Former Governor Sells 'Stunning, Tranquil Oasis' In Winnetka

WINNETKA, IL — Former Gov. Bruce Rauner and his wife, Diana, last week sold the Winnetka home they bought new more than two decades ago for about $2.75 million. They put the property on the market in April, less than three months after Rauner vacated the governor's mansion, with an list price of just shy of $3 million. Its sale was listed as pending on June 7 and closed Friday for 8.5 percent under its asking price.

The Rauners completed the construction on the Rosewood Avenue home after purchasing it for $830,000 in 1995, the year after the two married. The eight-bedroom, 6,870-square foot Nantucket-style home in the Hubbard Woods neighborhood is one of nine residential properties reportedly owned by the Rauners at the time of his election as governor.

The combined value of Rauner's properties has been estimated at well over $30 million. But his even-wealthier successor — billionaire JB Pritzker and his wife, M.K. — dropped more than $12 million on a 6.4-acre Florida horse farm the same week he was elected governor of the cash-strapped state.

Coincidentally, the Pritzkers and the Rauners appear to share a taste of a common architectural element: inspirational words along the edges of their ceilings.

A former Pritkzer residence in Evanston, now in foreclosure, features the names of various authors, such as Milton, Homer and Dickinson, on the molding of in its library.

Similarly, the recently sold Rauner home in Winnetka features gold inlays of imperative verbs such as "nurture," "imagine," and "embrace" in the millwork of its living room.

According to its listing, the "peaceful, natural sanctuary in the heart of Winnetka" was designed to have total "privacy while maximizing natural light." It includes four fireplaces, custom glass display cabinets and a great room with two stories of windows overlooking the back yard.

The"serene master suite" at the "stunning, tranquil oasis" has a "spa-like" bath and a roof deck overlooking wooded stone patio area and a glass-enclosed structure below. It was not addressed in the listing and listing agent Jena Radney has not responded to questions about it.

Between 2018 and 2019, the assessed value of the Rauner's former property dropped by more than 42 percent — falling from nearly $4.2 million to $2.4 million. There was no record of an appeal being filed, and it was not clear what led to the significant reassessment of its value.

The new owners of the property have not yet been identified in public records.

• Address: 720 Rosewood Ave, Winnetka
• Listed: $2,999,900 on April 29
• Sold: $2,745,000 on July 19
• Built: 1996
• Lot Size: 0.51 acres
• Square Feet: 6,870
• Bedrooms: 8
• Bathrooms: 5 full, 2 half

Listing information originally appeared on realtor.com. For more information and photos, click here.

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