The Hala Ranch is a estate located just north of

Aspen, Colorado Aspen is the List of municipalities in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule city that is the county seat and the List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous municipality of Pitkin County, Colorado, United States. The city population ...

, originally purchased and given its name by Prince Bandar bin Sultan. The main house on the property was designed by the architectural firm of Hagman Yaw and built by Hansen Construction of Aspen, Colorado, in 1991. The estate has been ranked by

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magazine as the most expensive home in the United States, once listed at $135 million.

John Paulson John Alfred Paulson (born December 14, 1955) is an American billionaire hedge fund manager. He leads Paulson & Co., a New York–based investment management firm he founded in 1994. He has been called "one of the most prominent names in high f ...

bought the ranch in 2007 for $49 million, according to

the Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...

. The Saudi Prince purchased the land while he served as ambassador to the United States, and originally visited about three times a year. The Prince's visits, which were always announced to local officials for security reasons, became less frequent after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, which were carried out mostly by Saudi nationals. in 2007, Prince Bandar bin Sultan sold the estate, after accepting a position as National Security Councillor in

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. The estate has its own

wastewater treatment plant Wastewater treatment is a process which removes and eliminates contaminants from wastewater. It thus converts it into an effluent that can be returned to the water cycle. Once back in the water cycle, the effluent creates an acceptable impact on ...

and a mechanical shop with its own gasoline pumps and car wash. Cross-country ski trails are maintained throughout the property. The centerpiece lodge of the estate is larger than the

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. It is built in a rustic style, with massive timber beams and stone columns, and contains 15 bedrooms, all with patios, and 16 bathrooms. There is also an interior elevator. The decoration of the interior features mahogany wood and bronze hardware, as well as stained glass windows and a wood-burning fireplace. The master wing has a room set aside for grooming, while guest rooms open onto a

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with a

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and waterfall. Other amenities of the estate include a commercial kitchen, a fishing pond, a

racquetball Racquetball is a racquet sport and a team sport played with a hollow rubber ball on an indoor or outdoor court. Joseph Sobek invented the modern sport of racquetball in 1950, adding a stringed racquet to paddleball in order to increase vel ...

court, a sophisticated

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, heated hay barn and stables, steam room, a swimming pool, and a tennis court. In December 2007, the guesthouse was sold for a reported $36.5 mm.

References

{{coord, 39.246394, -106.849573, display=title Buildings and structures in Pitkin County, Colorado Ranches in Colorado