Former Wayne Newton home in Vegas selling for $70M

[September 13, 2013]  LAS VEGAS (AP) -- The lavish estate that was home to "King of Las Vegas" Wayne Newton is on the market for $70 million.

It's an eyebrow-raising price tag, but the owners say it's a property fit for royalty. Indeed, they say they have already fielded inquiries from a noble Saudi Arabian family.

With creditors at his door, Newtown sold the property in 2010 for $19.5 million to CSD LLC, headed by investors Lacy and Dorothy Harber. He had lived there since 1968.

The 40-acre "Casa de Shenandoah" property several miles southeast of the Las Vegas Strip was listed by Sotheby's on Monday.

In flusher days, the "Danke Schoen" crooner's property featured flamingos, South African penguins and Arabian horses. Newtown outfitted it with gold-trimmed doors, serene pools and plush carpeting.

In addition to the main mansion, the property includes four homes, 1,500 trees and an exercise pool for horses.

Newton, 71, his family, and a menagerie of exotic animals downsized in June to a $3 million estate on 20 acres nearby.

Grant Lyon, who is overseeing the property for the Harbers, said the price has risen by $50 million in part because of the improvements CSD made to the property. The new owners added a 14-car garage, remodeled the horse stables, and removed manure.

Lyon imagines the property will appeal to a wealthy equinophile. It can house 60 horses.

"If someone is an avid horse person and wants to live in Las Vegas but still maintain a level of seclusion and privacy, it's probably the only property that offers that," he said.

He said the hope is to find a buyer, likely from abroad, who sees the property as a trophy.

[Associated Press; By HANNAH DREIER]

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