Hyatt Bass, oil heiress, and her screenwriter husband Josh Klausner are trying to quietly dispose of their more than 7,000-square-foot West Village McMansion in New York City, reports the New York Post.
While this ultra-secure property has yet to be listed in the market, Hyatt reportedly expects to earn at least $35 million in the deal.
This landmarked property was designed to be impenetrable after Hyatt's mother, Anne Bass, was held hostage in her Connecticut home in 2007, leading Hyatt to be extra cautious in renovating the home, which she purchased for $7.5 million in 2001.
Legally Sociable reports that since this Greenwich and West 12th St. four-story home was made accessible to the public in 2013, it started making headlines for its high-tech security features and inconsistent architecture.
"The house was built specifically for this family around their security needs," The Post quotes an insider as saying. Despite its spacious bedrooms, modern amenities, deluxe terrace and garden, the citadel looks "weird" and "locked-in," posing problems for the owners when it comes to selling the property, the source said.
A previous Post report says that since Hyatt converted the house into a citadel, the ground floor has only been used for commercial activities, while the top three floors are used for living.
Security features include five surveillance cameras at the ground level, which are painted to blend in with the facade, two intercom panels next to the entrances and brick parapets along the roof to defend against intruders. The top three floors have been covered with metal shields, in addition to reinforced glass and windows opening only to the backyard. A discreet building permit, which is rarely granted in this neighborhood, has helped Hyatt to keep this mansion away from prying eyes.
