In Case You Missed It: Bill Koch

Multi-billionaire Bill Koch—the less politically active and least rich brother of zillionaire conservative activists Charles and David Koch—may not have nearly as many billions in the bank as the much more progressive bajillionaire Bill Gates, who recently dropped $8.7 million for an equestrian estate in Wellington, FL, but he's none-the-less a bona fide real estate baller who maintains the sort of residential property portfolio only affordable to the tiniest few of the world's most financially well endowed.

There's a mammoth, 42,000 square foot oceanfront mega-manse in Palm Beach, FL that has two swimming pools and where bubble gum pop super star Katy Perry was hired to perform last year during the birthday party for Mister Koch's notably younger third wife Bridget Rooney...of the Pittsburgh Rooneys, natch. Mister and Third Missus Koch also maintain a 50+ acre compound in the upper Castle Creek Valley area above swanky Aspen, CO, that they scooped up in 2007 for about $51 or $55 million depending on where you read.

A bit farther from Aspen, near the wee town of Paonia, the often controversial and famously litigious Mister Koch is in the process of spending Lord only who knows how many millions to build—we shit you not, puppies—an authentic replica of an Old West town on 6,400 pristine Rocky Mountain acres. Good grief! Why build such a folly, children? Who knows? Because he can? If Marie Antoinette can have Hameau de la Reine then why can't Mister Koch have his very own historically accurate Wild West village complete with saloon, jailhouse and train station, right? Mercy. Chrissakes. Who does he think he is, Michael Jackson? Pleeze. Anyways...

Mister Koch has long maintained one or more residences on Cape Cod in and around Osterville, MA. Earlier this year the May-December Koch couple forked over $19.5 million to acquire a 26-acre waterfront compound from high-cultured centenarian philanthropist and horticulturist Rachel "Bunny" Mellon. In late 2012 they quietly sold a waterfront compound, located a short hop down the street from Miz Mellon's spread, for $8.65 million; They'd only bought the place about 1.5 years earlier for, according to property records, $8.4 million. Such are the often capricious real estate ways of the rich and/or famous.

This week, word slipped down the billionaire real estate gossip grapevine that Mister Koch, a voracious collector of many things and a hardcore racing yachter who won the prestigious America's Cup in 1992, hoisted a 1.58 acre mini-compound on Osterville's sleepy but seriously swank Seapuit River Road on the open market with a $15,000,000 asking price.*

Listing details show the white clapboard sided Colonial was built in 1929 and sits on 1.58 prime acres on the private island of Oyster Harbor with views towards Nantucket Sound over Dead Neck Island. The fastidiously maintained main residence spans 8,653 square feet and has nine bedrooms served by eight full and four half bathrooms, according to listing details. There are additional guest and/or staff quarters that may (or may not) be located above the semi-detached three car garage.

The art-filled interiors—think pedigreed and gilt-framed land- and seascapes—are both relaxed and traditional not to mention roomy enough to accommodate large gatherings of extended family and friends. It's the sort of place one's brittle boned and deeply blue-blooded grandmother might approve or aspire to. Not not surprisingly, given the waterfront location and Mister Koch's extensive collection of maritime memorabilia, the interiors are awash with nautical this and thats. One room, a sort of office/games room with fireplace even looks like the captain's cabin of a well-appointed 18th century galleon.

At the front of the postcard perfect estate there's a stately circular drive and there's a dark bottom gunite swimming pool and raised spa on the side of the house. At the rear, a sun porch as wide as the mansion opens to a flat expanse of lawn the stretches out towards the water. A weathered wood stairway descends to the water's edge where there's a stretch of private sandy beach and a two story beach house that sits at the land end of the sturdy, deep water dock. Listing photos show a parallel floating dock that considerably increases the estate's boat parking capabilities.

*Naturally, chickadees, Your Mama don't know a damn thing about the actual value of any property but it seems to our pea brain the price might be a mite optimistic since the house next door—that would be the aforementioned one Mister and Missus Koch sold last December (2012)—sits on a substantially larger piece of property and went for $8.65 million.

listing photos: Robert Paul Properties