Location, location
Sun coverage
Liberace’s opulent former Las Vegas mansion has been sold for $500,000 to a man who is said to be a lifelong fan of the late pianist.
Clark County records show that Martyn James Ravenhill is the new owner of the two-story, 14,939-square-foot house near the Thomas & Mack Center. The sale was recorded Friday.
Ravenhill bought the home from JPMorgan Chase Bank, which had seized it through foreclosure more than three years ago.
The new owner, who could not be reached for comment, decided to buy the mansion when he saw news reports that it was up for sale and had fallen from its former splendor, according to the British news site Get Surrey.
A tattooed vacation-property salesman who lives in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Ravenhill bought the Las Vegas house in honor of his 50th birthday, Get Surrey reported.
“It felt like destiny when I bought it,” he is quoted in the story as saying. “It was almost surreal. Everything has happened very quickly but it is a very exciting time.”
The mansion, 4982 Shirley St., was listed for sale in June at $529,900, more than $3 million less than what it sold for during Las Vegas’ housing boom. After VEGAS INC reported the listing, people from around the country called the paper to say they were interested in buying the home.
Built in 1962, the mansion sits on almost half an acre of land and has two bedrooms, 10 bathrooms, five fireplaces and several large areas for entertaining.
It features several chandeliers and a room with tile piano keys decorating the floor. A beveled mirror bar is etched with Liberace’s signature and an image of a piano.
The mansion also includes a bedroom ceiling adorned with a $1.6 million reproduction of Michelangelo’s painting at the Sistine Chapel. Liberace claimed his version was made by a descendant of the famed painter, according to AOL News.
Liberace bought the house in 1974, according to county records. The flamboyant musician died of an AIDS-related illness in 1987; two years later, his foundation sold the mansion to a married couple named Vance and Jan Turner.
In 2006, the Turners sold it for $3.7 million to Terrance Lee “Dez” Dzvonick, who says online he has more than 30 years of real estate experience and is a medically retired California police officer.
Dzvonick lost the home to foreclosure in February 2010, property records show.