MNN - Mother Nature Network

Supervillains take note: they don't make them like this anymore. 

 

The former home of legendary entertainer Bob Hope, who passed away at the age of 100 in 2003, has hit the market for a stunning $50 million. Unlike other celebrity enclaves, this one is truly a marvel of the imagination — designed by in 1973 by the California Modernist architect John Lautner and made to resemble a volcano.

 

 

"Three visorlike arches and an undulating concrete roof, a hole at its center opening a courtyard to the sky," describes the NY Times. "The roofline has been described as one of the most distinctive works of architecture in the Coachella Valley. The house has also been likened to a giant mushroom."

 

 

Overlooking the stunning desert scenery of the Coachella Valley, the 23,366-square-foot home includes six bedrooms, 10 full bathrooms, three half-baths, indoor and outdoor pools, a pond, putting greens, and a tennis court, and even a "boulder jutting into the living room." The Hope family would often entertain up to 300 dinner guests within the estate, with many (including a celebration for the end of the Bob Hope Classic golf tournament) benefiting charity. 

 

For those interested, the listing is shared between Ann Eysenring of Partners Trust in Beverly Hills and Patrick Jordan and Stewart Smith of Windermere Real Estate in Palm Springs.