Rick Ross is about to breathe new life into the 50,000-square-foot mansion that once belonged to boxing legend Evander Holyfield. The rapper bought the house, described as the largest single-family residence in all of Georgia, for $5.8 million at a foreclosure auction.
The house has a story that is almost as famous as the man himself. Dubbed Villa Vittoriosa, or "The Victory," according to Zillow, the scale and classic architectural touches suggest that it was designed for a king. Holyfield, who fought in the light-heavyweight and cruiserweight classes before moving up to the heavyweight division, certainly ruled the ring and the popular imagination for many years. He reportedly amassed a fortune that peaked at $200 million throughout his boxing career, and put a reported $50 million of it into building the estate.
Now begins the massive task of restoring the gated palatial estate – which reportedly incurs yearly maintenance costs of $1 million – to its former glory. Since just about everything in the house was built on a grand scale, Ross will have his work cut out for him. The entry hall is grandeur itself, with a two-winged staircase flanking an enormous sundial mosaic in the marble floor. The main house boasts 109 rooms, 12 bedrooms, and 21 bathrooms among the basics. There is also an office with a fireplace and not just a leopard print rug, but also a full carpet! It also has an indoor lap pool and a two-lane bowling alley.
A three-tiered fountain welcomes visitors to the backyard, which features a 350,000-gallon swimming pool – supposedly one of the largest private swimming pools in the United States, according to Zillow. Once the landscaping comes back, there will certainly be enough room for formal, informal and secret gardens, since the estate sits on 235 acres of land.
The house is replete in classic architecture: Corinthian columns accent the ballroom and the dining room that can seat 100 guests. Black marble columns also enshrine the in-floor bath- and hot-tub in the master bathroom.
Not every element of the property is larger than life: The kitchen seems tame by comparison, and there is just a three-car garage. We're not sure where the 90-other dinner guests are supposed to put their whips.
Ross reportedly wants to give back to the community, and use the property to host youth from disadvantaged backgrounds to have events there, and maybe dream big. Really big.
