The “Gone with the Wind” Home!

The “Gone with the Wind” Home!

The "Gone with the Wind" Home!

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In his obituary in the Los Angeles Times on January 13, 2007, it said of John Crean, "John C. Crean was a man of simple tastes. He loved his family. He loved fishing, cooking and flying model airplanes. And he loved building things that changed people's lives."

Creator of Fleetwood Enterprises, Inc., John Crean wasn’t born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Always in trouble in his youth and a self-professed alcoholic at age 25, he grew up on a depression-era farm. Twenty-five was the turnaround age for John when he and his brother started Fleetwood. From that point on he lived his life as "a man who was full of hope and who was constantly looking for the good in others." As Fleetwood grew from a company that designed and manufactured Venetian blinds for travel trailers into a $3 billion enterprise manufacturing RVs and housing, John and his wife built their 4-acre Gone with the Wind inspired estate in Newport Beach, California. Unlike the flamboyant super rich today, they didn’t flaunt their wealth for their own benefit and though the estate contained 22,000 square feet, the Creans lived there in a modest 2,500 square foot apartment. The remainder of the estate was used as a venue for organization and charitable functions. Due to rising gas prices and a flailing economy, Fleetwood Enterprises, Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March, 2009 two years after John Crean died at age 81 in January of 2007.

Tara, as the Creans called it, is a 4-acre compound consisting of the main house, a 7600 square foot workshop-office, garage with 16 bays and gym and apartment above. All said there are 18 bedrooms, 30 baths, a dining room that seats 32 people, a commercial kitchen and elegant appointments.

Crean Village, the Tara of the West, priced at $16.8 million.

Source: www.starrealestate.com