INCLINE VILLAGE, NV – Lake Tahoe has had its share of glamour and grandeur through the years, serving as a playground for the rich, fabulous and even mysterious. The latest hideaway to hit the market is Summertide in Crystal Bay, Nevada, one of the many reclusive retreats Howard Hughes escaped to in the 1950s.
The home, purchased by its current owners from the Howard Hughes Corporation in 1995, is listed by Chase International for $19.5 million. The 5.5-acre estate is nestled in a sheltered cove on Lake Tahoe’s North Shore. Along with a list of luxurious amenities, the estate comes with an array of anecdotes, tales and, in a very much Howard Hughes fashion, rumors of shrouded love affairs and trysts.
“It must have been the ideal hideaway for Hughes,” Karen Bruno, of Chase International, said. “He had become fairly reclusive by the time he bought the property in the early 1950s. The estate offers spectacular views and luxurious details in a very private setting.”
It’s rumored that Marilyn Monroe, who was no stranger to Lake Tahoe love affairs, had a tryst with Hughes at the mountain home. Hughes was known to cross the lake for high-stakes card games with Ty Cobbs and the equally reclusive George Whittell at his Thunderbird Lodge card room. It’s said that when Whittell’s wife was away, George would turn on a red light on the point in front of his home, serving as beacon for men to come over for drinking, fast women, cards, and carousing.
Underneath the Gatsby-like lifestyle, Summertide is a quaint yet majestic log cabin home, inspired by the great camps of the Adirondacks. The main home was built from local timber in 1934 and has five bedrooms, four baths and an office. A guest cottage was built in 1940 and a detached garage fits up to four cars. The gated and fenced property offers 500 feet of lakefront, panoramic lake views, pier, buoy, and a huge meadow ideal for outdoor dining and summer gatherings. Perhaps best of all, the property consists of five separate but contiguous parcels which provides the option to create a family compound—an absolute rare opportunity on Tahoe’s North Shore.
The home is listed by Shari Chase, Karen Bruno and Tom Bruno. For more information, visit www.summertide.net or call 775-232-4109.
About Chase International
Headquartered in Lake Tahoe, Nevada since 1986, with ten offices in the region (Zephyr Cove, Glenbrook, Incline Village, Tahoe City, Squaw Valley, Truckee, Graeagle, South Lake Tahoe, Minden and Reno) and one in London, England, Chase International and its exclusive affiliations handles a large share of the country’s property. A recognized leader in the world of real estate, Chase International has 240 professional Realtors® boasting an array of industry certifications and the highest volume per sales agent in the area. For more information about Chase International, visit www.chaseinternational.com.