Unity House nabs The historic Marks estate sold this morning to Unity House for $2.5 million at an auction by the state Department of Transportation. The upset price was $1.8 million.
a prize residence
By Lyn Danninger
ldanninger@starbulletin.comIn addition to the nonprofit, a private individual bid on the estate for use as a private residence. He declined to reveal his name.
The last time the estate was appraised, it was estimated to be worth about $4.5 million, according to Unity House.
Unity House said it plans to use the estate to consolidate its offices and as a center to house activities for retirees. It has 90 days to close the deal.
"We had office facilities that weren't completely what we wanted," Unity House Executive Director and General Counsel Randall Harakal said. "We also wanted a safe place for the retirees to come."
Unity House plans to preserve the estate in keeping with its designation on the state and national registers of historic places. By buying the estate, Harakal said Unity House returns to its roots. "Unity House has a house," he said.
The estate at 3860 Old Pali Road includes a 24-room Hawaii-style brick and frame mansion designed by architect Hardie Phillip. Built in 1929 for Clarence H. Cooke, it also has a gate house, guest cottages and a two-story garage that includes upstairs living quarters. The property consists of two separate parcels totaling about 218,000 square feet of land.
Cooke bequeathed the estate to the Academy of Arts, which later sold it to Lester A. Marks.
After a long legal battle, the territorial government bought it for $624,000 in the 1950s so construction of the Pali Highway could split the property.
Unity House
