Medina West Mansions - Index - Gates, Bezos, Shirley, Mastro

The following mansions are in earlier posts in this blog along with information about the mansions and their owners. Click on the highlighted heading to go to the respective posts.

Medina Southwest - Mansions

South to North

Bill Gates

Medina Northwest - Mansions

South to North

Medina Evergreen Point - Mansions

Southwest to Northeast

The Index of the tour of Lake Washington Map of the Stars^® Mansions continues with Hunts-Yarrow Point Mansions Index.

Page Numbers refer to Lake Washington 130 Homes.

Cruising Puget Sound through Ballard Locks to Lake Washington

You enter Lake Washington from Puget Sound through the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, commonly called the Ballard Locks. There are two locks and pleasure boats can use both. There are numerous stories and rumors about problems and difficulty with the locks but these stories are overrated. I have been through many times with both novice and experienced (with the locks) captains and never encountered a problem. A larger boat requires two people that are alert and have basic common sense to handle the lines and engine. You need two 50 ft lines if you are going through the large locks. One person can handle a small boat that usually ties to the side of a larger boat inside the locks. I have been through the locks alone on my ten foot WaveRunner.

Adjacent to the Locks is the dam that controls the level of the fresh waterways. The dam includes fish ladders. The locks and dam are open to the public and are a popular tourist stop. There is public parking and access on both sides of the canal.

After passing through the locks you travel through the Lake Washington Ship Canal to Lake Union. The canal takes you past much of the area’s historical and modern boating and boat building industry.

Fisherman’s Terminal and Salmon Bay are on the south side of the Ship Canal just east of the locks. Fisherman’s Terminal has a lot of commercial activity and a marina for pleasure craft. You may see here some of the boats used in TV’s popular “Deadliest Catch.” The Terminal also has guest moorage for its shops and restaurants.

After Fisherman’s Terminal you pass under the old Ballard and Fremont draw bridges. On the east of Lake Union there are an additional two drawbridges. The vessel clearance without opening the bridges ranges from 30 to 46 feet. Tall vessels navigating these waterways should be familiar with Seattle’s DOT “Bridge Openings” website. A vessel may request an opening during daytime operating hours (which vary) with a one long and one short whistle signal.

On the northwest corner of Lake Union you pass the famous “Sleepless in Seattle” floating home.

Lake Union and Portage Bay are known for their floating home communities. The largest of these communities are on the northeast end of Lake Union.

Lake Union offers fabulous views of the Seattle skyline and the Space Needle. At the south end of Lake Union are numerous excellent waterfront restaurants with guest docking.

Bill Gates keeps his floating helipad in a marina in southwest Lake Union. The helipad motors to the shore of his Medina mansion and convention center when he wants to use it.

On the north end of Lake Union is Ivar’s Salmon House with guest docking for up to twenty vessels. This is a popular place to dock and enjoy some refreshments and the view. Dale Chihuly’s Studio is adjacent to the east. The studio was much more interesting before it was remodeled.

After Lake Union you pass under the I-5 Bridge and another drawbridge into Portage Bay. This is the home of the Seattle Yacht Club and Queen City Yacht Club. Next is the Montlake Cut. The University of Washington borders the north shore of Portage Bay and the cut. The cut was completed in 1917 and had the most expensive construction cost of the canals that connect Lake Washington to the Sound. The opening of the cut lowered Lake Washington nine feet. Prior to the cut, LW water exited at the south end of the lake where the Cedar River now flows into the lake.

You enter Lake Washington in Union Bay and into the largest open section of the lake. State Route 520 Floating Bridge is to the immediate south. The bridge crosses the lake near the north-south center. The north end of the lake is less populated than the south end.

The University of Washington Husky Stadium is adjacent to Union Bay just north and across the water from SR-520. Many fans go to the UW Huskies home football games by boat and have “sailgate” parties on the water. These parties were featured in a 12/28/11 Seattle Mansions post.

The two floating bridges crossing Lake Washington were built in 1940 and 1963 and promoted development of Mercer Island and the area east of the lake known as “The Eastside.” The northern 1963 (state route) 520 bridge, also know as “The Evergreen Point Floating Bridge,” at 7,578 feet, is the longest floating bridge in the world. This bridge connects Seattle to Medina and points east. The west end of the bridge is in Madison Park, a Seattle neighborhood, and the east end is in Medina, the heart of Billionaire Row. The vertical clearance for boats is 45 feet at the west end and 75 feet at the east end of the bridge. Looking at the center of the bridge you see two wide sections. The outside sections are floating and the roadway is suspended between these sections. This part of the roadway can be lifted by the floating outside structures and the roadway in between floats under the raised roadway creating a drawbridge opening for large ships and barges.

(This is the second chapter [go to next chapter, “Cruising Seattle’s LW Emerald Coast”] of our “Lake Washington Cruising” article/series. The chapters are being posted in reverse order. When all chapters are posted they will be in order in this blog with the first chapter at the top. You can read and print an abbreviated pdf version of the entire article/series.)

Dykstra on TV

KING 5’s Evening Magazine featured me and the book Lake Washington 130 Homes on the Monday, 6/20/11, show. You can see it on the Internet.

“Move over Hollywood! Seattle now has its very own book plotting the houses of our rich and famous. Starbucks founder Howard Schultz, Bill Gates, you name it and it's likely here, showing you the where, when, and how of our most famous mansions. The book retails for $18, find more info at http://www.hundredhomes.net/ .”

Medina Southwest - Mansions

South to North

Medina’s West Coast is Know as CEO Row. Many of the CEOs and founders of the area’s leading companies have homes on Medina’s west coast between Dabney Point and the SR520 Bridge. Bill Gates is the best known. At the southern end of this coast, side-by-side, are three of the most prominent homes on some of Medina’s largest waterfront estates. Dabney Point is home to Medina’s beach park, city hall and police department. Around the point and to the north, on the western shore of Medina, are the side-by-side (pages 110-112) expansive Bezos, La Haye and Grinstein multi-mansioned estates.

Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney attended fund raisers in Medina on June 4, 2012. The evening $25,000 per person event was at the waterfront mansion of Wayne and Christine Perry. More information is in Seattle Mansions 12/17/12 Post. Wayne is National President of the Boy Scouts of America and former President of McCaw Cellular and a co-founder of the Seattle-based Monroe & Perry law firm which evolved into the prominent Stokes Lawrence firm. He was a Cub Scout as a young boy and has been involved with the Boy Scouts of America ever since. Previous Boy Scouts positions include president of the Chief Seattle Council and president of the Western Region. He was named International Commissioner in 2006 and National President in 2012. He also has an ownership interest in the Seattle Mariners. The mansion is 9,450 sq ft on 0.7 acres with 92 feet of waterfront.

Gerald Grinstein (page 110) is the former CEO of Delta Airlines and Burlington Northern Railroad. This is the site of one Jack Sikma’s (NBA star) former homes. Bill Gates rented here when his house was being built. The mansion is 14,030 sq ft on 2 acres with 175 feet of waterfront.

Peter La Haye (page 111) is the deceased inventor and developer of cataract implant lenses. He tagically died in a 1999 private plane accident. At the time the complex was listed for sale for $45 million and was written up in The Wall Street Journal as one of the most expensive U.S. homes for sale. The mansion is 24,130 sq ft on 5.1 acres with 372 feet of waterfront.

Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s CEO and founder, (pages 105 and 112) is the northern most of these three famous estates. Bezos recently completed a $28 million home improvement. More information is on the Seattle Mansions blog. Two mansions and a caretaker’s home total 29,000 sq ft on 5.3 acres with 310 feet of waterfront. This and another (Reed, page 100) lot of the same size are the largest waterfront lots in Medina.

This home was listed for sale in 2011 for $5.4 million. It was taken off the market in 2012. The home was listed by Wendy Lister, CBBain: “Many say it ~ few can claim it ~ On the 50 yard line at waters edge! Medina's finest seat. Adventure films of tag in the sky...mysteries of rich red rubies at dusk...jagged ice blue peaks. Parading a NW strength; forming a bond with nature. Oak floors; fir trim; main floor guest ste. Formal dinner room; library; convertible bonus; lovely updated kitchen. Rare, ample cul de sac accommodates colossal private parking...at base of privacy hill. Plan your parties. 150ft dock ~ 5000lb lift; 2nd slip.” The home is 4,050 sq ft on 0.8 acres with 106 feet of waterfront. The property is owned by Dr. Robert H. Rudolph. He is retired and specialized in oncology (cancer) with Virginia Mason and was a professor at UW.

This home was listed for sale in 2009 for $7.8 million. It was sold 3/31/11 for $6.4 million. The home was listed by Kathryn Lister, CBBain: “A Tuscan treasure sited at the 50 yard view line focused on spectacular cityscapes of towers and neonic hues, snowcapped Olympic peaks, full breadth of Lake Washington. 115’ of superb level shore lands; new dock being installed. An interior arcade of satin smooth Doric columns, Roman arches heeding a sense of scale and light. Incorporating the framework for a home that should be lived in; terrific indoor play spaces; a fresh air pool pavilion and fireplace at waters edge. The genius of privacy.” The mansion is 6,320 sq ft on 0.7 acres with 116 feet of waterfront. It is about ½ mile south of Bill Gates’ compound. The property is owned by Chun Yang and was purchased from Hung Nguyen.

Further north is the must see, Bill Gates compound (pages 118 and 119). More information about his annual very exclusive “CEO Summit” and his personal “Convention Center” are in a separate post.

Other CEOs/Presidents who own homes on this coast include James Sinegal (Costco and page 108), Mark Piggot (PACCAR and page 113), and Jon Shirley (former Microsoft and page 120).

Page Numbers refer to Lake Washington 130 Homes.

The tour of Lake Washington Map of the Stars^® Mansions continues with Bill Gates and Medina Northwest - Mansions.

Cruising Medina’s West Coast and Lake Washington

Page numbers on the map refer to Lake Washington 130 Homes.  This area covers pages 105 to 124.

The City of Medina is a low-density residential community with a population of 3,500.  It has 4.5 miles of waterfront and 1.6 square miles of land.  The city ranks number 2 behind Hunts Point in the state in per capita income with $82,000.  The waterfront boundaries are with Bellevue to the east in Meydenbauer Bay and with Hunts Point to the north around Evergreen Point in Fairweather Bay.

The southwest point of Medina is Dabney Point and home to Medina’s beach park, city hall and police department.  Medina’s west coast from Dabney Point to the SR520 Bridge is known as CEO row and Medina’s Gold Coast.  The mega-lots (lots over two acres) in this area of Medina stretch over 200 yards from the shoreline to Evergreen Point Road. Medina’s western bluffs are over 100 feet above the water.  Many of the bluff houses are hard to see from the water because they are high on the hill offering fantastic views.  Because of the height, many estates have trams.  These trams cost more than $100,000 each.  The stairways from the bluff to water level have over 100 stairs. There are three MLS listings over $4.2 million.

At the southern end are the side-by-side expansive Peter La Haye (deceased and inventor and developer of cataract implant lenses) and Jeff Bezos (Amazon founder and CEO) multi-mansioned estates (previous post).

Further north is the must see, Bill Gates compound. Since 1997 Microsoft and Bill Gates have been holding an annual very exclusive “CEO Summit.”  The inaugural 1997 conference introduced his 50,000 sq ft, $150 million, LW estate that was near completion.  Usually about 100 top-level people from around the world attend.  Sessions and meetings are held at the Microsoft campus and Bill’s estate, aka his personal Convention Center (see guide).

(This is the tenth chapter [go to next chapter] of our “Lake Washington Cruising” article. The chapters are being posted in reverse order.  When all chapters are posted they will be in order in this blog with the first chapter at the top.  I will be posting approximately two chapters per month.  You can read and print an abbreviated pdf version of the entire article.)

Bill Gates Mansion

Guide For Viewing From Water

A – Grand Staircase – 92 feet long, descending 84 steps with roof 63 feet above the stairway.  The Grand Entrance is at the top with a 6,300 sq ft garage for guest limos.  The gate for the road to the estate is in the upper right.  The driveway continues past the Grand Entrance through a second gate to the family four car garage above the inner sanctum [D].

B – Library (hidden behind [A] and trees), 2,100 sq ft and home to Leonardo da Vinci’s Codex Leicester.

C – Guest and convention wing with reception hall, guest rooms, dining rooms, kitchens, meeting rooms, theaters, etc.

D – Family 11,500 sq ft “inner sanctum” with 4 bedrooms. A 60 x 17 foot indoor/outdoor pool is below and the lakefront building is the boat house.

E– Executive offices and main reception hall.

F – Security offices, activity center and exercise room.

Since 1997 Microsoft and Bill Gates have been holding an annual very exclusive “CEO Summit.”  The inaugural 1997 conference introduced his 50,000 sq ft, $150 million, Lake Washington estate that was near completion.  Usually about 100 top-level people from around the world attend.  Sessions and meetings are held at the Microsoft campus and Bill’s estate, aka his personal Convention Center.  Most of the meetings and social events are closed to the media and public and advance notices of the times and places of these are not provided.  The above is a guide to his lakefront convention center as viewed from the public waters of Lake Washington.  The estate along with more information is in LW 130 Homes on pages 118 and 119.