Bill Gates says he won’t downsize from $130M mansion with underwater music system despite living alone
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON: Bill Gates is not one to compromise on luxury as he recently revealed that despite living alone, he likes big mansions and is not in a mood to let go of his huge house, Xanadu 2.0, which is built inside a 66,000-square-foot compound.
He bought the Lake Washington estate for only $2 million in 1988. However, now it is worth at least $130 million, as reported by The New York Post.
In an interview with The Times, the former CEO of Microsoft said, “My house in Seattle, I admit, is gigantic. My sisters have downsized. I can’t. I like the houses I have.”
Bill Gates paid tribute to ‘Citizen Kane’ by naming his house Xanadu 2.0
Bill Gates also said that his “kids like to come back — that is a luxury.” The 69-year-old is the father of three children — Jennifer, Rory, and Phoebe — whom he shares with his former wife, Melinda French Gates.
“I don’t cook, I don’t make my own bed, but I don’t mind if no one has made it — I wouldn’t notice,” Gates added.
The business magnate reportedly named his house Xanadu 2.0 after the fictional property of Charles Foster Kane from the 1941 movie ‘Citizen Kane’.
Melinda French Gates did not like Xanadu 2.0
The property features a private library, six kitchens, 24 bathrooms, an indoor trampoline room, along with a swimming pool that comes with an underwater music system.
Though the house is very dear to Gates, who spent $63 million in renovations, his ex-wife Melinda did not like it.
A 2008 interview of the former multimedia product developer called the house “a bachelor’s dream and a bride’s nightmare.”
Bill Gates said divorce from Melinda French Gates was ‘tough’
This came as Gates called the end of his marriage with Melinda “the mistake I most regret.”
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He shared, “When we got divorced, it was tough. The divorce thing was miserable for me and Melinda for at least two years. When we got divorced, it was tough, and then she made the decision to leave the foundation — I was disappointed that she took the option to go off.”
But the Microsoft co-founder added, “Melinda and I still see each other — we have three kids and two grandchildren, so there are family events. The kids are doing well," before asserting, "There is something special about the life we shared. And while I regret how it ended, I am grateful for everything we built together."
