The Las Vegas mansion once owned by Liberace, the renowned pianist and “King of Showmanship,” just sold for $500,000. Liberace bought the estate in the 1960s, and owned it until his death in 1987. It was later used as a banquet venue for weddings and other events. In 2006, Terrance Dzvonick, a real estate investor, bought it for $3.7 million, but quickly ran into issues operating the venue space. Neighbors complained of noise and traffic due to events held at the home, and ultimately the county zoning board denied Dzvonick’s license to operate. Without a business, Dzvonick couldn’t make the more than $20,000-a-month mortgage payment, and the home went into foreclosure.
JP Morgan Chase has owned it since 2010, which means it hasn’t had any TLC for the past three years. The listing photos show stained walls, cracked tile, exposed wiring, and peeling wallpaper. But it’s still easy to imagine the Liberace-style grandeur that it once had. There are crystal chandeliers, custom marble pillars, and etched glass throughout. Piano key artwork can be found in the kitchen and bathroom, and there’s a mirror-covered bar with a white piano and Liberace’s signature inscribed on it. The spiral staircase that cost $75,000 to transport from France still remains, and there’s a room covered in copper tile worth $350,000. There’s a portrait of Liberace above the Jacuzzi tub in the bathroom, and a mural in the bedroom that Liberace claimed was worth $1.5 million, because it was “painted by a descendent of Michelangelo,” though the truth of that has not been confirmed.
Get Surrey reports that the mansion was purchased by Martyn Ravenhill, a lifelong Liberace fan and vacation property salesman. After seeing news reports of how dilapidated the property had become, he decided to rescue it, and purchased it for his 50th birthday. He plans to work closely with the Liberace Foundation to restore the home to its former glory.
For more information on Liberace’s other homes, check out Behind the Candelabra and Inside the Homes of Liberace.
What do you think of the home? Was it a good investment for Ravenhill? Tell us in the comments!