What is the “Secret of the San Juans?"

On May 19th, a hush fell as Mansion Global readers were treated to the “Secret of the San Juans.” In a celebration of the beloved archipelago, Nancy Keates highlights the San Juans most recent achievement as “the hottest luxury real-estate market in the country,” and discusses that the area’s growth “has been fueled in recent years by an influx of high-tech companies to Seattle, where soaring home prices make the San Juans look like a bargain.” The article features a number of luxury estates in the area and includes Friday Harbor Estate and Madroneagle, listed by Realogics Sotheby’s International Realty.

Friday Harbor Estate, which is listed for $14.8 million and owned by famed rocker Steve Miller “has an 11,686-square-foot, stone-and-wood home on a total of about 40 acres. It also has a dock with deep-water moorage” and as Miller tells Keates, he was looking for convenience: “for a guy like me, who does 70 cities a year, I needed to be somewhere I could get in and out of.”

Keates writes that “it took three years and about $12 million for Kathleen Dickinson and her late husband Ron McDowell to build” Madroneagle. A stunning architectural achievement, it is situated on 41 acres on Orcas Island and “is filled with reclaimed wood and intricate architectural details.” In the video below, Dickinson is seen in her chef’s kitchen putting the finishing touches on a sweet treat.

This article appeared in the May 19th, 2017 print edition of Mansion Global and is available to subscribers of Wall Street Journal at WSJ.com.

Want to learn more about the Pacific Northwest’s best kept secret? Dive into the Legacy Home Report for a retelling of Island history, a legacy home spotlight, and market comparison.