Price Cut Means French-Style Winnetka Mansion Only $6.5M

Built by the Bensiger family at the turn of the century and most recently home to Al and Freeda Hofeld, this 22-room Winnetka mansion has seen its price plummet since originally being listed at $9.4 million a few years ago, coming down to a slightly less stratospheric $6.5 million. While the century-plus pedigree is a strong selling point, this 22-room property is thoroughly modern. A trial lawyer and former senate candidate, Hofeld extensively renovated the 11,000-square-foot French Regency-style estate, located just a short walk from downtown, adding features such as a indoor basketball court and a pool house and cabana, located underneath the showpiece solarium and terrace. His wife Freda added decorative flourishes throughout, including a trompe l'oeil and an over-the-top angles-and-clouds mural in the master bedroom. All in all, this 1.45-acre estate offers one of your few opportunities in this world to save $3 million.

·300 Birch St [Redfin]