kennedy

Avid Luxist readers may recognize this vintage ambulance from our article earlier this month. The 1963 Pontiac Bonneville is one of only a handful converted to an ambulance and commissioned by the U.S. Navy. It was said to have carried out the solemn duty of transporting the remains and bereaved of the assassinated president John F. Kennedy, and was slated for the auction block under the auspices of Barrett-Jackson at its recently-concluded auction in Scottsdale, Arizona.

The story sounded credible and straightforward enough, but before the auction took place, reports surfaced to question the authenticity of the vehicle's provenance. It seemed, according to the reports, that the vehicle that actually carried JFK's remains and grieving widow and brother from Andrews Air Force Base to Bethesda Naval Hospital was actually destroyed several years ago.

Authenticity notwithstanding, Barrett-Jackson elected to auction the vehicle just the same, where it promptly sold for a high bid of $120,000 – less than it probably would have fetched if not for the question of its provenance, but more than if it were indeed just an ordinary ambulance. The buyer stated her intentions to donate the car for display at the Smithsonian, but to make the story all the stranger, ended up reportedly selling it for little more than she paid for it to the daughter of a limousine collector in Colorado whose father is presently incarcerated for bribing Alaskan legislators.

Few if any U.S. presidents have elicited the kind of following that JFK did in his life, and arguably even more so in his death. Collectors obsess over Kennedy memorabilia, and this will surely be one of the most coveted pieces.

The vehicle you see here – a 1963 Pontiac Bonneville ambulance commissioned by the Department of the Navy – was tasked with the solemn duty of transporting the slain president's casket (along with his widow and grieving brother who would vie to succeed him) from Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base to Bethesda Naval Hospital and then on to Capitol Hill.

Preserved in original condition, the vehicle will be going up for auction under the Barrett-Jackson gavel in Scottsale, Arizona, from January 17-23.

Pictured above is the watch JFK wore every day during his morning swim in the White House pool, according to his personal secretary, Evelyn Lincoln, who found the watch in his desk following his assassination and gave it to his wife, Jackie. Now the watch is up for auction at Antiquorum in early March, and is expected to reach final bids between $150,000-200,000.

The watch, designed by Natrix, is a 14K gold timepiece featuring 57 jewels and its original brown alligator strap. It was a gift to the 35th President from Evangeline and David Bruce, who were key supporters of JFK's candidacy.

Interestingly enough, the watch belonged not only to JFK but to Aristotle Onassis. Mrs. Kennedy gave the watch to her second husband in 1971, inscribing the letters FALJ (For Ari, Love Jackie) between the lugs.

[Thanks Michelle!]

One of my favorite real estate commenters, the ever-knowledgeable Spectacular Bid led me to the news that the family of Ambassador Robert Sargent Shriver and Eunice Kennedy Shriver (sister to President John F. Kennedy) have put their Potomac, Maryland estate on the market since the family has been spending more time at other Kennedy/Shiver outposts such as Hyannispoort, Los Angeles and Miami. The home was built in 1986 for the Shrivers and is an expansive Georgian style home ranging over 16,000 square feet. The home is on nearly seven acres that include the hickory trees that Sargent Shriver had planted when the residence was constructed built and which were part of the trees on Ambassador Shriver's old family farm in Westminster, Maryland. The grounds also include a pool, pool house, tennis courts and four-car garage.

As you might imagine the home has been the site of Kennedy clan gatherings, historical events and Special Olympic fundraisers. It has 10 bedrooms and large rooms for entertaining. The current decor is exquisitely classic and items of family remembrance such as a big picture of Rose Kennedy hang proudly on the walls.

This home is listed at $11.8 million. It bears noting that Robert and Ethel Kennedy's McLean, Virginia home, Hickory Hill has been on the market for several years and has seen its asking price go from $25 million to $12.5 million.

Experience more lush living in luxury homes and mansions or see the stars living large with celebrity homes galleries at AOL Real Estate.

Earlier this week we mentioned a yacht that President John F. Kennedy has used. Now the 62-foot Sparkman & Stephens yacht Manitou that he sailed while in office, is for sale for $1.95 million. The boat was built in Maryland in 1936 and Kennedy used it for both official and personal cruising. Kennedy sailed with both family and dignitaries on the vintage yawl. The yacht includes a fireplace and a single diesel engine. After Kennedy's assassination in 1963, the boat was sold to the Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship. The boat underwent a renovation several years back. I'm sure this piece of American history won't be for sale for long.

From the NY Post's Gimme Shelter:
--Deep discounts for Bubble Hill, Eddie Murphy's New Jersey home is now down to $22 million (from an original listing price of $30 million). His Dutchess County farm, known as "Clove Hill," is also listed at $$9.9 million check it out later as our estate of the day.
-- A five-bedroom apartment at 2 E. 67th St. is expected to be sold as part of an estate sale in the low-$30 million range. The prewar home has 16 rooms and several fireplaces.
--Robert De Niro is still renting Central Park West but almost bought a triplex penthouse in a renovated townhouse at 3 E. 75th St. The townhouse is back on the market for $20 million.
--The planned condo project at 485 Fifth Ave. is a no-go. Deposits have been returned and the developers are thinking of turning it into a hotel. This is a move we have seen in a lot of condo projects in trouble but not usually in ones were almost half of the units are already sold.

From the NY Observer's Manhattan Transfers:
--Her Serene Highness Gloria von Thurn und Taxis, a German noble has bought a full-floor co-op at 14 West 17th Street for $3.2 million for her daughter, Princess Elisabeth.
--Jean Pierre Collardeau, a con man who took investors for over $20 million has sold his apartment for $1.68 million. The money will go toward reimbursing his victims.
-- Designer George Beylerian has sold his 9,750-square-foot brownstone at 16 East 77th Street for $10.4 million. He bought the brownstone in 1977 for $270,000.

From the Wall Street Journal:
-- Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale have bought a Beverly Hills home once owned by actress and singer Jennifer Lopez for close to the $15.5 million asking price.
--Matthew Maxwell Kennedy, son of the late senator and presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, has put his six-bedroom home in Hyannisport on Cape Cod on the market for $5.995 million. The shingled home is located around the corner from the main Kennedy compound The listing is here.

From the LA Times Hot Property:
Macy Gray has put her Encino home on the market for $4.559 million. Fun features of the home include a basketball court with a mural, dual staircases, a dome ceiling and pool and spa. The listing is here.
--Michael Berns, consulting producer on the CBS drama "Waterfront" has listed his Point Dume home at $3.5 million. The home has five bedrooms, access to a private beach, outdoor shower and a master bathroom that has a steam shower with a sound system and dual rainheads. The listing is here.
--Kells Jesse, a production designer and his wife, Meshell, have bought a home in La Cañada Flintridge for $915,000.
--More sports action in Manhattan Beach, basketball player Slava Medvedenko has sold his home to L.A. Kings hockey player Alexander Frolov for about $2.3 million.
--Cheryl Chase, the voice of Angelica C. Pickles on the cartoon series "Rugrats," has listed her Sunset Strip-area home for $1.2 million. The charming, traditional home has a white picket fence, three bedrooms and an office/den. The listing is here.

David H. Koch, number 33 on Forbes Magazine's list of the world's billionaires, is selling up to accommodate his growing family and putting his 1040 Fifth Avenue apartment on the market. The apartment occupies the entire 15th floor of the building and was once owned by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. Koch purchased it in 1995 for $9.5-million and spent and estimated $5-10 million on renovations. He and his wife felt they needed a larger space to raise what will be their third child, though the apartment at 1040 Fifth has four bedrooms, two dressing rooms, a staff room, a library, living room, dining room, conservatory, two terraces, three fireplaces, five and a half bathrooms and a wine room. The family is moving to 740 Park, which Koch says is a duplex twice the size of the Onassis apartment. The asking price is $32 million.

[Photo NYT]

From the NY Post's Gimme Shelter:
--Braden Keil reports that Las Ramblas, George Clooney and Rande Gerber's Las Vegas project is no more. Rumor has it that the land could be sold to a W Hotel partnership.
--A new price has been sent for a Hamptons rental. Anna Anisimova, a Russian socialite is renting a house in Water Mill for  $635,000 over the summer. The home has six bedrooms, a media room, wine cellar, gym, pool with pool house, a tennis court and a two-bedroom guesthouse. Apparently the young Russian was swayed by all the flatscreen televisions in the house (ooo, shiny).
--Tommy Mottola and wife, Thalia Soto spent  $9 million for a two-bedroom condop at 110 Central Park South but also have a contract on a three-bedroom duplex at the Peter Turino-designed 170 East End Ave., which has a price tag of over $6 million. As we've mentioned before the Turino building is designed for upscale families.
--James Nederlander has paid $13.5 million for a three-bedroom home at  838 Fifth Ave. Nederlander has done what is virtually impossible in New York, he paid about $200,000 less than what the previous owner paid. The apartment was originally listed at $17.9 million way back in December 2003.
--Equinox fitness center founder Danny Errico is hoping for a big score for his Amagansett estate. The home is listed at $35 million, an ambitious price for the home which is on 8 acres and next door to Howard Stern's former home, which just sold for more than $15 million.

From the NY Observer:
--Billy Joel has sold a 2,681-square-foot condo at the Hubert for $4.25 million. He bought the unit in 2004 for $3.9 million and moved out last July when he bought a three-story townhouse on Perry Street for $5.9 million.
 --Us Weekly editor Janice Min and her husband, Peter Sheehy have sold their Porter House condo to Robert K. Futterman for $3.15 million.

From Forbes Movers and Shakers:
--As predicted the Hull, Massachusetts house that once belonged to Kennedy grandfather  "Honey Fitz" Fitzgerald, did not come close to absolving the $2.3 million bank debt owed on the home. It sold for  $950,000 on Tuesday to Ernesto Caparrotta, a developer of luxury condominiums.

A piece of American history is hitting the auction block on Tuesday. The Boston Globe reports that the summer home of Mayor John F. "Honey Fitz" Fitzgerald, the father of Rose Kennedy will be auctioned off through Commonwealth Auctions. The house, located in the town of Hull was sold by Honey Fitz in 1921 but J.F.K. did spend the first summer of his life there. The 15-room mansion has a view of the Boston skyline and has a classic white-gabled look. The home is up for auction because the current owner Jamie Edelkind, used forged documents to buy and renovate the house. He was sentenced to five years in prison for wiring $580,000 in cash from a refinancing to his wife in Norway before he defaulted on a $2.3 million loan. It's historic but so far there hasn't been a lot of interest. The home does not have beach access. The home is a lovely old classic but real estate prices in Hull are often lower (a quick scan of Realtor.com reveals several large old grand houses selling for under $2 million) and the housing market in Massachusetts has recently turned a tad sluggish.

[via Born Rich]

The gorgeous albeit rather beaten-up Omega watch worn by President John F. Kennedy when he was inaugurated was auctioned for $350,000. Omega ending up being the top bidder in the Guernsey’s Dec. 15 of the White collection of Kennedy memorabilia. The watch will be in the Omega Museum in Switzerland next to the first watch worn on the moon. After some time in the museum the watch will be shown on tour around the United States.