Support truly
independent journalism
Our mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.
Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.
Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.
Louise Thomas
Editor
Laurene Powell Jobs, the billionaire widow of Apple founder Steve Jobs and president of the Emerson Collective, has bought the most expensive home in San Francisco history, splashing out a cool $70m on a mansion with panoramic views of the Golden Gate Bridge.
Ms Powell bought the property in Pacific Heights, which is sandwiched between homes owned by Oracle billionaire Larry Ellison and Apple designer Jonathan Ive, for around £54m, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The previous owners were Sloan Lindemann Barnett, a billionaire’s daughter, and Roger Barnett, who runs a health supplement manufacturer. The pair initially wanted more than $100m for it, sources close to the deal reportedly said. The Barnett’s bought the property for $33bn in 2011.
The residence, built in 1916, spans approximately 17,000 square-foot.
In 2020 the house was described as a Spanish Renaissance Revival palacio “wrapped around a two-story courtyard crowned with a vast glass roof”, by Architectural Digest.
The previous owners hired famous architect Peter Marino to update the mansion. “It was a Herculean task,” Mr Marino told Architectural Digest . He added it took more than three years to complete.
The magazine also noted that the home had “been described, with good reason, as the most beautiful house in America.”
Mr Marino also preserved its floor plan and the best of its original features while adding modern elements during the renovations.
Aerial images of the house today show the property with vast areas of outdoor space, including a roof deck and a second-floor balcony.
This isn’t Ms Powell’s first expensive purchase this year. Last month she paid $94m for an ocean-front property in the Paradise Cove area of Malibu, according to the Journal.
San Francisco has some of the most expensive house prices in the US. The previous record was set in 2021 by the sale of another Pacific Heights home for $43.5m.
Laurene and Steve married in 1991 after meeting when he gave a lecture at Stanford’s business school, where she was a student. They had three children together.
Mr Jobs died in 2011 aged 56, from pancreatic cancer. Ms Powell Jobs is the founder and chair of Emerson Collective and XQ Institute.
The Independent has contacted Ms Powell Jobs for comment.
