drive to down town during rush hours. Why not build something like that on the lake front? Ease back on a ton or two of marble and pick up a million dollar lot somewhere else. Oak Brook and Hinsdale still have a lot of property a wealthy person could develop and be closer to the restaurants and shopping in Oak Brook.
shieldsbrown Jul 17th 2009 12:38PM
If a parking lot and a very cheap Taj Mahal-themed wedding palace met and had a baby...
thegregory Jul 17th 2009 4:04PM
I don't know where to begin.
Stunningly awful, jaw droppingly hideous, mindblowingly plerplexing.
DJ Jul 17th 2009 5:59PM
At the very least, he could have built it next to the Pyramid House north of Gurnee. It could have become a mini Mid-Eastern theme park within walikng distance of Six Flags Great America.
gregg Jul 17th 2009 7:21PM
Maybe an Embassy or Consulate for some small, oil rich, anonymous, middle-eastern nation ( like those always depicted on Mission:Impossible...). Right!! All kidding aside, this tomb will never sell as a private home, regardless of the price and the location. The builder/owner might as well just move in and enshrine himself, and then quick, somebody seal the place up so this never happens again!!