“Organic modern” Rancho Santa Fe mansion sells for $23M

Billionaire inventor bought 23K-sf home full of odd shapes and angles; highest amount paid for home in area

Herbert Wertheim and his Rancho Santa Fe home. (Getty, Laura Barry Luxury Estates)
Herbert Wertheim and his Rancho Santa Fe home. (Getty, Laura Barry Luxury Estates)

Billionaire optometrist and inventor Herbert Wertheim broke a record with his $23 million purchase of a 33-acre estate in Rancho Santa Fe.

The deal for the unique mansion and property at 17111 El Vuelo was the highest price paid in the community and one of the priciest ever recorded in San Diego County, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Wertheim’s new estate includes a 22,500-square-foot home that’s full of odd shapes and angles. It was commissioned by Qualcomm co-founder Andrew Viterbi. After failing to sell the home for $60 million in 2015, he donated it to UC San Diego, according to the report. The school listed it in September for $30 million, before selling it to Wertheim.

The home has six bedrooms and 10 bathrooms, and is centered on a double-height main living space with floating staircases, angular pillars, and glass walls opening to the back terrace. There is also custom furniture throughout, including tables and a bar made of stone, along with sculptures and other art pieces.

The home is “completely self-sufficient” and powered by solar panels, according to the listing by Barry Estates’ Jason Barry and Ryan McGovern. It was also billed as an “organic modern masterpiece.”

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The property includes a large swimming pool and spa, a lawn area, tennis court, putting green and gardens. A citrus orchard spans a large chunk of the property.

In April, Bill and Melinda Gates paid $43 million for a 5,800-square-foot beachfront home in Del Mar, about seven miles southwest.

Overall, median home prices continue to climb in San Diego, as they have across Southern California.

[LAT] — Dennis Lynch