Star Trek themed mansion is back on the market
With a theatre designed like the bridge of a Star Trek space ship and a games room bigger than the average house, US theatre producer and former Penthouse magazine owner Marc Bell's Florida home is a wonderland.
It first went on the market back in 2014. But, as Bell told The New York Postat the time, his teenage kids begged to be allowed to stay till they finished high school. Priced at about US$30 million (NZ$44.5m) then, it's now back on the market at the bargain price of US$25m (NZ$37), for sale by the owner.
The 2,500 square metre home on 1.6 acres of land is part of Princeton estates, a gated community in the coveted Boca Raton area of Florida, and comes with membership to country club and private security.
It also comes with an 11-seat theatre decked out like the bridge of the USS Enterprise, a Call Of Duty gaming room with camo wall coverings, and a massive pin ball arcade and games room (or ballroom, if that's your scene). There's also a gym and spa suite, a 5 metre outdoor swimming pool with a waterfall, a spa pool that fits 20, and an underwater sound system. Because, why not?
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But it's that homage to long running film and TV franchise Star Trek, just off the white marble entrance way, that's the real draw.
According to The New York Post, Bell's Trek obsession came at 10, when he stumbled across a Trek marathon on late night TV.
“I had never seen Star Trek before - I stayed awake for 24 hours to watch. A Trekkie was born.”
The theatre has a 10-foot screen, with a vibrating floor to give the intimate audience a physical sense of the action happening on screen.
Next door, Bell houses his collection of film and TV memorabilia estimated to be worth about US$1m, and a working concession stand for the theatre.
The home's more mundane details include nine bedrooms, 13 bathrooms and ensuites, two double garages and what the listing describes as a "chef inspired" kitchen, all wrapped up in a Tuscan villa style building, built in 2006.
According to CNN, Bell hasn't been stingy in sharing his collections, games or theatre.
When Hurricane Irma hit South Florida in 2017, he and his family opened their home to 70 foster children who were invited to stay, and use the home's facilities.
"We're thrilled to have them," Bell told CNN.
It's not the first house we've featured with sci-fi and Star Trek themed rooms.
In 2015, Star Wars fan, Steve Simon turned his garage into a theatre in the style of Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith, featuring "windows" printed with views of Tatooine, the homeworld of Luke Skywalker.
While over in Queensland, Dr Who fan Jayman White put the control room of the Tardis, the Doctor's time travelling space ship from the long-running show, into his home.
Stuff
Source: www.stuff.co.nz