Billionaire Paul Allen’s Silicon Valley Spread Sells for $35.3M

Just recently, late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen’s undeveloped Beverly Hills hilltop parcel ‘Enchanted Hill’ sold to Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos for $90 million. Somewhat more quietly, his estate in Silicon Valley also sold recently, for $35.25 million. Allen’s estate had listed the property at $41.5 million in the fall of last year.

The property is anchored by a 21,000 square-foot mansion; a big one, with plentiful space for amenities. A home theater with tiered seating tops the list.

The estate is located in Atherton, the most desirable of Silicon Valley bedroom communities, and one of the most affluent communities in the Bay Area. It was Allen’s primary home for about five years; he purchased it in 2013, and paid $27 million for it.

The interiors of the mansion are fairly understated, and tastefully find ornament in a modern-style use of natural-finished wood and strident line, and a lack of visual distractions. The kitchen, family/entertainment room and dayroom is a single space, and very appealing; the kitchen’s light fixtures and custom cabinetry give it an Eastern-inspired and somewhat cerebral feel, while the family room is crowned by a ceiling design in staggered plank, and features a wet bar. The corner dayroom opens onto the property exterior via fold-away glass walls.

The lot extends to nearly two acres. Grounds are left semi-natural to natural, with desert flora gardens, and a large pool and entertainment pavilion with a patio and fire feature.

Allen died in 2018. His net worth at the time of his death was about $20 billion.