The Barrington Hill mansion featured in the hit show ‘Empire’ is set to hit the auction block after failing to sell the old-fashioned way – and it has been on the market for 10 years.
The 17,6000-square-foot estate at 45 Lakeview Lane, owned by Sam and Geralyn Cecola, is scheduled to go under the hammer on July 15, but the couple can withdraw from the auction if the bid is too low, Crain’s Report.
The 8.3-acre property has been on a roller coaster ride since it first hit the market in 2013. It first listed for $15.3 million. In 2019, the mansion returned to the market with a $9.5 million price cut, bringing the final asking price down again to $7.5 million. The house was under contract in September 2021 and April 2022, but both deals fell through and never closed.
Traditional buyers can still snap up the home for $9.5 million, but Cecolas is ready to end the saga by leading them to auction, according to Michael La Fido of eXp Realty, who is acting as the listing agent route.
In “Empire,” which aired from 2015 to 2020, the estate was used as the luxurious home of Lucius Lyon, the patriarch of a well-known music industry family played by Terrence Howard. The property’s boat dock was built for the show and is still intact.
Sam Cecola is the longtime owner and operator of the Admiral Theater strip club on Lawrence Avenue. The Cecolas bought the land in 2001 for $200,000, but construction costs are not known to the public.
The six-bedroom, ten-bathroom home has multiple terraces and colonnades overlooking the pool and fountain. Nestled between two lakes, it boasts large formal rooms, an elevator and a six-car garage.
Elsewhere in Chicago, a 12,300-square-foot mansion in Winnetka is also up for auction, with bids starting at $2.5 million. But unlike 45 Lakeview, the property has been foreclosed on by lenders because it is on the verge of foreclosure.
— Quinn Donoghue
