Mukesh Ambani, the fifth richest man in the world, is building a 550-foot-tall, 27-story skyscraper with 400,000 square feet of interior space as his family’s private residence in Mumbai, India. Billed as the World’s Most Expensive Home, it is being designed while it is constructed! The project’s cost is estimated at nearly $2 billion. Forbes has an article and photos here.

Only three days remain to bid in the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s annual online auction to raise funds to support the group’s field work, which includes saving historic places threatened with demolition. Additionally, the group believes that reuse of existing buildings is an important aspect of sustainability.

To promote tourism to historic sites, the group also publishes a yearly list highlighting 12 vacation destinations across the United States that offer an authentic visitor experience by combining dynamic downtowns, cultural diversity, attractive architecture, cultural landscapes and a strong commitment to historic preservation and revitalization. This year’s list of a Dozen Distinctive Destinations includes Portsmouth, N.H., Crested Butte, Colo., and Portland, Ore.

The month-long auction ends May 31 to coincide with National Preservation Month. Some of the items up for bid include private tours of historic properties such as the Philip Johnson Glass House in New Canaan, Conn., or Middleton Place in Charleston, S. C.; get-aways to historic hotels; tickets to shows and sporting events; behind-the-scene experiences at historic sites; books and music. Check it out here.

—Camilla McLaughlin
 

In a report for The Wall Street Journal online, Stacey Delo, WSJ Digital Network reporter, focuses on San Francisco’s not-so-sluggish high-end market.  Her story opens with a look at the top of our Ultimate Homes list of the most expensive listings in the U.S.  You can view the video here.

The North Lake Tahoe Bonanza talked with our Director of Sales, Nick Antonicello, about the Tahoe market in this article about a new $47 million listing.

Another 2007 Unique Homes cover home is under contract. Donald Trump’s $100 million estate in Palm Beach, Fla., reportedly is slated to be sold for full asking price to an anonymous foreign buyer. Trump bought the estate at a bankruptcy auction in 2004 for $41.35 million and spent $25 million renovating it. The property’s biggest draw is its location, with almost 500 feet on the Atlantic Ocean. The Palm Beach Post indicated the buyer may be tearing down the property.