Check Out Nelson Rockefeller’s $1.7 Million House in St. Croix

We have heard the love story of the Taj Mahal, born from the undying love of Emperor Shah Jahan for Mumtaz Mahal. The Taj Mahal was commissioned by Shah Jahan to show his lasting love for his departed wife, and he even paid the architects who built it a large sum of money to ensure they would never design anything to rival the Taj Mahal’s beauty. It was added to the new Seven Wonders of the World and today remains one of the most popular tourist attractions in India. While that happened in the 17th century, what people do for those they love continues to amaze us. Nelson Rockefeller’s house in St Croix was also a declaration of his love for his new bride, and here is everything else you need to know about the house.

A perfect gift to Nelson’s new bride

According to Top Ten Real Estate Deals, Nelson had an eye for beautiful things, and he loved adding them to his collection. Therefore, even after divorcing his wife, Mary, after 32 years of marriage, his heart settled for another beautiful woman, Margaretta, whom he married in 1963. As he enjoyed sailing in the Caribbean, he came across a parcel of land on St Croix that he knew would be ideal for building a home and presenting it to his new wife as a wedding gift. Therefore, he bought the piece of land and built the five-bedroom house he gifted to the new woman in his life; hence, it remains to be called the “Rockefeller house.”

As per the home’s plan published by Modern Capital, the five bedrooms, one of which is the master en suite, are around the edge, next to each other. The house has 3.5 bathrooms, a game area, living room, dining area in the middle, kitchen with breakfast area, and laundry. Since the over one-acre plot of land overlooks the Caribbean, Nelson had to reinforce the dome structure with steel in case of hurricanes.

The 4,500 square feet home is a dream come true for anyone passionate about going green. It ensures that the power bill is minimal through the large 24-foot skylight that floods the house with natural light. Besides, it has a solar panel that generates at least 2 kilowatts per month. Additionally, if you are worried about staying cool in the summer heat, Nelson insulated the house perfectly. The mahogany framed doors can also be opened to allow proper air circulation. Moreover, when it rains, you can harvest the rainwater thanks to the carefully designed roof that allows water to flow into a cistern, thus reducing your water bill too. Therefore, it is no wonder that when the Nelson Rockefeller house went on sale, the asking price was $1.499 million.

Other husbands who have designed unique houses for their wives

Nelson and Shah Jahan are only a few of the men who have gone out of their way in showing their wives how much they love them. One man, Said Jammal, a Lebanese immigrant who lives in Nigeria, noticed that his wife, Liza, loves traveling. Therefore, he started building a house that looks like an airplane so that when his wife is in it, she gets the feeling that she is traveling. The cockpit is a computer room while the kitchen is along the plane’s body. The couple’s property is plane-themed with the guest house resembling the top of a plane while the security booth looks like an aircraft’s control tower. However, for Said, it was more than just a love story that started twenty years ago; it is a legacy for his family and his country Nigeria.

Another devoted husband, Kanagavel, took heed of his wife’s wish to have a unique house and thought it best to ensure she lived to see it. Therefore, he took two years to complete the palace-like house, which drained all his life’s savings. Despite having not attended any architectural school, his interest in the craft pushed him to learn what he could from experts in the industry, and today, he is an accomplished contractor. He was inspired to build the palace-like home by ancient kingdoms, and one of the most prominent features upon entering the house is a 3-D Buddha statue.

Why you should consider buying or building a green home

Nelson Rockefeller thought about going green when global warming was yet to be a major concern, which shows he was a futuristic thinker. Of course, one of the most obvious perks of going green is energy efficiency since the aim is to prevent consumers from depending so much on non-renewable energy sources. With his skylight window and solar panels, Nelson could extend energy efficiency in his home, but it is more than just keeping your bills low. By reducing dependency on non-renewable energy sources, we prevent environmental pollution.

Going green can also ensure that you live a healthy life by avoiding substances that emit toxic compounds. For instance, Jessica Alba decided against VOC paints in her home; VOCs are pollutants that reduce the air quality in your home, making you susceptible to allergies, breathing difficulty, eye irritation, and much more. Besides, the long-term exposure to such materials can lead to cancer; hence most green homes ensure purified air by utilizing heat recovery ventilation systems and air filters.

Nelson also had the wisdom to have rainwater harvested in cisterns, perhaps to avoid the strain of sharing scarce water resources with his neighbors. As RND Construction explains, once potable water is wasted, even the effort used in ensuring that it gets into our homes is wasted as well. Since green homes employ efficient plumbing fixtures, water wastage is heavily reduced through recycling mechanisms.

Finally, if you are looking to invest in real estate, renovating the home to be green will increase the sale value. After all, we all want something that will save a dollar in the future, and considering how hefty power and water bills can be, a green home is the way to go.