The biggest house in Washington State is also one of the most famous and interesting. Not only is it owned by one of the most famous people in the world, but it has its own Wikipedia page, tons of strange quirks, and a one word celebrity name like Adele, Beyonce, or Rihanna.

What is this place called and where is it located in Washington State?

Bill Gates Seeking to Expand Seattle Estate
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THE MANSION IS NAMED XANADU 2.0

Yes the largest house-mansion is owned by Bill & Melinda Gates and the house alone is a whopping 66,000 square feet according to this article from fancypantshomes. The mansion has 7 bedrooms, 24 bathrooms, 6 kitchens, and is worth way over $130 million. Think you can afford something like this? The property taxes alone every year are over $1 million. He paid "property tax bill for 2021 was $1,154,618, after paying $1,131,741 and $1,040,644 in 2020 and 2019" according to the Gates tax history. I find it slightly strange that the mansion has 24 bathrooms compared to only 7 bedrooms. I guess it means they have a lot of people over, but hardly anyone ever stays the night.

HOW DID THE HOUSE GET IT'S NAME?

Originally named after the home of the main character in "Citizen Cain", it is not only the largest house in Washington State but also one of the most secluded. The property is so secluded that a tour once sold in 2009 for over $35,000.00 just to see what was inside according to techcrunch! The money all went to charity but still, that is a lot of money for a tour. The curiosity is peaked because t is hard to see the mansion from anywhere. This is because the land around is also owned by the Gates, making it impossible to get close. Even from Lake Washington is is hard to see because of the tree cover.

THE LIBRARY

One of the most unique quirks about the mansion, is the custom library that Bill Gates had built inside. It takes up 2,100 square feet, has a domed reading room and a bar. I think everyone should have a bar in their library to make their favorite frosty beverage while they cuddle up for a book, right? There is even a famous quote inscribed at the base of the reading dome from The Great Gatsby according to this article.

“He had come a long way to this blue lawn and his dream must have seemed so close he could hardly fail to grasp it.”

HOW WAS IT BUILT & HOW LONG DID IT TAKE?

The mansion was built with "two-by-fours but with 500-year-old Douglas fir timbers rescued from an ancient lumber mill, painstakingly sanded and refinished to a satin glow" according to Usnews.com. The roof is made of steel and the entire mansion is loaded with technology in every corner. There is a full estate wide server system, underwater sound system for the pool, and even screens all over the house to display art that visitors can choose on phones given to them when they enter the property. There is also custom sensor systems for personal comfort in every room.

The mansion took 7 years and a lot of man power to build completely. A half a million board feet of lumber was used in total to complete according to reports. After their divorce, there still has been no announcement on who gets the house or how they will split it up. Melinda did buy a different mansion in the area so that points to the fact that it probably won't be her that gets Xanadu. According to reports Bill had started building the estate before they met and Melinda never really loved staying there.

She once said in a 2019 article to the New York Times, "We won’t have that house forever,” “I’m actually really looking forward to the day that Bill and I live in a 1,500-square foot house.” 

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