Rush Limbaugh's Palm Beach estate sold for $155 million to William Lauder

According to those familiar with the deal, Rush Limbaugh's longtime Palm Beach mansion, which sold for a record $155 million, was purchased by billionaire William Lauder.

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Several homes are located on the approximately 2.7-acre beachfront property on upscale North Ocean Boulevard, according to records. It provides immediate access to the beach and around 250 feet of ocean frontage. Records show that Mr. Limbaugh, a pioneer of conservative talk radio who passed away in 2021, paid $3.9 million for the property in 1998. 

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Estée Lauder Companies' colossal beauty company is led by Mr. Lauder. For a total of $200 million, he recently listed two properties in Palm Beach with around 360 feet of beach frontage. According to records, he paid just about $25.4 million for a plot of land measuring about 1 acre in one of the properties in 2020. In 2021, he paid an undisclosed sum for the second property, which measures roughly 1.8 acres. The homes on both lots were destroyed.

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A Park Avenue condominium owned by Mr. Lauder was also put up for sale in 2019 for $45 million but was later pulled off the market, according to records. 

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According to Trade Algo, the Limbaugh property was surreptitiously put on the market last year with an asking price of $150 million to $175 million.

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According to Zev Chafets' 2010 book "An Army of One," Mr. Limbaugh personally decorated the about 24,000 square foot main mansion, which was constructed in the West Indies style. According to the book, there is a sizable salon designed to evoke Versailles and a dining room chandeliers that is an exact reproduction of the one in New York's Plaza Hotel. 

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For Palm Beach, the $155 million sale is a record. Hedge fund manager Ken Griffin paid $129.6 million for four properties in 2013, and private equity executive Scott Shleifer spent $122.7 million for a seaside property in 2021. Co-founder and chairman of Oracle Corporation Larry Ellison spent $173 million on a house in nearby Manalapan last year.