Billionaire Homes 2009 Edition (PHOTOS)

The economy has tightened across the globe, even for the rich and famous. When you’re talking about the world’s billionaire population, most of them saw their net worth diminish significantly. Forbes just published their 2009 ‘World’s Richest List’.

We’ve put together a photo gallery of the homes of several well known billionaires. Our featured photo is of the home of the world’s richest man Bill Gates, who resides in Medina, Washington. He has a net worth of $40 billion, down $18 billion from a year ago.

Inside garage, you'll find a luxury car Porsche 911 Convertible and 1988 Porsche 959 Coupe.
Steven Ballmer drives a 1998 Lincoln Continental.In fact, due to the 959’s questionable emissions and unknown crash ratings, It took a federal law signed by President Clinton to legally drive his 959 on American roads.

Review: Four car garage, House for the maintenance staff has its own 3-car garage. Nanny parks in the 6-car carport across from the main entry. An additional 10-cars can be parked in a subterranean arched concrete building which through an electronic transformation becomes a classic basketball court.

Picture Gallery of Bill Gates house - Virtual tour of Bill Gates house in Media overlooking Lake Washington. Bill Gates Family resides in this home.

Take a virtual tour of the Bill Gates Mansion where he stays with his family. Watch the beautiful neighbourhood of Bill Gates house.

The Bill Gates family lives in the exclusive suburb of Medina, Washington, in a huge earth-sheltered home in the side of a hill overlooking Lake Washington.

Billionaire Bill Gates home is a very modern 21st century house in the "Pacific lodge" style, with advanced electronic systems everywhere. In one respect though it is more like an 18th or 19th century mansion: it has a large private library with a domed reading room. While it does have a classic flavour, the home has many unique qualities.

Lights would automatically come on when you came home. Speakers would be hidden beneath the wallpaper to allow music to follow you from room to room. Portable touch pads would control everything from the TV sets to the temperature and the lights, which would brighten or dim to fit the occasion or to match the outdoor light.

Visitors to Bill Gates House are surveyed and given a microchip upon entrance. This small chip sends signals throughout the house, and a given room's temperature and other conditions will change according to preset user preferences. According to King County public records, as of 2002, the total assessed value of the property (land and house) is $113 million, and the annual property tax is just over $1 million.

According to the National Association of Home Builders, the median American house size is slightly more than 2,000 square feet. Microsoft founder William Gates III house is more than 30 times that size.

Bill Gates Mansion satellite view from Google Maps

Bill Gates House Aerial view from MSN Virtual Earth

There has been lot of speculation that the home of Bill Gates on Lake Washington was designed on a Macintosh. Pictures of the Gates' complex are both private and copyrighted, so in order to see what this place really looks like you need to go to BCJ's website. Following the "residential menu" click on the forward arrow key at the bottom of the pictures to advance to the house entitled, "Guest House and Garage, Medina, Washington".

USNews.com provides an interactive tour of Bill Gates home that covers the Pool building, Exercise facilites, Library, Theater, Formal dining room. Microsoft's own Seattle Sidewalk site has a birds-eye view of the project under construction. (Medina Washington project)

It took seven years to build the 40,000-square-foot Bill Gates mansion on a wooded five-acre compound in the moneyed Seattle suburb of Medina. [Bill Gates House Address: 1835 73rd Ave NE, Medina, WA 98039 map - arial photo] Much of the Bill Gates house is built underground into the hill, so the house looks smaller than it actually is. Unfortunately the hidden section underground did not escape the taxman's view; Bill paid over a million dollars last year on property taxes.

Earlier, Bill Gates organized a private party at his waterfront mansion. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced a "temporary security zone" around Gates' Lake Washington home which locked down all of Lake Washington south of the Highway 520 bridge and stayed in effect for two days. Gates' homestead is approximately 48,000 square feet with a garage that reportedly accommodates 30 cars.

The architects who designed Bill Gates' famous residential compound in Washington were James Cutler Architects and the architectural firm Bohlin Cywinski Jackson (BCJ).

Inside Bill Gates' Garage, you'll find a 1999 Porsche 911 Convertible and 1988 Porsche 959 Coupe. Steven Ballmer drives a 1998 Lincoln Continental. In fact, due to the 959’s questionable emissions and unknown crash ratings, it took a federal law signed by President Clinton for Bill Gates to legally drive his 959 on American roads.

Read this interview with James Cutler, FAIA, the best-known architect of Northwest Style and the designer of the Bill and Melinda Gates residence on Lake Washington near Seattle. Firm: Anderson Cutler Architects (formerly James Cutler Architects), on Bainbridge Island, off the Seattle coast.

The former big boss of Microsoft does have a nice little pad down on the shores of Lake Washington.

Bill and Melinda Gates' $150 million house. Annual taxes are over $1 million.

Much of the house is built underground into the hill, so the house looks smaller than it actually is.
Unfortunately the hidden section underground did not escape the taxman's view; Bill paid over a million dollars last year on property taxes.

A stream flows through the property.
The pool room is in the background.

Front View

Wide View



Top View








Side view



Front large view

Front broad view



Front aerial view



Side aerial view

Residence Hidden, Move your cursor to find it

Hall way

Fire Place



Outside View, Restricted Area



World's richest man family lives in the exclusive suburb of Medina, Washington, in a huge earth-sheltered residence in the side of a hill overlooking Lake Washington.

Residence encompasses more than 66,000 square feet which is equal to 1.5 acres.The major rooms include 7 bedrooms, 24 bathrooms, six kitchens, and six fireplaces.

The address of the mansion is 1835 73rd Ave NE, Medina, WA 98039.

Residence is a very modern, 21st century residence in the "Pacific lodge" style, with advanced electronic systems everywhere & great interior design. In one respect though it is more like an 18th or 19th century mansion, It has a large private library with a domed reading room. While it does have a classic flavour, It has many unique qualities.

Among the many genius marvels that are integrated into the home for the latest in modern conveniences are revolving works of art.

Floors are pressure sensitive, at any given time family member or security can know who is in the residence by the weight of their footsteps.

Lights would automatically come on when you came in. Speakers would be hidden beneath the wallpaper to allow music to follow you from room to room. Portable touch pads would control everything from the TV sets to the temperature and the lights, which would brighten or dim to fit the occasion or to match the outdoor light.

Visitors to the residence are surveyed and given a microchip upon entrance. This small chip sends signals throughout the home, and a given room's temperature and other conditions will change according to preset user preferences. Total assessed value of the property (land and house) is $153,586,700 and the annual property tax for 2006 was $1,012,320.

Inside this luxury residence plan you will find

Swimming pool size 17 × 60 foot (5.1 × 18.2 metre),

The 17-by-60-foot swimming pool has an underwater music system and a floor painted in a fossil motif. Swimmers can dive under a glass wall and emerge outdoors by a terrace. Locker room off the pool has four showers and two baths.

Grand staircase size 92 feet long and 63 feet high with 84 steps,

Towering Douglas fir beams support the stainless-steel roof and are surrounded by walls of glass, concrete, and stone. While much of the house is buried into the hillside, windows on the lakefront side provide views of Seattle to the west. There are 84 steps down from the entrance to the ground floor. The vertigo-inclined can take an elevator.

Theater with apx 20 seat, Size: 1,500 ft.

The 20-seat art deco theater is outfitted with plush chairs, couches, and a popcorn machine. Screen is HDTV capable.

Library, Size: 2,100 sq. ft.

The ornate, paneled library has a domed reading room with oculus (light well), fireplace, and two secret pivoting bookcases, one containing a bar. It's the fitting home for Leonardo da Vinci's 16th-century notebook, the Codex Leicester, which Gates bought for $30.8 million.

Formal dining room, Size: 1,000 sq. ft.

Up to 24 guests can dine by the fireplace while enjoying the sweeping view from the third level. Nearby commercial-grade kitchen is 39 feet by 23 feet.

Reception hall capacity more than 150 people at a time,Size: 2,300 sq. ft.

Partly below ground, the reception hall can seat 150 people for a sit-down dinner or hold 200 for a cocktail party. A 6-foot-wide fireplace, faced in limestone, commands one wall. Another wall is dominated by a 22-foot-wide video display made up of 24 rear-projection television monitors, each with a 40-inch screen. A second commercial-grade kitchen serves the reception hall.

Exercise room, Size: 2,500 sq. ft.

Includes sauna, steam room, separate men's and women's lockers, and a trampoline room with a 20-foot ceiling.

Conference facilities,offices

Outdoor sports, courts,

and of course loads of technology.

According to the National Association of Home Builders, the median American residence size is slightly more than 2,000 square feet. Microsoft founder residence is more than 30 times that size.

Inside Garage, you'll find a 1999 Porsche 911 Convertible and 1988 Porsche 959 Coupe. Steven Ballmer drives a 1998 Lincoln Continental. In fact, due to the 959’s questionable emissions and unknown crash ratings, it took a federal law signed by President Clinton to legally drive his 959 on American roads.



Features

1.No visible electrical outlets anywhere.

2.112 steps from the main floor to the main entry.

3.Wood columns from main floor to roof in entry area are over 70 feet long.

4.All timbers used inside and out are finished the same - 3 inches have been removed from the exterior of the wood and then sanded to a satin finish and there are virtually no knots.

5.All bolts throughout the house are stainless steel and oriented the same direction.

6.All woodwork is flawless. Much of the woodwork is of various rare species from all over the world.

7.Some of the luxury interior passage doors weigh over 800 lbs, but are balanced for easy use

8.Acoustics are a concern throughout. Various woods and fabrics are used. Acoustic panels in the Ballroom move out of sight on their own.

9.Roofing is stainless steel.

10.Floor is heated everywhere including the driveway and walks.

11.Four car garage. House for the maintenance staff has its own 3-car garage. Nanny parks in the 6-car carport across from the main entry. An additional 10-cars can be parked in a subterranean arched concrete building which through an electronic transformation becomes a basketball court.

12.Many doors are blended so well with the walls that it is hard to see them, Great interior design & decoration

13.Theater (underground in a concrete shell) is the most state of the art theater in the world according to specialty contractor.

14.Entry gate senses when your car approaches and opens fully by the time you arrive.

15.Master bathtub can be filled to the right temperature and depth by Gates as he drives home from work.

Electronics

Miles of communication cable, largely fiber optic, run throughout the house, linking computer servers powered by the Windows NT operating system. In each room, touch-sensitive pads control lighting, music, and climate. Visitors will wear small electronic pins, which will let the computers know who and where they are. Lights and other settings will adjust automatically. Floors throughout the house (and the driveway) are heated.

Family wing

The Gates family's 11,500-square-foot inner sanctum is surprisingly modest, with four bedrooms and quarters for a nanny. A four-car garage is attached. The lower levels include a techno-playland family room and an exercise facility that is better appointed than many health clubs.

Guest wing

The southern half of the main building, this wing contains the main entrance (with grand staircase), theater, library, formal dining room, reception hall, and conference facilities. It includes only two bedrooms.

Basic data

Waterfront: Approximately 500 feet

Square footage, all structures: More than 66,000 (equal to 1.5 acres)

Rooms: Seven bedrooms, 24 bathrooms (includes 10 full baths), six kitchens, six fireplaces

Style: Pacific Northwest lodge

Architects: James Cutler and Peter Bohlin

Interior designer: Thierry W. Despont

Primary contractor: Sellen Construction

Foundation

The hillside is in an earthquake zone, so the foundation sits on concrete piers and uses tiebacks and steel reinforcements several times stronger than the minimums set by the building code. Massive retaining walls, several feet thick in places, created a drainage problem, solved by collecting runoff in buried pipes that feed into the estuary.

Frame

Primarily timber frame. Half a million board feet of lumber was used. Support beams were salvaged from a Weyerhaeuser mill on the Columbia River, refinished, and sanded to a satin glow. The timbers are joined with stainless-steel fittings, which have been flame-bronzed and anodized, for a rustic look. All connecting bolts (also stainless steel) point in the same direction.


Over the past decade, Bill Gates has quietly bought up 11 properties, including nine houses, that surround his 5-acre Medina estate, creating a buffer zone that is increasingly turning a small hillside neighborhood into a private holding of the richest man on earth.

Read our exclusive interview with Bill Gates.

Warren Buffet Home

The world’s richest man lives in Omaha, Nebraska in a 6,000-square-foot gray stucco house he bought in 1958 for $31,500. More photos after the jump.

• August 30, 1930: Warren Edward Buffett is born to his parents, Howard and Leila Buffett, in Nebraska.

• 1941: At eleven years old, Warren buys his first stock. He purchases 6 shares of Cities Service preferred stock [3 shares for himself, 3 for his sister, Doris], at a cost of $38 per share. The company falls to $27 but shortly climbs back to $40. Warren & Doris sell their stock. Almost immediately, it shoots up to over $200 per share.

• 1943: Warren declares to a friend of the family that he will be a millionaire by the time he turns thirty, or "[I'll] jump off the tallest building in Omaha."

• 1945: Warren is making $175 monthly delivering Washington Post newspapers. At fourteen years old, he invests $1,200 of his savings into 40 acres of farmland.

• 1947: In his senior year of high school, Warren and a friend purchase a used pinball machine at a cost of $25. Buffett begins to think about the potential profit, and places it in a nearby Barber Shop. Within months, he owns three machines in three different locations. The business is sold later in the year for $1,200 to a War Veteran.

• 1947: Warren has earned over $5,000 delivering newspapers. His father presses him to attend college, a suggestion Warren does not take well. Nevertheless, that year, he enrolls as a freshman at the Wharton School of Finance and Commerce in Pennsylvania. Buffett hates it, complaining he knows more than the teachers.

• 1949: Classmates return to find that Warren is no longer enrolled at Wharton. He has transferred to the University of Nebraska.

• 1949: Warren is enrolled in classes, but has already begun his life. He is offered a job at J.C. Penny's after college, but turns it down. He graduates from college in only three years by taking his last three credits over the summer. His savings have reached $9,800.

• 1950: Buffett applies for admission to Harvard Business School and is turned down. He eventually enrolls at Columbia after learning that Ben Graham and David Dodd, two well-known security analysts, are professors.

• 1951: Warren discovers Graham is on the Board of GEICO insurance. He takes a train to Washington, D.C., and knocks on the door of its headquarters until a janitor lets him in. After asking if anyone is working, he find a man on the sixth floor, who ends up being high up in the company. They talk for hours while Warren questions him on the business and insurance in general. [Buffett now owns GEICO entirely].

• 1951: Buffett graduates and wants to go to work on Wall Street. Both his father [Howard] and mentor [Graham] urge him not to. Warren offers to work for Ben Graham for free but Graham refuses.

• 1951: Warren returns home and begins dating Susan Thompson.

• 1951: Buffett purchases a Texaco station as a side investment. It doesn't work out as well as he hopes. Meanwhile, he is working as a stockbroker

• 1951: Buffett takes a Dale Carnegie public speaking course. Using what he learnt, he began to teach a night class at the University of Nebraska, "Investment Principles". The students were twice his age [he was only 21 at the time].

• April, 1952: Warren and Susie get married. They rent an apartment for $65 a month, and have their first child, also Susie.

• 1954: Ben Graham calls Warren and offers him a job at his partnership. Buffett's starting salary is $12,000 a year.

• 1956: Graham retires and folds up his partnership. Since leaving college six years earlier, Warren's personal savings have grown from $9,800 to over $140,000.

• 1956: The Buffett family returns home to Omaha. On May 1, Warren created Buffett Associates, Ltd. Seven family members and friends put in a total of $105,000. Buffett himself invested only $100. He was now running his own partnership, and would never again work for anyone else. Over the course of the year, he opened two additional partnership, eventually bringing the number under his management to three. Years later, they would all be consolidated into one.
  

• 1957: Buffett adds two more partnerships to his collection. He is now managing five investment partnerships from his home.

• 1957: With Susan about to have her third child, Warren purchases a five-bedroom, stucco house on Farnam street. It cost $31,500.

• 1958: The third year of the partnership completed, Buffett doubles the partner's money.

• 1959: Warren is introduced to Charlie Munger, who will eventually become the Vice Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, and an integral part of the company's success. The two get along immediately.

• 1960: Warren asks one of his partners, a doctor, to find ten other doctors who will be willing to invest $10,000 each into his partnership. Eventually, eleven doctors agreed to invest.

• 1961: With the partnerships now worth millions, Buffett made his first $1 million dollar investment in a windmill manufacturing company.

• 1962: Buffett returns to New York with Susie for a few weeks to raise capital from his old acquaintances. During the trip, he picks up a few partners and several hundred thousand dollars.

• 1962: The Buffett Partnership, which had begun with $105,000, was now worth $7.2 million. Warren and Susie personally own over $1 million of the assets. Buffett merges all of the partnerships into one entity known simply as Buffett Partnerships, Ltd. The operations are moved to Kiewit plaza, a functional but less-than-grand office, where they remain to this day. The minimum investment is raised from $25,000 to $100,000.

• 1962: Buffett consults Munger on Dempster, the windmill manufacturing company. Munger recommends Harry Bottle to Warren; a move that would turn out to be very profitable. Bottle cut costs, laid off workers, and caused the company to generate cash.

• 1962: Warren discovers a textile manufacturing firm, Berkshire Hathaway, that is selling for under $8 per share. He begins to buy the stock.

• 1963: Buffett sells Dempster for 3x the amount he invested [The almost worthless company had built a portfolio of stocks worth over $2 million alone during the time of Buffett's investment].

• 1963: The Buffett partnerships becomes the largest shareholder of Berkshire Hathaway.

• 1964: Due to a fraud scandal, American Express shares fall to $35. While the world is selling the stock, Buffett begins to buy shares en masse.

• 1965: Warren's father, Howard, dies.

• 1965: Buffett begins to purchase shares in Walt Disney Co. after meeting with Walt personally. Warren invested $4 million [which was equal to around 5% of the company].

• 1965: The American Express shares which were purchased shortly before are selling for more than double the price Warren paid for the them.

• 1965: Buffett arranges a business coup - taking control of Berkshire Hathaway at the board meeting and naming a new President, Ken Chace, to run the company.

• 1966: Warren's personal investment in the partnership reaches $6,849,936.

• 1967: Berkshire pays out its first and only dividend of 10 cents.

• 1967: In October, Warren writes to his partners and tells them he finds no bargains in the roaring stock market of the '60s. His partnership is now worth $65 million.

• 1967: Buffett is worth, personally, more than $10 million. He briefly considers leaving investing and pursuing other interests.

• 1967: American Express hits over $180 per share, making the partnership $20 million in profit on a $13 million investment.

• 1967: Berkshire Hathaway acquires National Indemnity insurance at Buffett's direction. It pays $8.6 million.

• 1968: The Buffett Partnership earns more than $40 million, bringing the total value to $104 million.

• 1969: Following his most successful year, Buffett closes the partnership and liquidates its assets to his partners. Among the assets paid out are shares of Berkshire Hathaway. Warren's personal stake now stands at $25 million. He is only 39 years old.

• 1970: The Buffett Partnership is now completely dissolved and divested of its assets. Warren now owns 29% of the stock outstanding in Berkshire Hathaway. He names himself chairman and begins writing the annual letter to shareholders.

• 1970: Berkshire makes $45,000 from textile operations, and $4.7 million in insurance, banking, and investments. Warren's side investments are making more than the actual company itself.

• 1971: Warren [at his wife's request], purchases a $150,000 summer home at Laguna Beach.

• 1973: Stock prices begin to drop; Warren is euphoric. At his direction, Berkshire issues notes at 8%.

• 1973: Berkshire begins to acquire stock in the Washington Post Company.

• 1974: Due to falling stock prices, the value of Berkshire's stock portfolio began to fall. Warren's personal wealth was cut by over 50%.

• 1974: The SEC opens a formal investigation into Warren Buffett and one of Berkshire's mergers. Nothing ever comes of it.

• 1977: Berkshire indirectly purchases the Buffalo Evening News for $32.5 million. He would later be brought up on antitrust charges by a competing paper.

• 1977: Susie leaves Warren, although not officially divorcing him. Warren is crushed.

• 1978: Susie introduces Warren to Astrid, who eventually moves in with him.

• 1979: Berkshire trades at $290 per share. Warren's personal fortune is approximately $140 million, but he was living solely on a salary of $50,000 per year.

• 1979: Berkshire begins to acquire stock in ABC.

• 1981: Munger and Buffett create the Berkshire Charitable Contribution plan, allowing each shareholder to donate some of the company's profits to his or her personal charities.

• 1983: Berkshire ends the year with $1.3 billion in its corporate stock portfolio.

• 1983: Berkshire begins the year at $775 per share, and ends at $1,310. Warren's personal net worth is $620 million. He makes the Forbes list for the first time.

• 1983: Buffett purchases Nebraska Furniture Mart for $60 million. It turns out to be one of his best investments yet.

• 1985: Buffett finally shuts down the Berkshire textile mills after years of sustaining it. He refuses to allow it to drain capital from shareholders.

• 1985: Warren helps orchestrate the merger between ABC and Cap Cities. He is forced to leave the Board of the Washington Post [Federal legislation prohibited him sitting on the Boards of both Capital Cities and Kay Graham's Washington Post.

• 1985: Buffett purchases Scott & Fetzer for Berkshire's collection of businesses. It costs around $315 million, and boasts such products as Kirby vacuums and the World Book Encyclopedia.

• 1986: Berkshire breaks $3,000 per share.

• 1987: In the immediate crash and aftermath of October, Berkshire loses 25% of its value, dropping from $4,230 per share to around $3,170. The day of the crash, Buffett loses $342 million personally.

• 1988: Buffett begins buying stock in Coca-Cola, eventually purchasing up to 7 percent of the company for $1.02 billion. It will turn out to be one of Berkshire's most lucrative investments.

• 1989: Berkshire rises from $4,800 per share to over $8,000. Warren now has a personal fortune of $3.8 billion.

George Lucas Home

George Lucas was born in Modesto, California. The son of a stationery store owner, he was raised on a walnut ranch, and attended Modesto Junior College before enrolling in the University of Southern California film school. As a student at USC, Lucas made several short films, including Electronic Labyrinth: THX-1138: 4EB, which took first prize at the 1967-68 National Student Film Festival.

In 1967, Warner Brothers awarded him a scholarship to observe the filming of Finian's Rainbow, directed by UCLA grad Francis Ford Coppola. The following year, Lucas worked as Coppola's assistant on The Rain People and made a short film entitled Film Maker about the directing of the movie.

Lucas and Coppola shared a common vision of starting an independent film production company where a community of writers, producers, and directors could share ideas. In 1969, the two filmmakers moved to Northern California, where they founded American Zoetrope. The company's first project was Lucas's full-length version of THX:1138. In 1971, Coppola went into production for The Godfather, and Lucas formed his own company, Lucasfilm Ltd.

In 1973, Lucas co-wrote and directed American Graffiti. The film won the Golden Globe, the New York Film Critics' and National Society of Film Critics' awards, and garnered five Academy Award nominations.

Four years later, Lucas wrote and directed Star Wars -- a film which broke all box office records and earned seven Academy Awards. This intergalactic tale of good vs. evil combined cutting-edge technology with good old-fashioned storytelling, and movies haven't been the same since. Lucas went on to write the stories for The Empire Strikes Back and Return Of The Jedi, which he also executive-produced.

In 1980, he was the executive producer of Raiders of the Lost Ark, directed by Steven Spielberg, which won five Academy Awards. He was also the co-executive producer and creator of the story for Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.

In the mid-1980s, Lucas concentrated on constructing Skywalker Ranch, a facility custom-designed by Lucas to accommodate the creative, technical, and administrative needs of his companies. Skywalker Ranch includes a 150,000-square-foot post production and music recording facility as well as offices used for the research and development of new technologies in editing, audio, and multimedia. The Ranch, named after the Star Wars character Luke Skywalker, was completed in1985.

In 1986, Lucas executive-produced Disneyland's 3-D musical space adventure Captain Eo, which was directed by Francis Coppola and starred Michael Jackson. Captain Eo was shown in a theater uniquely designed by Lucas, Industrial Light &Magic, and Disney for the 17-minute spectacular. He was also the creator of Star Tours, combining the technology of a flight simulator with ILM special effects -- making it the most popular attraction at Disneyland.

His next project was the adventure-fantasy film Willow. Based on an original story by Lucas, the film was directed by Ron Howard and executive-produced by Lucas. Willow was released in 1988. Also in 1988, Lucas executive-produced Tucker: The Man and His Dream, directed by Francis Coppola. The following year, Lucas served as executive producer for Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

The company established by George Lucas in 1971 has today evolved into three entities. Lucas Digital Ltd. encompasses Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) and Skywalker Sound, the award-winning visual effects,television commercial production, and audio post-production businesses. ILM has played a key role in over half of the top 15 box office hits of all time, and was honored in 1994 with an Academy Award for its achievements in Forrest Gump, which marked a technological breakthrough for the film industry.

LucasArts Entertainment Company is a leading international developer and publisher of entertainment software, having won critical acclaim with more than 100 industry awards for excellence, consistently charting in top ten lists of best selling software.

Lucasfilm Ltd. includes all of Lucas's feature film and television production and the business activities of Licensing and the The THX Group. The THX division was created to define and maintain the highest quality standards in motion picture theaters and home theater systems.

Additionally, George Lucas serves as Chairman of the Board of The George Lucas Educational Foundation, a tax-exempt charitable organization devoted to realizing the vision of a technology-enriched educational system of the future.

In 1992, after numerous awards, George Lucas was honored with the Irving G. Thalberg Award by the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

After a series of premiere screenings that raised $5.6 million for charity, the long-awaited first chapter in the Star Wars saga, The Phantom Menace opened in 1999, to record-breaking business across North America. It demolished the opening weekend box office records in 28 countries and ended the year with worldwide ticket sales of $922 million, making it the second-highest grossing film ever released. Subsequent chapters in the Star Wars saga, Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith, premiered in 2002 and 2005. Revenge of the Sith surpassed all previous box office records for a single day, for opening day, and for first weekend, taking in an estimated $303.2 million worldwide in its first four days.

The exterior of George Lucas’s home

At the library, the sun shines through yellow stained glass

Lot’s of green grass

More land (notice the lack of buildings)

The winery (again)

George Lucas Inspired Custom Home Theater

- Images: Electronic House

Johann Peters of Charisma Productions out of Washington built this custom home theater using George Lucas' personal "Stag" theater as a guide. Johann attended a THX certification session at Skywalker ranch for the Stag and was won over by the world class experience that the theater offers.

The custom theater took eight months and $100,000 to build.

THEATER STATS
* 18W x 13H x 30L
* Runs about 12,740 watts
* 16 seats

EQUIPMENT LIST

Audio Components
* Buttkicker BKA1000-4A Amps (4)
* Buttkicker II Tactiles (8)
* Liberty THX Interconnection
* Mackie DF.6 Mixing Console
* Marantz DV-9500 THX SACD/DVD Player
* Marantz MA-6100 Monoblocks (2)
* Marantz SR-14EX THX AV Receiver
* Monster HTS-3600 MKII Power Conditioner
* Panamax MAX 4300-EX Power Conditioner
* Toshiba HD-XA2 HD?DVD Player

Control
* Philips TSU-9600 WiFi Remote

Speakers
* JBL MP418S Subwoofer w/ Crown Amps (2)
* Klipsch KA-1000-THX Subwoofer Amplifier
* Klipsch KL-525-THX Monopole Rear Surrounds (2)
* Klipsch KS-525-THX Side Surrounds (4)
* Klipsch KL-650-THX LCRs (3)
* Klipsch KW-120-THX Subwoofers (2)
* Liberty THX Ultra 2 Speaker Wire
* Sunfire Mark IV Subwoofer

Video
* JVC DLA-RS1 Projector
* Stewart Filmscreen 150-Inch Studio Tek 130 THX Microperf




Michael Dell

Michael Dell House is the home of the Dell family in Austin, Texas. It has been estimated to be worth more than $18 million and is one of the largest houses in the world.



Michael Dell House in Texas is an aerial view taken from Google Earth.
Longitude: -97°47'36"
Latitude: 30°19'38"

Dell’s 33,000-square-foot mega-mansion is perched on a hilltop in the college town where he founded his eponymous computer company. The property has views of the surrounding hills and of the Austin skyline, as well as Dell’s dorm at the University of Texas. Though he reportedly spent tens of millions of dollars building the estate, in the late 1990s he wrangled with local assessors over its value, which was finally pegged at $12 million.


Oprah

Steve Jobs

Steve Spielberg

Donald Trump

Palm Beach, Fla.
Net Worth: $3 billion
The Mar-A-Lago estate, which Trump bought in 1985, may not have 475 feet of ocean frontage like Trump’s $125 million Maison de l’Amitié. Still, it isn’t too shabby. The 62,000-square-foot main house boasts 58 bedrooms and 33 bathrooms. South Florida weather is usually pretty warm, but in case it gets cold, the property has 12 fireplaces.

David Koch

New York, N.Y.
Net Worth: $17 billion
In 2004, Koch was said to have bid $17 million for an 18-room duplex in 740 Park Ave., one of Manhattan’s most exclusive buildings. He’s since spent millions more on extensive renovations. He’s in good company: The 17-story building is also home to George David, head of United Technologies, who paid $25 million for his place in 2004, and financier Steven Schwarzman, who bought part of John D. Rockefeller’s old apartment.

Michael Bloomberg

New York, N.Y.
Net Worth: $11.5 billion
Gracie Mansion, New York’s mayoral residence, is one of New York’s finest properties. But billionaire mayor Michael Bloomberg prefers his own luxurious digs. Built in 1889, this 7,500-square-foot townhouse (center, left) on East 79th Street is steps from Central Park and boasts five floors. In 1986 it set Bloomberg back $3.5 million. Hizzoner also owns properties in Bermuda; London; Vail, Colo.; and North Salem, N.Y.

Ron Perelman

East Hampton, N.Y.
Net Worth: $10 billion
In a summer home enclave filled with remarkable residences, Revlon boss Ron Perelman has a particularly notable one. Perelman bought the 57-acre estate, called “The Creeks” and set on Georgica Pond, in 1990 for $12.5 million. While that seemed high at the time, we estimate that if he were to sell today, the land alone would command $70 million, the same price he got for his Palm Beach, Fla., house in 2004.

Larry Ellison

Malibu, Calif.
Net Worth: $26 billion
The Oracle chief must like California’s weather; his properties dot the coastline from San Francisco to Malibu. Ellison bought this So-Cal pad for $20 million in 2005 from music producer David Foster. The tennis court and pool are impressive on their own, but what makes them particularly noteworthy is that they are connected to the main house by a cable car that descends a fixed track to the lower level of the terraced property.

Billionaire Homes 2009 Edition