The Precious Moments owners are selling a house that looks like a James Bond villain's lair

The sprawling zen bunker in the Chicago 'burbs can be yours for a few million.

Precious Moments figurines remind us of shopping in Hallmark stores and visiting grandma's house. The pastel porcelain knickknacks, introduced in 1978, blossomed in popularity during the 1980s. With their black, teardrop eyes and pale cheeks, the little Precious Moments people are like the Love Is… comic strip chiseled into three dimensions. You would often spot them in homes sitting next to a Depression glass candy dish or perched atop a doily, propping up Fannie Flagg hardbacks on a bookshelf. They were twee, sentimental and often spiritual.

Which is why there is such a disconnect when you see the modernist concrete fortress that is the Precious Moments owners' home.

Jon Butcher, son of original Precious Moments creator Sam Butcher, lives in the suburban Chicago home. According to Patch, the sprawling 26-acre estate has been listed on and off during the past seven years. In 2012, the asking price was $7.9 million. Today, Realtor.com lists the home for just under $2.5 million.

The 17,000 sq. ft. mansion features a noticeable lack of doe-eyed moppets. Instead, there are a plethora of marble and water features. The living room feels more like the lobby of a downtown Hyatt in 1983. Known as "The Woodgate Estate," the house comes complete with a remarkably beautiful Japanese garden, designed by Hoichi Kurisu, the landscaping legend who had a hand in the world-renowned Portland Japanese Garden.

That is countered with a master bedroom that looks like Prince designed a Flintstones set. 

It's a fascinating place, especially when you have the image of a Precious Moments figurine in mind. The house seems more fitting for Tony Montana or Ernst Stavro Blofeld.

Take a tour of the place through 80 more images courtesy of @properties and Realtor.com.

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3 Comments

stephaniestavropoulos 60 months ago
Did anybody else see this: The two photos METV chose as examples of the Butcher's Estate, {minus the fireplace, and the area with the purple lighting. It's the camera angle that made me think of this} looks like a shopping mall? I can clearly envision both staircases going up to the second floor and there being stores up there. the first photo looks like you're standing at the railing, looking down at the stores on that floor.
I thought lobby of an office building.
From the outside it looks like an office building; but on the inside, it looks like a hotel lobby. When it is sold, it will probably be made into a commercial property of some sort. Maybe they're waiting for the property to be rezoned.
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